The SLU women’s soccer team leaped to the top of the Southland Conference (SLC) standings after securing a pair of victories last weekend against Southland foes Lamar and Northwestern State.

SLU faced Lamar on Friday, Oct. 4, outlasting the defending Southland champs to snag a 2-1 victory.  

With strong performances on both ends of the field, the Lady Lions improved their record to 4-5-1 overall and 3-1-0 in conference action, while Lamar dropped to 3-6-3 (1-2-1 SLC).

Head coach Nathan Gillespie commended the team’s execution, particularly their passing and ability to create scoring opportunities. 

“I thought we passed the ball a lot better tonight than what we did last weekend on the road. That led to more dangerous openings and two great strikes,” Gillespie said. “We are a hardworking team, and from that we will get success and opportunities to win games.”

Graduate midfielder Hannah McCord opened the scoring for the Lady Lions with an unassisted goal in the ninth minute. The San Francisco native capitalized on a high press from the Southeastern offense, netting her fourth goal of the season. 

“I’ve been feeding off the energy of the team. They’ve given me the confidence to take those shots. And again, the energy is great at home,” McCord said.

Southeastern continued to apply pressure throughout the first half, but Lamar’s defense held firm, preventing further damage before the break.

Just after halftime, senior forward Nicole O’Neill doubled the Lady Lions’ lead in the 54th minute with a composed finish at the back post, following a well-executed switch of play. 

“I just was expecting anything to come at me, and it was really good to get the ball across the box. I’m happy it went in,” O’Neill said.

Gillespie credited the team’s success to their focused training as of late, highlighting their emphasis on moving the ball to exploit certain areas on the pitch. 

“That’s something we kind of worked on all week, the switching of the ball to attack the weak side,” he said.

Despite a late push from Lamar, Southeastern’s defense held strong to secure the victory.

The Lady Lions kept their momentum into their Sunday, Oct. 6 game against Northwestern State, with two goals in the second half fueling the team’s 2-1 victory.

The Lady Lions further improved their record, finishing the weekend with an overall 5-5-1 record (4-1 SLC). 

The game began slowly, as both teams managed to push through each other’s territory without managing to score a goal.

Northwestern State lit up the scoreboard first with a goal in the 30th minute. The Lady Lions flashed their resiliency in the second half, as graduate midfielder Kelsey Fuller and defender Halli Roe scored within five minutes of one another to take a 2-1 lead that held until the end. 

Sunday’s victory snapped a six-game winless streak against the Demons. The Lady Lion’s last victory against NSU was in 2017.

Roe expressed joy after finally securing a win over their SLC rivals.

“I’m over the moon ecstatic. I’m so happy we were finally able to beat this team, and it’s been a long time coming,” Roe said.

The Green and Gold will head to Texas to face Stephen F. Austin, the current No. 2-ranked SLC squad behind SLU. The No. 1 vs. No. 2 bout is at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11, and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

As always, head to The Lion’s Roar for all things Lady Lions soccer.