The Lady Lions could not find a win this weekend as they played their first two home conference games of the season.
Southeastern (7-6-1, 1-2-1) was not able to find the back of the net despite creating many chances in their matches against Sam Houston State (5-8-1, 2-1-1) and Lamar (6-7-1, 2-1).
Senior forward Maiya Cooper led the way on offense, with seven total shots, four of which were on goal, during the two games. But goals were harder to come by.
Cooper had a penalty kick chance against Lamar after the referee called a foul on Lamar goalkeeper Bailey Fontenot for tripping Cooper in the penalty box and not getting the ball. Cooper took the penalty but could not convert from the spot. The Lady Lions would go on to create multiple opportunities, but could not find the finishing touch.
“Our game has been illusive sometimes in trying to find the goal,” said head coach Blake Hornbuckle. “You can be right in front and the ball not go in. I thought we created a number of great chances today and things just didn’t go our way. It’s one of those weekends you control the run of play a lot of times, create a lot of chances and instead of walking away with two wins this weekend, we have a tie and a loss.”
During the second period, the Lady Lions pressed on offense, creating scoring chances from both in the box and on the edge. Shots by senior midfielder Kerry McWhirter and junior forward Jaci Teresinski would only find the crossbar and side post, respectively. It was during this period of play that the Lady Lions looked as if they would find their goal, but Lamar was able to turn the tide and score in the 66th minute.
“Sometimes, one ball can change the course of the game,” said Hornbuckle. “The goal was definitely against the run of play and we just couldn’t find a way to come back from that. I thought we played well, we did a lot of nice things with the ball, we’re smart with the ball in the middle of the field, just had a tough time of finding the net.
The Lady Lions began last season’s home conference games with two losses, finishing the 2011 season 5-4-0 in conference play. With only four games left in the 2012 regular season, the push is on to get back on the right track.
“Just keep working,” said Hornbuckle. “Keep working to improve and take it day by day to get better.”
The next home game for the Lady Lions will be against Central Arkansas this Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Southeastern Soccer Complex.