Last week in Sports: Sept. 20-27

Gerard Borne, Editor-in-Chief|September 28, 2021

Sam Leventhal/SLU Athletics

Sophomore defensive specialist Calli Collins (left) and junior outside hitter Jolie Hidalgo celebrate during the Sept. 21 match against Southern Miss. The Lady Lions defeated the Lady Eagles 3-2 in their first victory of the season.

The Lions’ football team had their bye week last week after knocking off Central Connecticut State on Sept. 18. 

The Lions are currently sitting at second place in the Southland Conference with a 2-1 record. Their only loss on the season was a 45-42 offensive shootout against Louisiana Tech University. 

This week, the Lions will hit the road and start their Southland Conference play against McNeese State University on Saturday. The McNeese State Cowboys are currently sitting at 1-3 on the season and coming off of a 31-0 loss against Southland foe Incarnate Word University. This matchup will be the first of two competitions between the two programs this regular season as the Lions will host the Cowboys on Oct. 30. 

The last matchup between these two programs ended in a 25-20 victory for the Lions. Cole Kelley hopes to continue his impressive 2021 senior campaign. Kelley currently has 1,202 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions on the season. The Lafayette native also hopes to repeat as the Walter Payton Award winner for the 2021 season. 

Along with Kelley, redshirt junior CJ Turner continues to build an impressive 2021 season with 302 receiving yards through three games on the season. Turner also has three receiving touchdowns on the season.  

The women’s soccer team had two matches over the weekend, both against Southland Conference opponents Texas A&M- Corpus Christi and the University of Incarnate Word. 

In their Friday matchup against TAMU-CC, the Lady Lions tied in a defensive bout. Junior forward Makenzie Maher scored her fourth goal of the season against the Islanders during the 55th minute of the match. The Lady Lions were able to get off 16 shots against TAMU-CC and recorded nine saves. 

The Lady Lions finished their weekend road trip with a 2-1 victory over the University of Incarnate Word. Southeastern led the entire way with a pair of goals from senior midfielders Claire Huston and Mia Milton. 

Sophomore infielder Lexi Johnson gives a “Lion Up” during the exhibition softball game against Northwest Florida State on Sept. 24. Johnson finished the game 2-for-2 with mulitple hits. The Lady Lions defeated the Raiders 17-3 over 10 innings. (Arief Harlan/LA Sports Photography)

Despite the loss, Incarnate Word was able to get off 12 shots as opposed to Southeastern’s eight. With the victory, the Lady Lions moved to 3-5-1 on the regular season. The Lady Lions’ next game will be this Friday on the road against Nicholls State University. 

Southeastern’s indoor volleyball team also saw some action, with the Lady Lions earning their first victories of the season. 

After starting the 2021 season 0-10, the Lady Lions took their talents to Hattiesburg, Miss. to take on the Golden Eagles. They defeated Southern Miss. with a final score of 3-2. Southeastern also outshined Southern Mississippi in every statistical category for the upset victory over the then 8-5 Golden Eagles. 

Southeastern then booked it west to take on Northwestern State University on Saturday and knocked off the Southland opponent 3-1. This was the first conference game of the 2021 season for Southeastern. 

This week Southeastern will hit the road to take on the Islanders of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Sept. 30 at 6:30 p.m. Currently, TAMU-CC sits at 5-7 on the season.    

The Lady Lions softball team also started their fall exhibition series with a 17-3 victory over Northwest Florida State College on Friday. Southeastern took the lead in the bottom of the second inning and never looked back. Senior catcher/outfielder Madisen Blackford led all Lady Lions going 4-for-5 with one double and three singles. The Lady Lions’ next game will come at home against LSU Eunice on Wednesday, Sept. 29 at 5 p.m.