Aug. 28, 2008

NACOGDOCHES, Texas -

This week's Games:

SFA vs. Centenary College • Friday, Aug. 29 • 7 p.m. • Nacogdoches, Texas

SFA at Houston • Sunday, Aug. 31 • 1 p.m. • Houston, Texas

Game Information

This Week: The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack soccer team will play its first home game of the season Friday when the Ladyjacks take on Centenary College. Following that game, SFA will head south for a Sunday showdown with Houston. Centenary enters the week with a 1-0 record, having defeated Mississippi Valley State, 2-0, on the road last week. The Cougars (0-1) are coming off a loss in their season opener against Southland Conference foe UTSA. The Roadrunners earned a 1-0 win in double overtime. Houston will take on Sam Houston State on the road Friday.

Last Week: SFA opened the 2008 season with a 5-0 loss at TCU. The Horned Frogs took control early with two goals in the game's opening 10 minutes. TCU would add a third score later in the half then pile on a pair of late goals with less than six minutes to play. The Horned Frogs finished with a 22-6 advantage in shots and an 11-6 edge in shots on goal. The five goals are the most allowed by a Ladyjack team since Rice recorded a 5-0 win over SFA in September of 2006. The Owls were the No. 7 team in the Soccer Buzz Central Region rankings coming into that game and received votes in the national poll the following week.

SFA vs. the Ladies: Centenary holds an 8-4-2 edge in what is the SFA soccer program's longest-running and most frequently played non-conference series. The last five meetings have been all SFA, though. The Ladyjacks are 4-0-1 against the Ladies, dating to 2002. The teams did not meet last season, the first time that had happened since 1998. SFA took a 3-2 win at home in 2006. The Ladyjacks are 2-3-1 at home against Centenary.

SFA vs. the Cougars: The Ladyjacks are 1-3-0 all-time against Houston. The Cougars took the first three games in the series, before SFA notched a 4-1 home win in 2006. The Ladyjacks are 0-2 against Houston on the road, both times losing by identical 3-1 scores.

The Coaches: SFA is coached by George Van Linder. In his first year at SFA, Van Linder has compiled an 0-1-0 record. He is 124-100-20 in 12 years as a collegiate head coach. Centenary head coach Chase Wooten is 30-40-5 and in his fifth season with the Ladies. Houston is coached by Susan Bush, who is 4-13-2 in her second year with the Cougars.

Next Week: SFA will travel to Ruston, La., to take on Louisiana Tech on Friday before returning to Nacogdoches to host Arkansas State. The game against the Techsters is set to begin at 7 p.m., with Sunday's tilt slated to get under way at 1 p.m.

• Click here for complete game notes in .pdf format.

-- SFA --