JONESBORO, Ark. (10/6/16) – The Arkansas State women's soccer team will take to the road for the final time in the 2016 Sun Belt Conference regular season for a pair of matchups against Louisiana-Lafayette on Friday, Oct. 7 and Texas State on Sunday, Oct. 9.
Kickoff against the Louisiana-Lafayette is set for 7 p.m. Friday at the Ragin Cajuns' Soccer Complex, while Sunday's clash at Texas State is set for a noon kick.
The Red Wolves (3-6-3, 1-4-1) enter the weekend needing to make up ground in their race to make the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The team made significant headway last week with a key victory over Appalachian State at home, but failed to earn a point one day later against in-state rival Little Rock.
Arkansas State is currently two points behind in the league standings for the final spot into the conference tournament. Georgia State, Little Rock and Georgia Southern each occupy the spot with six points each on the year, but A-State could help itself with positive results this weekend.
The A-State defense has been the workhorse throughout the year and will continue to be relied on heavily in both matchups. The Ragin' Cajuns (6-6-1, 2-2-1) currently lead the Sun Belt 29 goals scored on the year and are averaging 2.23 goals per game. Meanwhile, the Red Wolves' boost one of the nation's top goalkeepers in sophomore Kelsey Ponder who has stopped 92 shots on the year, a mark that ranks second in the nation coming into the weekend.
Ponder, who ranks eighth in the NCAA with 7.67 saves per game average, has been a consistent performer in net and has allowed one or fewer goals in all but three contests this season. She has played every minute of the season in net and will look to continue to improve the nation's 33rd best .860 saves percentage.
Texas State (6-6-2, 3-2-1) ranks third in the SBC standings this season, but have struggled of late, posting a 1-2-1 record in their last four games conference games. Mostly recently, the Bobcats dropped a 1-0 decision to Coastal Carolina at home and also lost to Georgia Southern by the same score. Like the Red Wolves, Texas State is no stranger to overtime games, having played in six so far.
Both games will be streamed on RaginCajuns.com and TxStateBobcats.com with a paid subscription to the school's video service. Live stats of each match will be provided on AStateStats.com.
For the latest on information on the A-State women's soccer team, log onto AStateRedWolves.com or follow the team's Facebook page at Facebook.com/AStateSoccer and follow them on Twitter @AStateSoccer.
