Louisiana Soccer Match 13 Preview: at Arkansas State

JONESBORO, Ark. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Women's Soccer team closes out its 2020 regular-season schedule on Sunday when it visits Sun Belt Conference West Division leader Arkansas State at the A-State Soccer Complex.

Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. The match will be available on ESPN+ with live stats for the match available at CajunStats.com.

Louisiana (8-3-1, 4-2-1 SBC) had its school-record, six-match win streak snapped in Thursday's 0-0 deadlock against Little Rock. The first tie of the season clinched the No. 2 seed in the West Division for Louisiana, which will face the No. 3 seed from the East Division (Coastal Carolina, Georgia State or South Alabama) in a quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday, Nov. 4, in Foley, Ala.

The Ragin' Cajuns extended their school-record streak of not allowing a goal to 712 minutes against the Trojans as freshman Lauryn Starwood posted three saves in recording her fifth shutout of the season.

Arkansas State (7-1-1, 6-0-1 Sun Belt) posted a 1-0 victory over the Ragin' Cajuns on Sept. 24 on Sarah Sodoma's goal in the 28^th minute – the last goal allowed by Louisiana.

MATCH INFORMATION
LOUISIANA (8-3-1, 4-2-1 Sun Belt) at ARKANSAS STATE (7-1-1, 6-0-1 Sun Belt)
Date / Time: October 25, 2020 / 12 p.m.
Site: Jonesboro, Ark.
Stadium: A-State Soccer Complex (Grass)

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Lance Key (Trinity, 2000)
Record at Louisiana: 17-11-4 (second season); Overall Record: 226-32-21 (14th season)

ARKANSAS STATE
Head Coach: Brian Dooley (Nova Southeastern, 1987)
Record at A-State: 43-42-14 (sixth season); Overall Record: 235-166-35 (24th season)

VIDEO/LIVE STATS/SOCIAL UPDATES
Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: CajunStats.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsSOC
Hashtag: #GeauxCajuns / #LAvsASU

SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: Louisiana leads, 12-11
At Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 6-4-0
At Little Rock: Louisiana leads, 6-5-0
Neutral Sites: Arkansas State leads, 2-0-0
Streak: Arkansas State +3
Last Meeting: Arkansas State 1-0 (9/24/20 at Lafayette)

MATCH NOTES
JUST FOR KICKS ...
• Louisiana is unbeaten in its last seven matches (6-0-1), having its six-match win streak snapped in Thursday's 0-0 deadlock against Little Rock.
• The tie locked up the No. 2 seed in the West Division for Louisiana heading into its final match against Arkansas State.
• Louisiana will open play in the Sun Belt Conference Women's Soccer Championships on Wednesday (Nov. 4) against Coastal Carolina - the No. 3 seed in the East Division.
• Louisiana's eight wins are tied for the most among Sun Belt Conference schools and its 25 points are second behind Georgia State in 2020.
• The Ragin' Cajuns 53 points scored (18 goals, 17 assists) is third nationally behind Pittsburgh (81) and Florida State (57).
• Louisiana's 18 goals scored and 17 assists are third nationally among Division I programs.
• Louisiana has held its opponents scoreless for the last 712 minutes with its last goal allowed coming in the 28th minute against Arkansas State on Sept. 24.
• Lizzie Mayfield ranks No. 2 nationally in total points (15) behind Amanda West of Pitt.
• Mayfield's five assists are tied for the national lead with Emily Gray of Virginia Tech.
• Lauryn Starwood's 0.13 goals against average is currently the lowest by any Division I goalkeeper who has played more than one match.
• Starwood's .963 save percentage (1 goal allowed, 26 saves) is second behind TCU's Emily Alvarado (.964) for the national lead.
• The Ragin' Cajuns return 15 letterwinners from a squad that posted a 9-8-3 record in 2019 and reached the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Championships for the first time in school history.
• Karleen Bedre's five-point performance against ULM on Sept. 27 (2G, 1A) is tied for the most by a Sun Belt Conference player during the 2020 season.
• Alex Augustyn's two-assist match against Louisiana Tech was the first for a Ragin' Cajuns player since Kobi McNutt against Georgia Southern on Oct. 25, 2019.

BENDING THE BALL ...
• Louisiana's Lizzie Mayfield has been credited with a goal and assist in four matches in 2020 (Abilene Christian, South Alabama, Little Rock, ULM).
• Louisiana's two goals scored against Abilene Christian equaled the most by the Ragin' Cajuns in a season-opener since a 2-1 win at McNeese State on Aug. 21, 2012.
• Mayfield's three points (goal, assist) against Abilene Christian equaled the most by a Ragin' Cajun in a season-opener since Courtney Hofland's three points at Houston in 2006.
• Mayfield is tied for the Sun Belt Conference with five goals scored and leads the league in both points (15) and assists (5).
• Mayfield is tied for the league lead in game-winning goals (2) and is third overall in the league in shot attempts (32).
• Two of Mayfield's team-high five assists have come on corner kicks.
• Louisiana leads the Sun Belt Conference in corner kicks (71).

THROW-INS ...
• Gwen Mummert has started in all 50 career matches she has played in.
• Mummert and freshman Hailey Hoffman are tied with Mayfield for the Sun Belt Conference lead in game-winning goals (2).
• Mummert joins Una Einarsdottir, Julianne DeBlieux and Ashley Newland as team captains for the 2020 season.
• The assists at Texas State by Kiana Leger and freshman Demi McCalliog – in her collegiate debut – were the first points of their Louisiana career.
• Freshman Caitlyn Ferguson made her Louisiana debut at Texas State and scored an equalizer in the 76th minute off an assist from Leger.
• The announcement of Lizzie Mayfield (offense) and Jordan Higgins (defense) as Sun Belt Conference Players of the Week on Sept. 9 marked the first time in school history Louisiana swept the weekly honors.
• Louisiana earned its second sweep of the Sun Belt Player of the Week awards on Oct. 21 with the announcement of Una Einarsdottir (offense) and Lauryn Starwood (defense).
• After missing the 2019 season due to injury, redshirt junior Grace Champagne played seven minutes against ACU as she returned to the field for the time since Oct. 21, 2018 against Georgia State.

SAVES AND CLEAN SHEETS ...
• Louisiana's eight shutouts in 2020 are tied with Arkansas State for the most in the Sun Belt Conference.
• Goalkeeper Jordan Higgins posted the first shutout in her Ragin' Cajuns debut since Alexias Stricklin stopped seven shots in a 1-0 win over Sam Houston State in 2014.
• Higgins became just the second goalkeeper in school history to earn SBC Player of the Week honors and the first since Liza Preseault on Oct. 1, 2002.
• Lauryn Starwood's 0.15 goals against average and .958 save percentage (1 GAA, 23 Svs.) leads the Sun Belt Conference.
• Starwood earned her first career start in against Arkansas State on Sept. 24 after Higgins was a late scratch.
• Starwood earned her first collegiate win on Sept. 27 against ULM and combined with fellow true freshman Carly Dean on a shutout.

UP NEXT
• Louisiana will open play in quarterfinals of the 2020 Sun Belt Conference Championships on Nov. 4 against the No. 3 seed from the East Division (Coastal Carolina, Georgia State or South Alabama).
• Opening kick is scheduled for 11 a.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

THE NEW NORMAL ... FOR NOW
• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sun Belt Conference has split the teams split into East and West Divisions with teams playing home-and-home against divisional opponents.
• Louisiana and the rest of the West Division programs (Arkansas State, Little Rock, ULM, Texas State) will play eight conference contests while the teams in the East (Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, South Alabama, Troy) will play 10.

LOUISIANA HONORED WITH USC TEAM ACADEMIC AWARD
• The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Women's Soccer team was one of 941 college teams recognized by the United Soccer Coaches as the Team Academic Award winners were recently announced by the organization.
• College Team Academic Award recipients are active members of the United Soccer Coaches College Services Program with a composite grade point average of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale for all players on the roster for the 2019-20 academic year.
• The award for Louisiana was its 11th overall since the program's inception in 2000. The Ragin' Cajuns earned the Team Academic Award in the following years: 2003, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2019.

Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter (@RaginCajunsSOC), Instagram (@RaginCajuns_SOC) and Facebook (Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Soccer) or check RaginCajuns.com for Louisiana soccer updates.

Louisiana Soccer Match 13 Preview: at Arkansas State

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Players Mentioned

Alex Augustyn

Karleen Bedre

Grace Champagne

Carly Dean

Julianne DeBlieux

Una Einarsdottir

Caitlyn Ferguson

Jordan Higgins

Kiana Leger

Lizzie Mayfield

Demi McCalliog

Kobi McNutt

Gwen Mummert

Ashley Newland

Lauryn Starwood

Alexias Stricklin

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