EDINBURG, Texas – The Lamar University women’s soccer team plays its first in-season tournament in four years when it competes in the UTRG Tournament on Thursday and Saturday.

 

The Cardinals (2-2) take on the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions (0-2) at 4 p.m. Thursday before facing the host UTRGV Vaqueros (3-0) at 7 p.m. Saturday.

 

The Cardinals have been on the road since last Thursday when they departed LU for games at LSU and Ole Miss. The team stayed on the road rather than return to Beaumont, which was being hit by Tropical Storm Harvey.

 

“I think we made the right decision,” LU coach Steve Holeman said. “We may not have been able to get out of Beaumont had we returned. Everything worked out.”

 

Holeman noted the team has already logged more than 2,000 miles on the bus since Thursday.

 

“The team is road weary,” Holeman admitted. “The challenge is trying to stay sharp after having been on the road for so long.”

 

The Cardinals practiced at UTRGV on Tuesday in preparation for the weekend. The forecast for Thursday’s contest vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff calls for sunny skies with a game-time temperature of 100 degrees.

 

“We’re definitely going to have to battle the elements,” Holeman said. “We’re going to rotate players. That’s a luxury we didn’t have last year because of our depth.”

 

Kelso Peskin leads LU in scoring with six points on one goal and four assists. Lucy Ashworth has two goals for four points, while Juliana Ocampo has four points on a goal and two assists. Goalkeeper Lauren Lovejoy has played all four games for the Cardinals, with a 1.50 goals-against average and .760 save percentage.

 

Saturday’s game vs. UTRGV will be streamed online by the WAC Digital Network.

 

Following this weekend’s tournament, the Cardinals are scheduled to play a pair of road games in Houston, meeting Texas Southern on Sept. 7 and the University of Houston on Sept. 10. Holeman said no decision about the status of those games has been made as of yet.

 

LU’s next home game is slated for 7 p.m. Sept. 15 against Nicholls in the Southland Conference opener for both squads.

 

LU CARDINALS