The Lady Lions won their game 1-0 against the McNeese Cowgirls and will next face off against the University of Incarnate Word at home in Strawberry Stadium.
The Lion’s Roar / Karson Sharp

The Lady Lions soccer team struck down the McNeese State University Cowgirls 1-0 in their first conference game of the season.

The game between the Lady Lions and McNeese Cowgirls took place on Friday, September 18 in Lake Charles at Cowgirl Field.

The game winning goal was scored by sophomore midfielder Maddie Kresevic off an assist by junior forward Bri Singh during the second half of the game. The goal began off a driven ball by sophomore midfielder Ana Zadro off a corner kick. Junior goalkeeper Hope Sabadash also had one save during the game, holding McNeese at a score of zero.

Kresevic scored her first goal of the season in this game and has helped the team with two assists, scoring four points overall this season. Kresevic has played in eight games this season and started in seven games. Kresevic also has taken four shots this season with one being on goal playing an overall 671 minutes this season.

“Kresevic provided quality service to the midfielders and forwards while also scoring the game winning goal,” said Head Coach Blake Hornbuckle.

Another key player in Friday’s game was Singh. Singh has taken fourteen shots this season with seven of them being on goal, and played for 277 minutes this season, scoring two goals while providing one assist for a total of five points this season.

“Singh was a good target up top to receive balls as well as being a threat and drawing players away to create opportunities to score with senior midfielder Gisenia Utreras,” said Hornbuckle.

Zadro was another key player in Friday’s victory. She has played in eight games and started in four, scoring two goals and assisting four times for eight total points this season. Zadro has taken twelve shots with four being on goal. She has also played a total of 379 minutes this season.

Sabadash has played and started in all eight games this season. She has taken one shot during the season as well. If it were not for her, the Lady Lion’s would be missing a vital member of their team to help prevent the opposing team from scoring.

Hornbuckle was pleased with the team’s overall performance Friday.

“Friday’s win well help the team move forward in helping them prepare for conference play,” said Hornbuckle.

Throughout the match Sabadash helped to create opportunities for the team that went to the box as well as collecting balls and distributing them quickly. Junior defender Katie Noonan had a great day in the midfield with sophomore midfielder Maggie Ramsey winning balls. 

“I think everybody performed extremely well,” said Hornbuckle.

For more information on Lady Lion’s soccer visit lionsports.net. The Lady Lions’ next game will be Friday against the University of the Incarnate Word at Strawberry Stadium. The game will begin at 7:00 p.m.