Lady Cajuns Soccer 2003

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Lafayette native Tiffany Garber scores both goals

THIBODAUX - Sophomore midfielder Tiffany Garber recorded the first multi-goal performance of her career, including the match-winning goal, as Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns women's soccer team picked up a 2-1 overtime victory over host-Nicholls State here on Wednesday afternoon.

Garber tallied both goals in the match for the Ragin' Cajuns (2-1) while true freshman Lauren Schwindt had the assist each time for the first two assists of her career.

Garber became the sixth Cajuns player to score two goals in a regular season match and the third this season - Ainsely Breaux and Ashley Delahoussaye each scored twice against Jackson State last Friday. The second goal was the fifth of her young career.

Garber's tallies helped the Cajuns erase a 1-0, second-half deficit. Nicholls State (0-3) struck first in the second frame after both teams played to a scoreless tie in the first half.

Garber's first goal came from just inside the penalty box on a shot that beat NSU goalkeeper Lindsay Bartlett to her left to tie the match 1-1.

The second goal found the back of the net with less than three minutes remaining in the first overtime period as she beat Bartlett to her lower right-hand side.

The win improved the Cajuns to 2-1 on the young season - the best three-match start in program history. It was also UL's second win in as many seasons over the Colonels and the Cajuns second straight overtime victory.

"It was the first overtime match of the season for us," said head coach Dave Poggi. "I was pleased that we executed as well as we did and were able to come away with a result.

"This match could have gone either way," Poggi added. "Nicholls (State) is a much improved compared to last year. We were fortunate to get the bounces to go in our favor."

Liza Preseault got the start in net for the Cajuns and played the entire match picking up her second win of the season.

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Louisiana will return to action on Sunday, Sept. 7 in a 1 p.m. match against Southern Mississippi (1-0-1) at Cajun Field. The Golden Eagles play at Samford Friday night.

The Cajuns will play four of their next five matches at Cajun Field, featuring a three-match homestand Sept. 14-21 against in-state rivals Louisiana-Monroe, LSU and McNeese State.

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Cajuns off to best start in program history

LOUISIANA La. - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns women's soccer team will open its 2003 regular season home slate Sunday in a 1 p.m. match with Conference USA-member Southern Mississippi at Cajun Field.

The Ragin' Cajuns (2-1) enter Sunday's match off to the best start in the four-year history of the program.

UL is coming off of a 2-1 overtime win over Nicholls State Wednesday.

Louisiana will be playing the first of 10 matches to be held at Cajun Field this season. The Cajuns are also beginning a stretch where they will play four of the next five matches on their home turf.

The Cajuns feature a balanced attack which helped them set the program record for goals in the season opener. Nine different players have scored at least one goal and three have tallied two in a match.

Lafayette natives Ainsley Breaux, Ashley Delahoussaye and Tiffany Garber lead the offense with two goals each.

The Cajuns defensive efforts are fortified by the solid play of sophomore goalkeeper Liza Preseault. Through three matches, the second-year netminder has allowed only two goals.

Southern Mississippi enters Sunday's match off to a 2-0-1 start. The Golden Eagles defeated Samford 1-0 Friday night on a goal in the 63rd minute by Carly Barkley.

The two teams have one common opponent - Nicholls State. Just as the Cajuns did earlier this week, Southern Mississippi defeated Nicholls State 2-1 in overtime last Friday in its season opener.

Sunday's meeting is the first all-time between the two programs. UL and USM were supposed to meet last season on Oct. 4 but the passage of Hurricane Lili forced the cancellation of the tilt.

UL is 1-2 all-time in home openers and 0-1 in Cajun Field openers. Last season Northwestern State downed the Cajuns 4-2 in the first match held at the stadium.

Tickets to Sunday's matinee will be sold at the Cajun Field gate A entrance. The prices are $5 for adults and $3 for children ages 3-16. Louisiana students with a valid ID will be admitted free of charge.

Following Sunday's match, the Ragin' Cajuns will return to action on Friday, Sept. 12 in a 4:30 p.m. match at Northwestern State in Natchitoches. The next home match will be on Sunday, Sept. 14 against UL Monroe at 1 p.m.

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Louisiana falls in home opener for third straight season

LOUISIANA La.- Southern Miss forward Carly Barkley broke a scoreless tie by directing a rebound off of Louisiana's Meredith Smith at 61:43 and the Golden Eagles went on to post a 2-0 win here Sunday afternoon at Cajun Field, spoiling the 2003 regular season home opener for the Ragin' Cajuns.

Barkley's breakthrough goal was set up off of a corner kick by USM's Kay Beth Costilow. Costilow's corner sailed in and found Katie Randolph who directed a shot toward the Cajuns goal but was blocked by Smith for a save.

However the ball ricocheted off of Smith and found a wide open Barkley who booted a shot past Cajuns goalkeeper Liza Preseault for a 1-0 lead and the match-winner. For Barkley, who scored the Golden Eagles lone goal in a 1-0 win over Samford Friday, it was her second straight match-winning goal.

USM (3-0-1) would add one more score for good measure seven minutes later. Randolph sent in a cross from the right side that connected with Lauren Prewitt and she promptly sent in a header that beat an outstretched Preseault at 68:11 for a 2-0 advantage.

UL (2-2) had its opportunities in the opening frame including a chance to take the lead.

With the half coming to a close, Smith sent a pass from midfield that found * Brown who scooted past a USM defender and had Golden Eagles goalkeeper Anna Snyder beat but the shot hit the right post and bounced out-of-bounds.

USM had its chance early when Micah Stephens broke through in the box, but her shot bounced off the crossbar and out of harms way.

As a result the two teams went into the locker room knotted at 0-0. It marked the third straight match that the Cajuns failed to score in the first half.

The loss handed the Cajuns their third straight home-opening defeat. UL is now 1-3 all-time in such contests.

Louisiana also suffered its third straight setback at Cajun Field dating back to last season. USM's shutout extended the Cajuns scoreless streak at Cajun Field to 266:44 dating back to last season's Oct. 18 match with North Texas.

USM outshot UL 20-12 led by seven shots from Prewitt. Tiffany Garber led all Cajuns with six shots and four shots on goal.

Liza Preseault made the start in goal for the Cajuns and fell to 2-2 on the season with the loss. She was replaced by backup goaltender Anna Brannon with 11:04 remaining in the match.

The Cajuns return to action on Friday, Sept. 12 in a 4:30 p.m. match at Northwestern State in Natchitoches. The next home match is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. versus UL Monroe.


MATCH SUMMARY
Southern Mississippi at Louisiana
Date: Sept. 7, 2003
Site: Lafayette, La. (Cajun Field)
Att: 117

Goals by period 1 2 Tot
-------------------------------
Southern Mississippi 0 2 - 2
Louisiana-Lafayette. 0 0 - 0

SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 61:43 USM Barkley, Carly (Randolph, Katie)
2. 68:11 USM Prewitt, Lauren (Randolph, Katie)

Shots: USM 20, UL 12
Shots on Goal: USM 10, UL 7
Saves: USM 7 (Snyder 6; TEAM 1), UL 8 (Preseault 6, Brannon 1,
TEAM 1)
Fouls: USM 14, UL 6
Corner Kicks: USM 3, UL 3
Yellow Cards/Ejections: None
Offsides: USM 2, UL 0

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Louisiana records first win over NSU

NATCHITOCHES - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns women's soccer team took advantage of its opportunities while Northwestern State didn't.

As a result, the visiting Ragin' Cajuns came away with a 2-1 win over the Demons here Friday afternoon at the Demon Soccer Complex avenging three years worth of frustration and recording their first win in the series between the two schools.

UL improved to 3-2 on the season and avenged a 4-2 loss to NSU last season at Cajun Field. NSU dropped to 1-4 on the season and 0-2 at home.

The Cajuns also improved to 2-0 this season on the opponent's home field with the win. UL has now won their last five matches on the opposing team's home field dating back to last season's 3-1 win at Arkansas-Little Rock on Oct. 13.

After the two teams battled to a scoreless first half tie, * Brown tallied her first goal of the season at 51:33 to put the Cajuns in front 1-0.

After being denied four times in the opening frame the Cajuns were finally able to push a shot past NSU goalkeeper and Lafayette native Nellie Latiolais. In fact, both of UL's second-half shots on goal resulted in goals.

Tiffany Garber scored her team-leading third goal of the season 22 minutes later to give the Cajuns a comfortable 2-0 lead.

Garber hooked a soft liner from the right wing at Latiolais who opted tom allow the shot to bounce in front of her. The ball took an odd hop and slipped through Latiolais' hands, off her arm and rolled into the net for a 2-0 Ragin' Cajun advantage.

Garber's goal would eventually become the match-winning one as the Demon's Stephanie Miller picked up a loose ball and beat UL Anna Brannon at 86:30 to trim the lead to 2-1.

Brannon would hold off two good scoring chances by NSU in the final minutes to help the Cajuns avoid an overtime session and preserve the win.

Brannon, who starred at nearby Acadiana High, was making her first career start at the NCAA Division I level. The freshman goalkeeper made six saves including five in the second half.

Liza Preseault, the Cajuns No. 1 goalkeeper, did not start in goal for the first time in her career ending a streak of 22 matches with a start.


Louisiana will return to action on Sunday, Sept. 14 in a 1 p.m. match against in-state rival UL Monroe at Cajun Field. Sunday's match marks the beginning of a three-match homestand for the Cajuns which runs through the following Sunday.

The Cajuns will also be hosting Youth Soccer Day on Sunday as well. All area youth soccer players will be admitted free of charge provided they are wearing a team uniform.


MATCH SUMMARY
Louisiana at Northwestern State
Date: Sept. 12, 2003
Site: Natchitoches, La. (Demon Soccer Complex)
Att: 133 Time: 1:15

Goals by Period 1 2 Total
UL Lafayette (3-2) 0 2 2
Northwestern State (1-4) 0 1 1

SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 51:33 UL Brown, * (Schwindt, Lauren)
2. 73:33 UL Garber, Tiffany (unassisted)
3. 86:30 NSU Miller, Stephanie (unassisted)

Shots: UL 12, NW STATE 22
Shots on Goal: UL Lafayette 6, NW STATE 7
Saves: UL 6 (Brannon), NW STATE 4 (Latiolais)
Fouls: UL 9, NW STATE 12
Corner Kicks: UL 3, NW STATE 3
Yellow Cards: UL 1 (Crawford, 41:59)
Offsides: UL 0, NW STATE 6

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Louisiana seeks first home win of the season

LOUISIANA La. - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns women's soccer team will begin a three-match homestand here Sunday afternoon in a 1 p.m. match against in-state rival UL Monroe at Cajun Field.

Sunday has also been dubbed "Youth Soccer Day." All area youth soccer players will be admitted free provided they are wearing a team uniform.

The Cajuns (3-2) enter Sunday's matinee coming off a 2-1 win over Northwestern State on Friday and will be looking for their first home win of the regular season.

UL will also be seeking to snap a scoreless drought at Cajun Field which currently stands at 266:44. The Cajuns have been shutout in their last two regular-season matches at Cajun Field and have lost three straight dating back to last season's Oct. 18 match against North Texas.

Tiffany Garber leads the Cajuns offense with three goals and six total points. The Lafayette native scored the match-winning goal against NSU - her second match-winner of the season.

UL Monroe brings a 1-3-1 record into Sunday's match and is coming off of a 2-2 draw with Centenary College Friday in Monroe. The Indians have scored just five goals in five matches this season but have scored those five goals in the last two outings.

The Cajuns lead the all-time series 2-0-1. The two teams played to a 3-3 tie last season in Monroe as Julia McVarish registered a hat trick in her first NCAA match helping the Indians rally from a 2-0 deficit.

UL won the only previous meeting in Lafayette taking a 1-0 win at Moore Park in Carencro on Oct. 3, 2001.

Following Sunday's match, the Cajuns will continue their current three-match homestand with a 7 p.m. match against LSU on Friday, Sept. 19.

INJURY UPDATE: UL will be without the services of three players for Sunday's tilt with ULM.

Kristina Klausen, who has missed all five matches this season, is still doubtful for Sunday's match after suffering a knee injury in the Cajuns exhibition match with Mississippi Valley State. The injury has healed and she is awaiting evaluation before returning to the field.

Ashley Delahoussaye will be out for the next 2-3 weeks after aggravating a knee injury suffered her sophomore year in the opening weekend of the season.

Ainsley Breaux will be out for the rest of the season after sustaining a season-ending knee injury in last Sunday's match with Southern Mississippi. Breaux is one of three Cajuns with at least two goals scored.

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Louisiana defeats Monroe 1-0 for first home win of the season

LOUISIANA La. - Tiffany Garber received a pass from * Brown and lifted a shot past UL at Monroe goalkeeper Jessica Robinson 4:22 into the first overtime for the match-winning goal as Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns women's soccer team began its three-match homestand with a 1-0 win over ULM here Sunday afternoon at Cajun Field.

The goal was Garber's fourth of the season and third match-winner - giving her the match-winning goal in the Cajuns last three wins. The assist was Brown's second of the season.

With the win, the Cajuns improved their best start in the brief four-year history of the program to 4-2 and earned their first home win of the season.

Brown dribbled in the center of the box and quickly tapped a pass over to a wide-open Garber on the left wing who then one-timed a shot past Robinson to her left side for the score.

Garber's golden goal came at the 94:22 mark of the match and helped the Cajuns snap a three-match losing streak at Cajun Field and ended UL's Cajun Field scoring drought at 361:06.

The goal was the Cajuns first on their home field since a penalty kick goal by Sara Vienberg at 3:16 of the North Texas match Oct. 18, 2002. - a span of four matches.

"This was a great result for us," said UL coach Dave Poggi. "I had no doubt in my mind that when we went back out for overtime that we were going to put forth the energy and effort that we needed to get a win.

"In the end it was our character and resolve that made the difference," Poggi added.

Both teams had scoring opportunities well before overtime set in.

Garber, who ended the match with seven shots to tie her own record, hit the crossbar in the third minute of the first half and in the waning minutes of the half a header by Meredith Smith off of a free kick from Sherryl Owens sailed wide right.

ULM (1-4-1) had its chances in the opening frame as well. In the 32nd minute, Julia McVarish had UL goalkeeper Anna Brannon beat in a one-on-one situation but her shot just missed as it skimmed the edge of the right post and bounced out-of-bounds.

The second half featured another array of near-misses on both sides.

ULM opened the half with a shot from Allison Matson hitting the crossbar in the 46th minute while Garber had a great chance for the Cajuns in the 65th minute but her shot bounced along the goal line just long enough for an Indians defender to push it out of harms way.

The Indians would fire off two shots in the final 30 seconds but the Cajuns used a team effort to turn away the first shot while the second was wide.

"There were some players who had big games today, (Tiffany) Garber being one of them," Poggi said, "But there were others who played hard defense to help prevent them (ULM) from scoring especially in the final seconds of regulation.

"I thought the whole team stepped up defensively today and I was pleased with the effort."

Brannon, a true freshman who starred at nearby Acadiana High, collected the clean sheet for the Cajuns making five saves in her second start. It was her first career shutout and the Cajuns second as a team this season.

UL out-shot the visitors 15-14 while each team had six shots on goal. The two teams combined for 18 shots in the second frame after generating just seven combined in the opening half.


MATCH SUMMARY
Louisiana-Monroe at Louisiana-Lafayette
Date: Sept. 14, 2003
Site:, La. (Cajun Field)
Att: 192 Time: 2:00

Goals by Period 1 2 OT Total
UL Monroe (1-4-1) 0 0 0 0
UL (4-2) 0 0 1 1

SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 94:22 UL Garber, Tiffany (Brown, *)

Shots: UL Monroe 14, UL 15
Shots on Goal: UL Monroe 6, UL 6
Saves: UL Monroe 5 (Robinson 4, TEAM 1), UL 6 (Brannon 5, TEAM
1)
Fouls: UL Monroe 17, UL 8
Corner Kicks: UL Monroe 3, UL 3
Offsides: UL Monroe 6, UL 6

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Louisiana faces its toughest challenge of the year

LOUISIANA La - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns women's soccer team continues its three-match homestand Friday with a 7 p.m. match against I-10 rival Louisiana State University at Cajun Field.

The Cajuns (4-2) are off to their best start in program history and bring a two-match winning streak into Friday's affair. LSU (5-1-1) comes in after suffering its first defeat of the season last Sunday and features an offense that has produced 30 goals in seven matches.

Louisiana is 3-0 versus in-state schools this season with wins over Nicholls State, Northwestern State and UL Monroe.

Friday's match presents the Cajuns with an opportunity to snap LSU's winning streak against state teams. Entering Friday's match, the Tigers have not lost to a team from Louisiana since 1999. LSU is 15-0-2 against Louisiana schools since head coach George Fotopoulos took over in 2000.

Louisiana is 2-0 this season in matches played on Friday.

The Cajuns are coming off a successful weekend in which they posted two wins to move two games over the .500 mark for the first time in program history. In the last outing Louisiana slipped past UL Monroe 1-0 in overtime on a goal by Tiffany Garber four-plus minutes into the extra session.

"This is an important weekend for us as we have two in-state opponents," said head coach Dave Poggi in reference to hosting both LSU and McNeese State this weekend. "Obviously this is the best start that we've had but we are not going to let it get over our heads because we still have a long way to go and hopefully these two matches will help prepare us for conference play which begins in two weeks."

The Cajuns are led by Garber, the reigning Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week, and her four goals. The Lafayette native has three match-winning goals to her credit and has provided the decisive score in the Cajuns last three victories.

The Tigers are coming off of a 4-3 overtime loss to No. 11 Texas last Sunday in a match where LSU led 3-1 at intermission.

"LSU gives us a lot of different looks and presents the biggest challenge we've seen so far this season," Poggi remarked. "They are strong at every position, have good team speed and there's not really a weak spot to try and attack.

"What it will take from us is more of the same effort that got us through last weekend, which is working hard for each other and taking advantage of the few opportunities that hopefully we will get," Poggi added.

Forward Stacy Bishop leads the Tigers into the match with the Cajuns. The freshman from Land O'Lakes, Fla., leads the team and the Southeastern Conference in goals scored with 10 and ranks fifth in the nation in goals per game average with 3.14

LSU leads the all-time series 3-0 with the last two meetings coming in Baton Rouge.

UL will be seeking to score its first goal in the series having been shutout the past three seasons.

This will be the second meeting in Lafayette, but the first at Cajun Field. In the Cajuns inaugural season, 2000, LSU took a 4-0 win at Moore Park Sept. 26, 2000.

Following Friday's match, the Cajuns will conclude their current three-match homestand on Sunday at 1 p.m. versus McNeese State.

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UL has its two-match win streak snapped

LOUISIANA La. - Artie Brown scored two goals and added an assist to help lead Louisiana State University to a 4-0 win over Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns women' soccer team here Friday evening at Cajun Field.

With the win LSU (6-1-1) remained unbeaten in its last 18 matches against in-state teams. Louisiana had its two-match win streak snapped and fell to 4-3 suffering its first loss to an in-state team this season.

After going back-and-forth for the first six-plus minutes of the match with neither team getting a good scoring chance the Tigers broke through at the 7:32 mark when Brown received a pass from Rachel Cohen and dribbled in the box and slipped one past Cajuns goalkeeper Anna Brannon for the match-winner and a 1-0 lead.

Brown's speed would pay dividends for the Tigers 11 minutes later when she gained possession of a ball from 40 yards out and raced past the Cajun defenders into the left wing and took the ball deep inside the box sending a shot that paralleled the out-of-bounds line and found its way past Brannon and into the net for a 2-0 lead.

LSU would add two more goals in the second half to produce the final margin of 4-0. Brown fed Cohen on a two-on-one situation four minutes into the second half and Danielle Keath added a late goal at 82:46.

UL's offense was dealt a blow midway through the first half when forward Tiffany Garber injured her right ankle as she was streaking down the sideline on a breakaway. Garber, the Cajuns leading goal scorer with four, would miss the rest of the match.

"I wasn't pleased with how we came out initially," said UL head coach Dave Poggi. "But, I was pleased with how we finished the match and I think this is something we can learn from and hopefully build on."

"They (LSU) took advantage of their opportunities," Poggi added. "We struggled to match up with their speed, but toward the end of the first half we started to put some pressure on and I thought we carried that over into the second half.

"We need to be better at putting away our chances," Poggi stressed. "I think we had a good game plan going in and we were unlucky at times not to have it pay off for us."

The Cajuns return to action Sunday as they conclude their current three-match homestand with a 1 p.m. match against McNeese State at Cajun Field.


MATCH SUMMARY
Louisiana State at Louisiana
Date: Sept. 19, 2003
Site: Lafayette, La. (Cajun Field)
Att: 561 Time: 1:53

Goals by Period 1 2 Total
LSU(6-1-1) 2 2 4
UL Lafayette (4-3) 0 0 0

SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 7:32 LSU Artie Brown (Rachel Cohen)
2. 18:35 LSU Artie Brown (unassisted)
3. 49:51 LSU Rachel Cohen (Artie Brown)
4. 82:46 LSU Danielle Keath (Christine Haman)

Shots: LSU 21, UL 9
Shots on Goal: LSU 13, UL 4
Saves: LSU 4 (DesOrmeaux), UL 9 (Brannon 4,
Preseault 4, TEAM 1)
Fouls: LSU 18, UL 10
Corner Kicks: LSU 2, UL 3
Cautions: LSU 1 (Brown, 35:00), UL 0
Offsides: LSU 1, UL 1

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Kickoff set for 1 p.m. at Cajun Field

LOUISIANA La. - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns women's soccer team will wrap up its current three-match homestand Sunday with a 1 p.m. match against in-state foe McNeese State at Cajun Field.

The Lady Cajuns (4-3) and Cowgirls (1-5) will be meeting for the first time. The two teams were scheduled to meet in the 2001 season at Moore Park in Carencro, but the events of Sept. 11 forced the cancellation of the match and it could not be rescheduled.

Louisiana enters the match after suffering a 4-0 setback to Louisiana State Friday night at Cajun Field - its first loss to a team from Louisiana this season.

The Lady Cajuns have avoided a losing streak this season, bouncing back from each of their losses with a win in the next outing.

MSU brings a five-match losing streak into Sunday's matinee. The Cowgirls have dropped each match since opening the season with a 7-2 win over Prairie View A&M and have been outscored 25-2 during the skid.

MSU has been shutout in four of its six matches including the last two.

Louisiana is 3-1 this season versus state schools with wins over Nicholls State, Northwestern State and UL-Monroe.

The Lady Cajuns are 1-2 at Cajun Field this season and will not play another home match until Oct. 3 when South Alabama provides the competition for the beginning of Sun Belt Conference action.

Louisiana is led offensively by sophomore Tiffany Garber and her four goals and three match-winning goals, but she will probably miss Sunday's match after suffering an ankle injury against LSU. Garber's injury adds to a list of Cajuns sidelined which also includes Ainsley Breaux, Ashley Delahoussaye and Kristina Klausen.

The Cajuns do have other weapons to lean upon, though, as eight other players have scored at least one goal this season but only six will be available Sunday because of injuries.

* Brown is the Cajuns second-leading scorer with two goals and two assists. Five other players have tallied one goal.

MSU's leading scorer is senior Allison Arnold who has netted five goals and one assist for 11 points. Ashley Viscariello is second with two goals.

Following Sunday's match with McNeese, the Cajuns travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for a 7 p.m. match Friday, Sept. 26 against the University of Alabama.

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LOUISIANA La. – The frustration is apparent in Tiffany Garber’s voice.

Her Louisiana women’s soccer squad has also been frustrated over its past three or four matches, for different – yet likely intertwined – reasons.

Garber, the second-leading goal scorer on last year’s Cajun squad and this year’s leading point producer, has missed most of the team’s last three outings with a badly sprained right ankle.

The Cajuns haven’t scored in any of those three matches, losing to LSU 4-0 and Alabama 2-0 and battling 110 minutes (two halves and two 10-minute overtimes) in a disappointing 0-0 tie with McNeese State.

In fact, over the last 384 minutes of play, nearly six and one-half hours of soccer, Louisiana has scored exactly one goal, and that was Garber’s shot early in overtime that provided a 1-0 victory over UL Monroe way back on Sept. 14.

There’s little question that her absence has affected a Cajun offense that was already missing a lot of weapons due to injury.

The rest of the story

Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com

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UL hosts South Alabama in 7 p.m. match at Cajun Field

LOUISIANA La. - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns women's soccer team opens Sun Belt Conference play here Friday at Cajun Field in a 7 p.m. match against South Alabama.

Friday's match will be the first of two scheduled for this weekend at Cajun Field. On Sunday, the Cajuns will host in-state foe Tulane at 1 p.m.

The Cajuns (4-4-1) enter the USA match looking to end a three-match winless streak and register a goal for the first time in three matches. The injury-plagued Louisiana squad has been shutout in the last three
matches.

The Cajuns have played two of those matches without their leading scorer Tiffany Garber. Garber's status is still unsure and the decision of whether she will play or not will be made within the hours approaching
the match. The Lafayette native, also the team's leading scorer with four goals, has spent the past two-plus weeks recovering from an ankle injury suffered in the LSU match.

Louisiana will receive some reinforcement for Friday's match. Senior Ashley Delahoussaye, who had been out the past two weeks recovering from a knee surgery, will be back on the field for the first time since the season opener against Jackson State in which she scored two goals.

Delahoussaye could be the spark needed for an offense that has scored just five goals in the last eight matches.

"We're about as healthy as we've been all season," said head coach Dave Poggi whose team has seen two players go down to season-ending injuries. "But were still far from being 100 percent."

"To be 4-4-1 at this stage of the season considering all of the injuries and now getting a couple of people back it is a good sign," Poggi said. "Hopefully over the next few weeks we can continue to get people back at 100 percent so that we can build upon our success and make a run for a conference championship."

Also returning for the USA match is freshman forward Lauren Schwindt who missed the Alabama match last week serving her suspension for a red card issued to her in the McNeese State match Sept. 21.

South Alabama (3-5-2) has won only one of its last six matches and has been shutout five times this season. The Jaguars snapped a four-match winless streak last weekend with a 2-0 win over Alabama A&M.

Like the Cajuns, the Jaguars have struggled to produce goals. USA has found the back of the net just eight times in 10 matches and has been shutout five times this season.

Louisiana is 0-2-1 all-time in Sun Belt openers and versus South Alabama.

The Cajuns have never scored against the Jaguars in three meetings, but in the last two matches USA only has a 1-0 advantage in goals scored.

The only Jaguars goal in the last two matches came in the final 30-seconds of the 2001 match played at Moore Park in Carencro as USA escaped with a 1-0 win in its only other visit to the Cajuns home field.


Last season the two teams opened conference play in Mobile and played to a scoreless draw. Liza Preseault made 10 saves for the Cajuns including two in the overtime session.

The Jaguars are 4-0-1 all-time in conference openers. USA won both of its league openers while a member of the Big South Conference in 1997 and 1998 and is 2-0-1 in Sun Belt openers.

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Louisiana visits Centenary College

SHREVEPORT - The Lady Cajuns of Louisiana soccer team will play its final non-conference match of the season here Thursday night in a 7 p.m. match against in-state foe Centenary College at Mayo Field.

Thursday's match will be the first of two this week on the road for the Cajuns (4-6-1) who will play four of their next six matches away from Cajun Field. Louisiana rounds out the road trip and returns to Sun Belt Conference play on Sunday in a Noon (CST) match at Florida International.

The Lady Cajuns will be attempting to snap a five-match winless and three-match losing streak. Louisiana's last win came onSunday, Sept. 14 against UL Monroe.

Centenary (5-6-1) has won its last three matches after enduring a five-match winless streak of its own Sept. 7-26. The Ladies have posted a shutout in each match during the current streak.

Tiffany Garber, the Cajuns leading scorer with four goals, returned to action last Sunday against Tulane and will be available to play Thursday. Garber's speed could be the spark the Cajuns need to jumpstart an offense that has scored just once in the last five matches.

Centenary is led by Mindi Levinski's five goals and four assists. She has tallied four of those goals during the recent three-match win streak.

The Ladies lead the all-time series 2-1. Louisiana won the last meeting taking a 1-0 victory last season at Cajun Field.

Centenary posted a 2-1 win Oct. 22, 2000, in the only other meeting between the two teams at Mayo Field.

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Louisiana picks up its first Sun Belt win of the season on Lauren Schwindt's goal

MIAMI - Lauren Schwindt gained possession of a Lindsay Webb free kick and promptly one-timed a volley past Florida International goalkeeper Juliana Gomez for the match-winner in the 27th minute as Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns women's soccer team claimed a 1-0 victory over FIU here Sunday afternoon at University Park.

Webb, taking the free kick from 35 yards out, sent the ball inside the box about 15 yards from the goal. That's where Schwindt ran to the ball and quickly split the FIU defenders by hammering the ball into the back of the net for the lone goal of the match at the 27:38 mark.

The goal was Schwindt's second of the season and her young career and helped the Ragin' Cajuns (5-7-1, 1-1 Sun Belt) snap a six-match winless and four-match losing streak.

The win was UL's first since a 1-0 overtime win over UL Monroe on Sept. 14.

The win also marked the first in the all-time series between the two teams for Louisiana, but more importantly got the Cajuns into the win column in conference play.

Louisiana goalkeeper Liza Preseault evened her season record at 3-3 and collected her first solo shutout of the season. The Bradenton, Fla., native made three saves.

"We worked real hard defensively as a unit," said UL Lafayette coach Dave Poggi. "Liza (Preseault) made a couple of big saves at critical junctures, but as a group we all fought to the end."

"I thought the key to our success today was being able to win the ball in the midfield," Poggi said. "Lauren (Schwindt) and Meredith (Smith) worked real hard keep the ball for us and as a result we were able to create good chances."

The Golden Panthers (1-10, 0-4 Sun Belt) put the Louisiana defense under a lot of pressure but were unable to find a way to score.


Janet Ligouri came close to opening the scoring for FIU at 13:01 only to have her shot strike the bottom of the left post. Tamara Kochen also had Louisiana-Lafayette goalkeeper Liza Preseault beaten, but her effort at 36:31 hit the crossbar.

"It's good to get a conference win," Poggi added. "They were unlucky and hit the post a couple of times and it could have gone either way. We made our luck today by how hard we worked."

Louisiana returns to action Friday, Oct. 17 in a 7 p.m. match against
Arkansas State at Cajun Field.

MATCH SUMMARY
Louisiana at Florida International
Date: Sunday, Oct. 12, 2003
Site: Miami, Fla. (University Park)
Attendance: 137

Goals by period 1 2 Total
Louisiana (5-7-1, 1-1 SBC) 1 0 1
FIU (1-10, 0-4 SBC) 0 0 0

SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 27:38 ULL Schwindt, Lauren (Webb, Lindsay)

Shots: Louisiana 5, FIU 9
Shots on Goal: Louisiana 3, FIU 3
Saves: Louisiana 3 (Preseault), FIU 2 (Gomez)
Fouls: Louisiana 7, FIU 4
Corner Kicks: Louisiana 3, FIU 1
Cautions: Louisiana 0, FIU 1 (Patrick, Valarie; 55:37)
Offsides: Louisiana 1, FIU 1

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Louisiana attempts to tie program record for wins

LOUISIANA La. - Louisiana's Lady Cajun's soccer team will make another attempt at tying the program record for wins in a season here Sunday afternoon in a 1 p.m. match against Arkansas-Little Rock at Cajun Field.

Louisiana has five wins this season which is one win shy of the program record of six set in 2001 and tied last season.

The Cajuns (5-8-1, 1-2 Sun Belt) are also looking to bounce back from a surprising 3-2 loss to Arkansas State Friday night. Louisiana fell behind 2-0 and rallied to tie the match 2-2 but a goal in the 85th minute allowed ASU to come away with the win.

"I thought we got caught flat early on and didn't pick up our intensity until the second half," said UL head coach Dave Poggi in reference to the ASU match. "The goals that they scored were ones that should have been preventable, but to go down two goals and to come back and tie the match showed a lot of character."

The Lady Cajuns will also be looking to snap a three-match home losing streak. UL is 1-5-1 at Cajun Field this season and is winless in its last five matches held at the friendly confines.

Sophomore Tiffany Garber, the team's leading scorer, notched her fifth goal of the season on Friday when her corner kick hooked into the net carrying ASU goalkeeper Adrienne Mann into the net. Garber is just four goals off of the career lead.

UALR (5-10-1, 1-4 Sun Belt), like Arkansas State, pulled off a surprising win Friday taking a 2-1 win over South Alabama for its first conference win of the season. The Trojans jumped out to a 2-0 lead 22 minutes into the contest and held on to a 2-1 lead the entire second half.

The Trojans will be will be without their leading scorer Dee Dee Beyhan (13 goals, 2 assists) for Sunday's match. Beyhan was issued a yellow card in the 63rd minute for a hard foul against a South Alabama player, and then was issued a red card and was ejected from the game in the 83rd minute for another hard tackle. According to Sun Belt Conference regulations, any player who receives a red card is required to sit out the next game.

Louisiana leads the all-time series 2-1 and has won the last two meetings. Last season the Cajuns took a 3-1 win in Little Rock. The Cajuns posted a 2-0 decision Oct. 14, 2001, in the only other meeting in Lafayette.

Following Sunday's match the Cajuns will play their final two road matches of the season at North Texas Oct. 24 and Denver Oct. 26. The next home match is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 31 versus Western
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