COMMERCE – With three weeks left in the regular season, the Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team takes on the top two teams in the Southland Conference standings this weekend, hosting SLC leader Lamar on Friday night and traveling to defending SLC champion, Northwestern State on Sunday.
THIRD PLACE LIONS
After a scoreless tie against Southeastern Louisiana last weekend, the Lions' conference record stands at 4-2-1 for 13 points, which puts them in a tie with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for third place. The Lions downed the Islanders, 4-0, in their only meeting this year, thus hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. Lamar is 6-1-1 in conference matches and is five points ahead of Northwestern State, who is 4-2-2, a point better than A&M-Commerce and A&M-Corpus Christi.
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE LIONS
On Senior Day, A&M-Commerce and Southeastern played to a scoreless tie. The Lions outshot SLU, 17-7.
WHAT'S AHEAD FOR THE LIONS
The Lions remain on the road next weekend for their first meeting of the season against UIW on October 21 and head to Houston Christian on October 23, before closing out the regular season at home on October 28 against McNeese.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
Rejoining the Southland Conference this fall, Lamar has been the top team in the conference all season. The Cardinals are 9-1-2 on the season, their lone loss came to the Lady Demons last weekend. In the first meeting of the season between the Lions and the Cardinals in Beaumont on September 18, the Lions had the 1-0 lead for the first 88 minutes of the match, until three goals in a six-minute stretch gave the Cardinals the win.
Last weekend, the Cardinals fell at home to Northwestern State, being shutout, 2-0, and played to a 1-1 tie against McNeese on Sunday, but still have a five-point advantage in the SLC standings.
The Cardinals are allowing just 0.5 goals per match, which is 12
th in the country and recording a save percentage of 0.893, which is fourth in the country. Christine Kitaru has nine goals on the season, which is 18
th in the country and Nicole Panis is saving 89.1 percent of the shots she's facing, which is sixth in the country.
SCOUTING THE LADY DEMONS
The Lady Demons, SLC's defending champion, outscored their opponents 7-0 last weekend, winning at Lamar and beating Nicholls at home. The Lady Demons are 7-3-3 overall, while being 3-2 at home. In a match that lasted two days, Northwestern State won 4-1 at the Lion Soccer Field on September 25-26, in the first meeting between these two teams in 2022.
The Lady Demons average 8.8 corner kicks per game, which is the best in the country, while Olivia Draguicevich has nine goals on the season, which is 18
th in the country. Chloe DeShazer has played every minute in goal this season and averaging 2.3 saves per match.
MITCHELL AND SHOFFIT MAKE HISTORY
Last week,
Mya Mitchell (Dallas – Mesquite Horn) and
Mindy Shoffit (Wichita Falls – Rider) became the first two players in A&M-Commerce history to earn Southland Conference Player of the Week awards. Mitchell earned the offensive player of the week award, while Shoffit earned the defensive player of the week award.
2022 Southland Women's Soccer Players of the Week
| Date |
Offensive |
Defensive |
Goalkeeper |
| Aug. 23 |
Christine Kitaru, Lamar |
Miranda Irbizu, Lamar |
Nicole Panis, Lamar |
| Aug. 30 |
Christine Kitaru, Lamar (2) |
Emma Jones, Southeastern |
Olivia Griffin, Southeastern |
| Sept. 6 |
Sierra Wannamaker, UIW |
Delaney Wells, Northwestern State |
Chloe DeShazer, Northwestern State |
| Sept. 13 |
Olivia Draguicevich, Northwestern State |
Jayme Haynes, Northwestern State |
Nicole Panis (2), Lamar |
| Sept. 20 |
Cariel Ellis, Lamar |
Emma Crump, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
Nicole Panis (3), Lamar |
| Sept. 27 |
Emily Jamies, HCU |
Ellie Mai Sanford, UIW |
Chloe Bagshaw, HCU |
| Oct. 4 |
Mya Mitchell, A&M-Commerce |
Mindy Shoffit, A&M-Commerce |
Nicole Panis (4), Lamar |
| Oct. 11 |
Gracie Armstrong, Northwestern State |
Nicole Henry, Northwestern State |
Chloe DeShazer (2), Northwestern State |
MYA IS ON FIYA
Mitchell has scored more goals and more points than any other player in the Southland Conference through seven conference matches, having scored in six of the seven matches. She has seven goals, which is two more than other any player in conference play and 16 points, which is six more than anyone else.
She snapped a scoring of six straight matches last weekend, which was the third longest scoring streak in Division I this year.
HISTORIC FIRST WIN
The Lions collected a 4-1 win at home against Houston Baptist on September 9 in its first Southland Conference match. All five goals came in the second half, as the Lions collected the first win in the Division I era and first win for coach
Ashley Gordon.
SHOFFIT SCORES THE FIRST GOAL
After a drought of over 400 minutes to start the season, the Lions' first goal of their inaugural Division I season came against Colorado College on September 4, an own goal by the Tigers. In the second half,
Mindy Shoffitt (Wichita Falls – Rider) scored the first goal by a Lion player to secure a 2-2 tie at Colorado College, scoring in the 87
th minute.
DOUBLE THE FUN!
Dallas natives and twin sisters,
Mya Mitchell and
Nya Mitchell from Mesquite Horn High School, join the Lions this season. The Mitchells are one of 27 sets of twins in NCAA Division I women's soccer this fall and A&M-Commerce is one of 22 schools with a set of twins on its women's soccer roster this season.
-TAMUC-
