HOUSTON – After clinching a spot in the upcoming Southland Conference Tournament last weekend, the HCU women's soccer team opened a three-game homestand to close out the regular season with a 3-0 loss to league-leading Lamar at Sorrels Field on Friday evening. Houston Christian University (HCU), formerly Houston Baptist University (HBU), underwent a name change in September 2022.
Lamar (11-1-2, 8-1-1 SLC) midfielder Alana Clark staked the Cardinals to a quick 1-0 lead just four minutes in, heading home a carom off the bar following a near-miss by Christine Kitaru. In the 12
th minute,
Emily Jaimes came within inches of putting the Huskies (5-8-3, 5-4-1 SLC) on the board, just getting her foot on the ball before the keeper grabbed it and sending it toward an open net but a Lamar defender cleared it out just before it could cross the goal line. The Huskies put three shots on goal in the first half but went into the break trailing 1-0.
Laura Linares made it a two-goal game in the 53
rd minute with a long distance shot to the top left corner. The final goal of the evening came from Kitaru in the 83
rd minute with assists from Cariel Ellis and Nicole Panis.
HCU held a 13-12 advantage in shot attempts, putting six on goal while the Cardinals put seven attempts on target. The Huskies earned six corner kicks to Lamar's four.
Chloe Bagshaw finished with three saves in goal for the Huskies and
Mia Salas led the team with a pair of shots on goal.
The Huskies take on Texas A&M-Commerce on Sunday afternoon at Sorrels Field, kicking off at 1:00 p.m.
