MONROE, La. --- The ULM women's soccer team closed out the 2007 season in style, defeating rival Louisiana-Lafayette at the ULM Soccer Complex, 3-1, in the final match for seniors Allison Matson and Megan Theriot.
"Our team played with a great passion today and really earned the win," ULM soccer head coach Stacy Lamb said. "I am proud of the girls and happy that we were able to end Allison and Megan's careers with such a great win. They have been two special players for our program and deserved to finish their careers like this."
The win marked the first time that ULM has defeated the rival Ragin' Cajuns on the pitch. The Warhawks are unbeaten in their last two matches against Louisiana-Lafayette after the two teams tied in double-overtime last season.
ULM (8-11-1, 4-6-1 Sun Belt) honored seniors Matson and Theriot in a ceremony before the match, but it was a pair of freshmen who put the Warhawks on the board.
In the game's 28th minute freshman Elena Vazquez took a pass from freshman Amy Porch and bounced it off the far post and into the net for her second goal of the season. The assist was the second on the year for Porch.
The Warhawks extended the lead to 2-0 in the 31st minute when freshman Tiffany Bombard scored off a set piece. Junior captain Rachel Hobson served the ball in for her team-leading fifth assist of the season.
Louisiana-Lafayette (9-7-4, 5-3-3 Sun Belt) cut the lead in half with one second remaining before intermission when Taylor Zak raced down the far sideline and served the ball into Kelli Jestus for the goal.
It didn't take long out of the half for the Warhawks to push the advantage back to two goals. Sophomore Sara Islas scored 31 seconds into the second period to give ULM a 3-1 advantage. Islas was assisted on the goal by Vazquez.
ULM continued to push the attack towards ULL goalkeeper Kristen Malen, but couldn't add to the final tally. The Warhawks were whistled offside in the match a season-high nine times with six calls coming in the final 20 minutes.
The Warhawks two-goal victory snaps a streak of five straight matches decided by one goal. ULM ends the season just outside the cutoff line for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The team played close all season long, falling in seven matches decided by one goal.
"I don't know that I have ever been more proud of a group of women that we have had," Lamb said. "We got better with every game we played, but we never gave up. We could have come out today and blown it off since we missed the tournament, but that's not what these girls did. From where we started through today, we did nothing but improve. We are ready to get started next year."
Match Notes
-For the second consecutive season a Warhawk freshman has led the team in points. Freshman Tiffany Bombard scored a squad-high 11 points off four goals and three assists. Bombard's four goals were tied for the team-lead with senior Allison Matson and sophomore Sara Islas. Islas led the Warhawks in points last season with 16.
-Junior captain Rachel Hobson's five assists this year were tied for second most all-time in a single season with Chelsea Shriner and Amanda Wing-Strope's 2005 total. For her career, Hobson has 10 assists, the second most in ULM history and three behind Shriner's three-year total.
-Counting their point totals from Friday, Hobson (26) and Islas (25) moved into seventh and eighth place on the ULM all-time points list.
-Departed senior Allison Matson finished her career with 19 points, the 11th-highest career total in Warhawk history. Over Matson's final two seasons, the Pinckney, Mich. native has poured in 18 of her 19 points. Matson also ended her career with 125 shots, the third highest total in Warhawk history.
-Sophomore goalkeeper Mallory George ended the season with 120 saves, her second straight season of 100+ saves and the fifth-highest single-season total in ULM history. George has 253 saves in her career and trails Jessica Robinson on the career saves list by nine.
-ULM finished the season with a three-win improvement on last-years total.
