SHSU Soccer Prepares For An Interesting Season
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Sam Houston women’s soccer team will play a 19-match schedule in 2013 that includes eight home contests at Joseph Pritchett Field, Bearkat head coach Tom Brown has announced.
The Kats will kick off the 2013 season at home Sunday, August 25 against Texas Southern.
Sam Houston returns to Pritchett Field Sunday, September 8 to host Prairie View A&M.
Both games start at 7 p.m.
The rest of the home dates will be matches against Southland Conference foes in October with Stephen F. Austin, Lamar, Central Arkansas, Oral Roberts, A&M-Corpus Christi and Southeastern Louisiana all visiting Huntsville within a three week period.
The schedule features seven road non-conference matches as the Bearkats travel to UTSA, North Texas, Texas State, SMU, Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word.
Sam Houston also will play South Dakota State in San Antonio.
“It’s an unusual schedule this fall with nine road trips among our first 11 matches, then six straight home contests,” Brown said. “As in the past, we will be facing some outstanding programs during the non-conference portion of the schedule to get the team ready for Southland play.”
Sam Houston earned its fourth consecutive Southland Conference post-season tournament appearance last year, rolling up a 4-3-1 league mark.
The Bearkats return six starters including Southland Conference “Freshman of the Year” Kylie Hambleton.
Katie Ferrara, Tricia Mallory and Hambleton all earned all-league honors last season.
Hambleton ranked second in the conference in saves per game (5.36), third in save percentage (.843) and fourth in shutouts (6).
Ferrara was the team’s scoring leader with four goals.
Mallory stands as the program’s second all-time scoring leader with 22 career goals.
Other returning starters include Mariah Titus, Shelby McDaniel and Ashley Fluty.
With nine freshmen plus two transfers, the Bearkats look to have several new faces in the lineup.
For a complete schedule, click here.
Hambleton Named SLC’s “Freshman Of the Year”
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Goalkeeper Kylie Hambleton earned conference “Freshman of the Year” honors and six Bearkats were named to the all-league team as the 2012 women’s soccer All-Southland Conference team was announced.
Seniors defender Kayla Anderson and midfielder Kirby Zak and freshman Katie Ferrera were selected to the All-Southland second team.
Seniors defender Amanda Biega and Tricia Mallory and Hambleton were honorable mention award winners.
Ferrara was the Bearkats’ leading scorer with four goals this season. Mallory and Zak each scored three goals apiece.
Anderson, Biega and Hambleton were the heart of a Bearkat defense that set a school season record allowing only 18 goals in 18 matches this year.
The Kats shutout seven opponents.
In goal, “Freshman of the Year” Hambleton ranked second in the conference in saves per game (5.36), third in save percentage (.843) and fourth in shutouts (6).
She played in net for 14 of Sam Houston’s 18 matches this season.
Sam Houston faces Oral Roberts in the first round of the Southland Conference post-season tournament at Cowgirl Field in Lake Charles, La., Thursday.
“It’s great to see three of our six seniors earn All-Southland Conference honors,” SHSU head coach Tom Brown said. “This year’s senior class is the first in the 10-year history of the Bearkat soccer program to lead the team to the conference tournament each of the four seasons here.”
2012 All-Southland Conference Soccer Teams
First Team
G Lacey Lee SFA
D Lauren Parks ORU
D Breanne Vernon SFA
D Megan Dunnigan SFA
M Kylie Louw SFA
M Laura Sadler SFA
M Jennifer Abernathy ORU
F Adriana Lucar Central Ark
F Chelsea Raymond SFA
F Zuri Prince SFA
F Maiya Cooper SE La.
SECOND TEAM
G Lacey Bockhaus SE LA
D Leslie Shurtleff SFA
D Amber Thornhill Lamar
D Kayla Anderson SHSU
M Kristin Bos Lamar
M Katie Ferrara SHSU
M Kelsey Salcido SE La.
M Kirby Zak SHSU
F Sarah LaLanne McNeese
F Megan Giles ORU
F Jannet Hernandez Lamar
Honorable mention: Kimmy Albeno, F, LU; Kayla Keller, F, ORU; Spencer Valdespino, F, NICH; Whitney Booth, F, ORU; Ashlee Savona, F, NWLA; Tricia Mallory, F, SHSU; Kayla Vera, F, SLU; Lisa Topping, MF, LU; Becky Johnson, MF, SFA; Lauren Stillians, MF, SLU; Karly Dagys, MF, SLU; Allison Hall, D, ORU; Shanyce Shaw, D, SLU; Amanda Biega, D, SHSU; Cheyenne Maxwell, D, SLU, Alejandra Amador, D, LU; Megan Snelling, D, MCN; Kylie Hambleton, GK, SHSU; Bailey Fontenot, GK, LU; Helen Erb, GK, ORU.
Player of the Year – Kylie Louw, Stephen F. Austin
Freshman of the Year – Kylie Hambleton, Sam Houston State
Newcomer of the Year – Adriana Lucar, Central Arkansas
Coach of the Year – Tony Amato, Stephen F. Austin
Bearkats Soccer Shuts Out Cowgirls 2-0
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
A pair of goals on corner kicks powered Sam Houston to a 2-0 shutout of McNeese State in the Bearkats’ final home women’s soccer match of the 2012 season Sunday at Pritchett Field.
The victory upped the Bearkats’ season record to 7-9-1 and clinched SHSU a berth in the Southland Conference post-season tournament with a 4-2-1 league mark.
The tournament will be held in weeks in Lake Charles, La.
Katie Ferrara touched in the first goal at the 8:10 mark after Tricia Mallory and Ashley Fluty passed the ball into Ferrara just off the goal line after a corner kick by Shelby McDaniel.
Just over five minutes later, at the 13:56 mark, McDaniel found Kayla Anderson open in front of the goal and the senior headed the ball in for another score.
“Going undefeated , 4-0, at home at Pritchett Field was a big goal for us this fall and it’s great to see us accomplish that,” SHSU head coach Tom Brown said.
“We continued to improve offensively each match and we’re looking forward to finishing strong.”
Goalkeeper Kylie Hambleton picked up her sixth shutout of the year.
The Bearkat back line held the Cowgirls without a shot in the first half.
McNeese got off three shots in the second 45 minutes with two going wide and Hambleton saving one.
Three of Sam Houston’s four victories on the new turf at Pritchett Field in Southland action have been shutouts.
Sam Houston had 17 shots for the game with several more scoring opportunities including a pair of shots that hit the post.
The Bearkats will complete Southland Conference action next Friday at Lamar.
Bearkats-Lions Played To A Scoreless Tie
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Hammond, La. – Sam Houston State and Southeastern Louisiana battled to a scoreless tie in women’s soccer action Friday afternoon.
The result helped the Bearkats to remain unbeaten in Southland Conference play with a 2-0-1 record. SHSU is 5-7-1 for the year. The shutout was the fifth for the Bearkat defense.
Goalkeeper Kylie Hambleton, the Kats’ back line of Amanda Biega, Lindsey Posner, Ashley Fluty and Kayla Anderson and midfielder Shelby McDaniel each played all 110 minutes of the double overtime contest.
Sam Houston totaled 12 shots while Southeastern Louisiana took 10. Strong play by the defense helped shut down the Lions’ offense as Hambleton had to make only two saves in goal. Her counterpart, Lacey Bockhaus, was forced to make eight saves including one of a shot by Tricia Mallory with less than two minutes left in the first overtime.
“We played well,” Sam Houston head coach Tom Brown said. “We just couldn’t stick it in.”
Mallory led the Bearkats with four shots.
Sam Houston now travels to Tulsa to take on Oral Roberts Sunday afternoon.
SHSU Soccer Team Opens Southland Conference Play With Win
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr, SHSU Sports Information
Huntsville – Two of the top four scorers for Sam Houston in its 10-year history of women’s soccer accounted for second half goals to lead the Bearkats to a 2-0 shutout of Nicholls State Friday at Joseph Pritchett Field.
The victory marked SHSU’s first game on the new artificial field turf at Pritchett and put the Kats at 1-0 in Southland Conference play.
Tricia Mallory scored the Bearkats’ first goal on a cross from Amanda Biega from the right side in the 55th minute. Less than three minutes later, Kirby Zak tallied on a long ball from Kayla Anderson.
Mallory now has 22 career goals to her credit to rank No. 2 in SHSU all-time scoring behind Raquel Bueno (27 goals from 2005 to 2008). Zak’s tally marked her 18th career score, tying her with Yoanna Garcia (2004-07) for third place in the record book.
Freshman goalkeeper Kylie Hambleton picked up her third shutout of the season, marking three saves on Nicholls’ eight shots. The Bearkats totaled 14 shots.
“The players really were excited about playing on the new turf here at Pritchett,” head coach Tom Brown said. “We created some good chances in the first half but couldn’t convert. But we had a good attacking mentality and were able to take advantage of some space on the right side. It’s good to pick up the win in our first conference game.”
Sam Houston now stand 4-7 for the season. Nicholls dropped to 5-6.
The Bearkats return to action Sunday at 1 p.m. at Pritchett, hosting Central Arkansas.