Southeastern soccer (6-8-2, 5-4-2 SLC) fell short in its final home stand of the regular season, tying with the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley and losing to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

The Lady Lions’ match against Corpus Christi on Sunday, Oct. 27 was their regular season finale and Senior Day, where the team’s seniors received awards alongside their families in honor of their time in SLU athletics.

On the pitch, the Lady Lions and Islanders were entangled in a physical, defensive struggle, resulting in 18 fouls between both teams and two yellow cards, including one for graduate midfielder Katie Brown.

SLU’s defense faltered as the game progressed, as nine of Corpus Christi’s 11 shot attempts came in the second half. The Islanders booted in the game’s lone goal in the 66th minute, and while the Lady Lions held firm for the remaining 24 minutes, they couldn’t score the equalizer. SLU ended its 2024 regular season in defeat, 1-0. 

The team faired slightly better in its previous game against UTRGV on Friday, Oct. 25, setting the pace early with assertive play. In the eighth minute, graduate midfielder Hailie Yoder worked up the wing, setting up junior forward Emma Ramsey in the middle for her first goal of the season, putting SLU up 1-0.

“We really emphasized switching the play, moving the ball from one side to the other. In order to do that, we need maximum width to stretch out the opposition defensively and find gaps to play through central areas,” Head Coach Nathan Gillespie said about the scoring play.

Defensively, the Lady Lions held UTRGV scoreless in the first half, with solid performances from Yoder and goalkeeper Kendall Curran, who made critical saves by halftime.

UTRGV adjusted its strategy in the second half, pressing more aggressively and leveling the match in the 50th minute. Southeastern fought to regain the lead but faced a tightened UTRGV defense that limited chances around the net. Curran tied her season high with seven saves as the match ended in a hard-fought draw.

Gillespie commended UTRGV for their second-half adjustments. 

“Credit to them; Instead of sitting back in a defensive block, they came out and pressed us. As a team, we made unnecessary turnovers and stopped playing our game,” Gillespie said.

Quote(s) from Hannah McCord and Head Coach Nathan Gillespie 

The Southland Conference Soccer Championship began this afternoon in Corpus Christi. No. 5 SLU is currently taking on No. 4 Northwestern State in the first round; Lady Lions fans can watch live on ESPN+. 

They defeated Northwestern State 2-1 at Strawberry Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 6, marking the Green and Gold’s first regular-season win over the Lady Demons in seven years. The Lady Lions will hope to rekindle some of that magic today when these SLC foes collide once more.  

Follow The Lion’s Roar for more information on the Lady Lions’ postseason run.