PRAIRIE VIEW – With the No. 2 overall seed in the 2019 Southwestern Athletic Conference Soccer Tournament at stake, the Prairie View A&M soccer team is set to close the regular season on a high note as the Lady Panthers welcome Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Grambling State to The Hill.
First touch versus the Lady Lions is set for 7 p.m. on Friday, which is also Senior Night for the Lady Panthers. The Lady Panthers will face Grambling State at 1 p.m. on Sunday, and the match will be a part of Breast Cancer Awareness Day.
Prairie View A&M (8-7, 6-1 SWAC) can assure itself the No. 2 overall seed with a pair of wins. The Lady Panthers could jump to the No. 1 overall seed if they win out to close the regular season and current conference leader Howard falls to Alabama State and Alabama A&M this weekend.
The Lady Panthers have won six of their past seven matches, including their last four. Over the current win streak, Prairie View A&M's defense has been stellar, having allowed one goal. Additionally, the Lady Panthers have yet to allow a goal in conference play at home.
Senior forward Diana Neff leads the Lady Panthers with six goals on the season, and junior midfielder Ashley Chala is having a solid season with four goals and an assist. Sophomore goalkeeper Quinn Josiah continues to put together an all-conference type season at the net, having posted three shutouts and 1.15 goals against average in 2019. With 44 saves on the season, Josiah has stopped 81.5 percent of shots faced.
Prairie View A&M and UAPB have traded wins as of late – UAPB won the 2018 meeting 1-0 – but the Lady Panthers have not lost to the Lady Lions at home since 2011. Prairie View A&M is 3-1-1 in its last five matches versus Grambling State, but the Lady Tigers won the 2018 meeting 2-0.
Scouting the Competition:
- UAPB (5-9, 3-4 SWAC) enters the weekend as the current No. 8 seed in the SWAC Soccer Tournament. The Lady Lions have a strong SWAC Offensive Player of the Year candidate in senior defender Sarah Wright, who leads the conference with nine goals and 20 total points. Wright has accounted for nearly half of the Lady Lions' goals this season. Junior midfielder Alexis Sanders is a difference maker for UAPB as well, with five goals and a pair of assists on the season. In goal, Trinity Taylor is expected to start. Taylor has made 97 saves while stopping nearly 76 percent of shots faced this year.
- Grambling State (7-9-1, 4-3 SWAC) fields one of the most potent offenses in the SWAC, as the Lady Tigers' 25 goals on the year is second-most among all league teams. Leading the way are sophomore midfielder Kailey Pena and junior midfielder Sarah Teubner. Pena has scored a team-best five goals while Teubner has flashed as one of the best all-around offensive weapons in the conference, as evidenced by her four goals and five assists on the season. Freshman Rachel Pugh is likely to get the call in goal, and she has made 50 saves with a .769 save percentage.
How to Watch:
- Both matches will have Live Stats and Live Video links available. To follow live stats, click HERE. To watch each match, click HERE.
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