By ADAM P. BARR

apb007@latech.edu

 

Cancellations will provide ample time for the soccer team’s recovery.

With two games cancelled over the weekend due to Hurricane Rita, the Lady Techster soccer team gets an edge on the competition.

 “We had the weekend off so we had a whole week to practice and recover,” head coach Jennifer Soileau, said.

Last Friday’s game against McNeese University and Sunday’s game against Southern Mississippi were both cancelled because of the ensuing threat of Hurricane Rita.

Soileau said last Friday’s game was cancelled because of the predicted damage to the Gulf Coast and the evacuation of Lake Charles, the home of McNeese, while Sunday’s game against Southern Mississippi was cancelled because of poor weather predictions.

Friday, the soccer team will face William Carey University in Hattiesburg, Miss., at 1 p.m.

“They’ll be a good team and we will be ready to play,” Soileau said.

Freshmen forward Emily Cleaveland said William Carey University is not a division one, it is a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics team, which will help prepare them for conference play.

“I think it will be a good game to get us ready for coming WAC games,” Soileau said.

 “I know their new coach personally, and they will be coached well.”

The team had a few injuries in the past weeks that kept some of the players off the field.

Soileau said the game cancellations gave them time to heal from hard games past and gave them a chance to practice.

Tech’s young team, with 22 of the 24 players being freshmen, are all aggressive said Soileau.

The team’s ability to create turnovers is first-rate and provides opportunities for execution as well, she added.

“Our kids are known for their work ethic,” Soileau said.

“We descend so hard on the ball we create a lot of turnovers.”

 “We won’t take [William Carey] lightly,” freshman mid-defender Brook Kelly said.

 “But we will probably win. We just need to finish opportunities and play as a team.”

Sunday, the Lady Techster soccer team will take on Nicholls State at Joe Aillet Stadium beginning at 1 p.m.