Queens crown Lady Lions, 4-0

SAGU hosts UH-Victoria on Saturday

Lambin has second good outing against WBU

PLAINVIEW, Texas  --  The Southwestern Assemblies of God University women’s soccer team suffered a 4-0 defeat at the hands of the host, Wayland Baptist University on Wednesday afternoon at Hilliard Field.

In a game that began with the sun shining brightly and ended in a steady, light rain, the Lady Lions fell to 0-5 on the young season. It was their third shutout.

The Flying Queens improved their record to 4-3 with a solid performance, firing 22 of the game’s 26 shots. They also enjoyed a 12-1 dominance in shots on goal.

A year ago in the season opener in Waxahachie, the Wayland Women claimed a 1-0 triumph that was similarly played. They had a 26-3 advantage in total shots.

The Flying Queens, from the Sooner Athletic Conference, had a 6-10-2 record last fall in their fifth season as a program.

Southwestern’s only shot from the starting line-up came from senior captain, Jessica Powell-Roman (Terrell, Tx / Terrell HS). She is the anchor of the defense and, with the team's strongest leg, often enters into the attack.

The remaining shots were delivered off the foot of Amy Lambdin (Stockton, Cal / Elliot Christian). The sophomore midfielder managed to boot three, including one that required goalie Courtney Chambers to make a save. It was Chambers’ third shutout this fall.

In last year’s first-ever meeting between the schools, Lambdin kicked two of the Lions’ three shots.

The Queens received a pair of second-half goals from Mary Achebo-Totty, who came off the bench to collect her first tallies of the season.

SAGU has gotten out of the gate gradually this season. They yielded another quick goal on Wednesday.

After 14 minutes of play, Emarie Holland scored on a breakaway. Her shot in the left corner allowed Lions’ keeper Haley Shingleton (Pasadena, Tx / Deer Park HS) little chance.

The score allowed Wayland to set the tempo and control the action the rest of the way. They added a cornerkick header ten minutes later for a 2-0 lead.

A positive for Team Purple was the return of defender Gloria Lozano (El Paso, Tx / Socorro HS). She entered the game as a substitute and expects to increase her playing time in the future.

SAGU's second year head coach Mandy Fortner said there were a lot of positives to draw from the game.

"We lost, but played our best during segments of the game," she said afterwards. "The team had good ball possession for a majority of the game. We were quick and more accurate in our passing game."

"Wayland had the lead, so they could collapse (their defense) inside, making it tougher to score," she pointed out. "But we were able to take advantage of Lyndi (Garrison) and Amy's speed by sending balls forward and to the outside."

"Amy had three chances at the goal," she explained. "In one, she beat the last defender, dribbled towards the goal and found a shot. The first chance she shot low and at the far post and missed by inches. The other two she struggled to find power, but did put it on frame."

According to Coach Fortner, the team hopes to build on the positives in the Wayland setback when they go up against Houston-Victoria on Saturday. "I believe there will be opportunities against their defense for us to put some shots in the net."

For Wayland coach Shiloh Posey, whose team is seeking its first-ever winning record, the win countered back-to-back losses.

"This game was a great rebound for us after losing those last two tough games," Posey said. "We showed good mental and physical effort after starting a little slow for the first 10 minutes or so.”

“As time went on,” he continued, “we got it together and picked up our momentum. Because we didn't have to play so hard, we had the opportunity to move the ball like we want to."

Upcoming Slate for SAGU

SAGU will seek to bounce back on Saturday afternoon, September 15, when the University of Houston – at Victoria, comes to town. The game has a 2:00pm start time.

The Lady Jaguars are in their third season of existence. UHV went 2-13 in their debut and 5-10-1 last season. Currently 2-3, they play at UT-Permian Basin (Odessa, Tx) on Thursday afternoon before travelling to Waxahachie. The UTPB Falcons, an NCAA Division II member, are 0-4.

SAGU will play at Dallas Christian College on Monday at 3:00pm.

NAIA Top 25 Coaches Poll

The weekly poll of National Association of Intercollegiate Association coaches was released on Tuesday. Concordia College (Oregon) is ranked #1 at 6-0. The closest team in the region in the Top 25 is Oklahoma City University at 2-0.

The Red River Athletic Conference didn't have a representitive this week. The top two teams in the league, record-wise, are Northwood University (3-2) and Texas Wesleyan University (3-2-1).

Contact: Mark “Link” Warde, SAGU Sports Information Director, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 469-658-2847.