Oct. 25, 2009

Box Score

LAKE CHARLES, La. -- Lamar spotted McNeese State a two-goal advantage and it proved just a bit too large of a deficit to overcome in a 2-1 setback at Cowgirl Field Sunday afternoon.

The loss drops Lamar (3-12-1) to 2-5 in Southland Conference play with six points and in eighth place by themselves. By virtue of wins on Sunday, Northwestern State and McNeese are tied for sixth with nine points. All three teams have two road games remaining with most scenarios playing out for just one of the trio qualifying for the SLC Tournament.

McNeese (7-9-2, 3-4-0 SLC) scored twice in the opening 16 minutes off a pair of corner kick situations in which Lamar was unable to clear the ball off the line. Audrey LaLanne scored first at the 6:26 mark on a pass from Lindsey Zwahr before Brittany Sanders made it a 2-0 Cowgirl lead just 15:59 thanks to a feed from Alana Clark.

"We gave up two poor goals on corner kicks and failed to clear either one," Lamar head coach Dewi Hardman said. "We kept them on side both times.

"We played some good ball after that and fought very, very hard but we just dug ourselves too big of a hole to get out of."

The score stood at 2-0 after the first half.

Kari Davila notched her third score of the year when she knocked in a loose ball that Gowgirl goalkeeper Cassandra Reed couldn't corral on a Lisa Topping cross. It was Topping's sixth assist of the season.

Lamar finished with 11 shots to McNeese's 14 and also put four on goal.

LU keeper Jennifer Gibbs made five saves. Reed collected three Lady Cardinal shots.

Lamar will travel to Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana next weekend. Friday's game in Thibodaux is slated to start at 4 p.m.. Sunday's regular-season finale will kick-off at 1 p.m.