RUSTON, La. – The Lamar University women’s soccer team is hoping two nights of good sleep and a productive practice session will pay dividends Sunday afternoon when the Cardinals face host Louisiana Tech in a non-conference game at 1 p.m.
LU, which looks to bounce back from Friday’s 3-0 season-opening loss to visiting San Jose State, decided not to practice Saturday morning at the LU Soccer Complex, opting for an evening session at Louisiana Tech after departing Beaumont at 1 p.m. Saturday.
“We won our opening game last year and then struggled after that,” Cervantes said. “The first game of the season doesn’t make or break the whole year. It’s how you’re playing at the end of the year that matters.
The Cardinals will be looking for their first-ever win against the Lady Techsters, a member of Conference USA. LU is 0-2 all-time against Louisiana Tech, dropping a 3-2 overtime decision at Louisiana Tech in 2009 and a 1-0 contest at the LU Soccer Complex in 2010.
Louisiana Tech opened its season with a 2-1 victory at Louisiana-Monroe on Friday. The Lady Techsters are coming off their most successful season in program history, posting a 13-6-3 record in 2014.
“We know they are a very talented team,” Cervantes said of Louisiana Tech. “These are the types of games we need if we’re going to get better.”
Cervantes and his staff were in teaching mode for part of the trip to Ruston, as the team watched video of the game against San Jose State. The short practice session was also geared to correcting mistakes.
“We did some good things, but we made some mistakes,” Cervantes said. “Fortunately, they’re correctable mistakes. We have a lot of young players who are still learning. The good thing is they’re willing to learn and want to get better.”
The Cardinals need to boost their offense up a notch on Sunday after being outshot 20-7 by San Jose State, which held a 13-2 advantage in shots on goal.
“We really weren’t aggressive enough against San Jose State,” Cervantes said. “Once we got behind 2-0, we didn’t put up much of a fight.”
Following Sunday’s game at Louisiana Tech, LU returns home for a pair of non-conference games next weekend. Texas Southern comes to the LU Soccer Complex at 7 p.m. Friday before the Cardinals host LSU-Alexandria at 5 p.m. Aug. 30 in a rare Sunday evening start.
For ticket information, call 409-880-1715, or visit www.LamarCardinals.com.