NACOGDOCHES -- Entering the day tied for second in the Southland Conference standings, the University of the Incarnate Word women's soccer team was unable to score the for the second game in a row, falling 1-0 on the road to Stephen F Austin in the second-to-last game of the regular season Sunday.
The Cardinals held the Lumberjacks without a shot for the first 33 minutes, 17 seconds, but that first opportunity resulted in the game's only goal, as Savannah Oberholtzer broke away from the defense and was able to get the ball past a diving
Hannah Alexander in goal.
UIW finished with a 14-5 shot advantage, but was unable to convert any of its attempts, and also had to deal with a few frustrating near misses.
A little over three-and-a-half minutes into the second half,
Zaiba Ishaque appeared to score the tying goal, only for it to be nullified by an offsides call. The same thing happened to the Cardinals in their previous game, as Montana Mathews lost a goal via offsides
in what became a scoreless draw against UTRGV.
The Cardinals also challenged a late Mathews corner kick, saying it crossed into the net before being batted away by Lumberjack keeper Sydney Robinett, but the call was not overturned upon review.
SLC ROUNDUP
With the loss, the Cardinals, who are 8-7-1 overall and 5-3-1 in the SLC, dropped to third place in the conference standings and are no longer in play for the top seed in the Southland Tournament.
UIW and Houston Christian entered the day tied for second with 16 points, three behind Lamar. Lamar and HCU played to a 1-1 draw Sunday, moving Lamar to 20 points and HCU to 17.
The Cardinals will host the Huskies at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium at 7 p.m. Thursday for the regular season finale. A win would guarantee UIW the No. 2 seed, while a loss or tie could drop it as low as No. 5.
UIW will host a senior day celebration prior to Thursday's game.
SOUTHLAND STANDINGS (TOP-SEVEN TEAMS MAKE THE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT)
1. Lamar 6-1-2 (20 points)*
2. Houston Christian 4-0-5 (17)*
3. UIW: 5-3-1 (16)*
4. McNeese 4-3-2 (15)*
5. Northwestern State 5-4 (15)*
6. Southeastern 4-4-1 (13)*
7. Nicholls 3-3-3 (12)
8. East Texas A&M 3-3-3 (12)
9. SFA 3-6 (9)**
10. TAMU-CC 2-6-2 (8)**
11. UTRGV 0-7-2 (2)*
*Clinched tournament spot
**Eliminated from the postseason
