LAKE CHARLES, La. - The University of the Incarnate Word women's soccer team continued its push for the top seed at the Southland Conference Tournament with a critical 2-1 win at McNeese Thursday night.
The Cardinals took control of the game with two goals in a 6 minute, 50 second stretch in the first half.
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The scoring began when
Tyler Coker made a great cross-field pass that landed perfectly at the foot of
Joella Livingston, who converted a wide open look.
UIW then got a break when an official review ruled that a McNeese defender committed a foul in the box.
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Hayden Kish took advantage of the uncontested look, pushing a shot past diving goalie Shannon Dempsey.
The Cowgirls made things interesting in the second half, when Morgan Fielder made a fantastic play by scoring from about 30 yards out in the 71st minute to cut the deficit to a goal.
But that would be all the UIW defense would allow, as the team effectively played keep away with the ball in the closing minutes.
The win moved the Cardinals to 8-6-2 overall with a 5-2 mark in the SLC.Â
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK
After entering the day in a four-way tie for second in the conference standings, the Cardinals ended it all alone in the No. 2 spot.
Lamar, which defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3-0, remained on top by a point. At 5-1-1, Lamar has 16 points to UIW's 15.
Houston Christian, which suffered a surprise scoreless draw to East Texas A&M, is now 3-0-4 with 13 points.Â
The Huskies are joined by Southeastern Louisiana (4-3-1), which scored a game-winning goal with 1:07 to play to earn a 1-0 win over Northwestern State.
The Demons and Nicholls, which was off Thursday, fell from a tie to second to a tie for fifth with 12 points apiece. McNeese is in seventh with 11Â while East Texas A&M is in eighth with eight. The top seven qualify for the conference tournament.
The Cardinals can clinch a spot in the SLC Tournament Sunday with a win over UTRGV. The game at Benson Stadium kicks off at 1 p.m.
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