University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Cajuns Drop Exhibition to Sam Houston State, 1-0
8/18/2013 10:02:00 PM | Soccer
LAFAYETTE, La. – In their first test of the 2013 campaign, the Ragin' Cajuns soccer team fell to Sam Houston State 1-0, in a friendly exhibition on Sunday evening at the Ragin' Cajuns Track/Soccer Complex.
"We will need to play the way we finished, that's what we'll get out of this," head coach Scot Wieland said on what the team can gain from the game. "That was our first game, so the freshman jitters are gone. The last 30 minutes we were all over and had a lot of great chances."
Sam Houston State scored the game's lone goal in the 39th minute on a breakaway by Shannon Shields, beating Cajuns keeper Kendall Graham.
Kylie Hambleton and Carlyn Neubauer combined for the clean sheet for the Bearkats, making five saves.
Graham played the first half, making three saves in her first action at Louisiana, after transferring from Florida for her senior season.
Cory DeMarco played the second half in goal, seeing just three shots, none of which were on target.
The Cajuns started six freshman, and two transfers, in an attempt to get all first game jitters out before the season opener at Ole Miss on August 23rd.
"As it takes time for a young team to get confidence, it also takes time to build chemistry," Wieland said of the freshmen. "We are a little younger than normal, but we're better and it will just take a little more time to see that."
Freshman Yazmin Montoya led both teams in shots, taking five shots, three of which reached goal. Fellow freshman Annika Schmidt was second on the team with three shots, and one on goal.
As a team the Cajuns outshot the Bearkats, 11-9, including three shots on target in the final 30 minutes of the game.
"The last 30 minutes we played a lot better," Wieland said of the teams effort. "We got confidence and they started playing the way we knew they could play, we have seen it all preseason. We are young and it's going to take time."
Top returners Elizabeth Manuel, Grace Howell-Harries and Caroline Trahan were the lone returners to start the game, all three played in every game last season.
"They did really well," Wieland said of his upperclassmen stepping up and helping the freshman adjust. "I think they showed good leadership stepping up in that last 30 minutes. As we went on in the game the upperclassmen said 'let's go, freshman jitters are gone and it's time to play."
The Cajuns will now have five days to prepare for the regular season opener, when they travel to Oxford, Miss to take on Ole Miss on August 23 at 7:00 p.m. Their home opener is set for August 25 at 1:00 p.m at the Ragin' Cajuns Track/Soccer Facility.
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