Early mistakes force ULM into tough matches

The soccer team (1-1-1) owns the first university win of the year. In its season opener against Central Ark., the Warhawks won 2-1. Head coach Stacey Lamb wanted her girls to set the tone for the ULM athletics.

“We needed that win. We needed to start the season off right with this win,” Lamb said.

Sophomore Alyssa Lopez and freshman Alyssa Wooden each scored a goal to put the Warhawks on the board.

Sophomore Hannah Linzay made her goalie debut and held UCA to just one goal while recording five saves.

The team traveled to Nicholls State on Sunday, coming away with a tie at 1-1. Wooden put up the only point for the Warhawks in the 29th minute. The team went down 0-1 early, but goalkeeper Linzay finished the day with nine saves to hold Nicholls State.

“We had plenty of opportunities to get the ball in, but we couldn’t seem to finish,” Lamb said.

After two overtime periods, the game was called a draw.

The team returned home Tuesday for its home opener against Northwestern State. After falling behind 0-2 early in the first half, the Warhawks would go on to lose 2-4.

“We can’t shoot ourselves in the foot early.” Lamb said. “We made two early mistakes, and they capitalized.”

Freshman Taylor Bonetti kicked a nice shot from the top right of the box to put the first point on the board for the Warhawks.

As the defense struggled, the Lady Demons scored again to move their lead to 3-1 in the 70th minute marker.

Sophomore Taylor Epperson scored on the next possession to bring the game within one point, but the Lady Demons would not be contained. With five minutes left, the Lady Demons pushed the lead back to two and held on for the win.

The Lady Demons outshot ULM 18-10 in the match and had a 10-8 advantage in shots on goal. Goalkeeper Linzay recorded six saves for the Warhawks.

ULM welcomes McNeese State to the soccer complex on Friday, Sept. 2. The game begins at 4:00 p.m.