On Friday night, Lady Lions soccer suffered a shutout loss to Southland Conference (SLC) rival Texas A&M-Commerce (TAMUC). The 2-0 loss dropped their record to 3-7 overall and 1-2 in conference play. 

SLU entered the matchup in the midst of a struggling season, which found them near the bottom of the SLC standings. They hoped to follow the win against UIW last Sunday with another victory against a middling TAMUC squad. 

The first half passed with very little of note happening. SLU had a litany of great looks, including two shots from redshirt senior forward Hanna Moffett, but none reached the back of the net. In total, SLU outshot TAMUC 8-3 during the period. 

While the defense held firm and muzzled the rival Lady Lions’ attack, the Green and Gold were unable to capitalize on any of their chances, concluding the period as it began, 0-0. 

The second half was exponentially more eventful, although to SLU’s detriment. In the 48th minute, TAMUC freshman forward Hannah Bell flicked the ball just over SLU junior goalie Olivia Griffin’s outstretched mitts, putting the road team ahead 1-0. 

The 42 minutes following Bell’s goal contained an abundance of transgressions, as players jousted each other for position on the ball. SLU picked up seven fouls and TAMUC racked up nine, including a yellow card in the 59th minute for junior defender Marina Vera. 

Unfortunately, SLU’s physicality failed to translate into goals on the scoreboard. Instead, TAMUC completely nullified their aggressive offensive attack, as they only managed to produce one shot the entire second half, which was a missed penalty kick from graduate student midfielder Mya Guillory.

In the 80th minute, redshirt freshman midfielder Kaydence Ramirez drove TAMUC’s second goal into the back of the net, effectively ending any hopes for an SLU comeback. The match ended shortly thereafter, with SLU losing 2-0. 

Despite the loss, head coach Nathan Gillespie said he felt the Lady Lions “played a very good game” and that they outperformed TAMUC in nearly every facet. He added his team needs to be more collected near the goal in order to convert on scoring opportunities. 

“We had plenty of shots to get the goal and we just have to be a bit more calm and a bit more clinical in front of the goal,” he said.

Senior midfielder Hannah McCord expressed similar positive sentiments about her team’s play after the game. 

“Obviously, the result of the game is tough and it’s not what we wanted. But, we felt good and we had chances. We didn’t finish those chances and that is disappointing and something that we’ll change going into Sunday’s match. I think if we change a few things, we’ll have success,” McCord said.  

Gillespie said his team needs to “play the same against Lamar on Sunday. [They’ve] got to have the confidence we can go toe-to-toe with anybody and that if we keep creating chances, we will get goals.”

The Green and Gold will host Lamar in Strawberry Stadium at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 1. Fans can watch the ESPN+ broadcast or listen via KSLU radio. Visit Lion Sports for more information on Lady Lions soccer.