Season Preview: Women’s Soccer Ready to Begin 2021 Season

LSUS Athletic Communications
For Immediate Release – Wednesday, August 18, 2021
 
Season Preview: Women’s Soccer Ready to Begin 2021 Season
 
SHREVEPORT, LA. - The day is here. Student-athletes are back on campus and are back to living the life they know best; two-a-days, meetings, and workouts. After a long summer, the LSUS Women’s Soccer Team is back together and back on the pitch, just a day away from their season opener on the road at the University of Mobile. 
 
This time of the year feels right. The humid mornings and the hot afternoons of August in Louisiana take a little getting used to, especially after playing the previous season in January, February, and March due to the COVID-19 Pandemic pushing the season to early 2021 instead of the Fall of 2020. However, the women are adjusting well and are eager to get the season started, with championship aspirations. 
 
“The girls are excited,” said LSUS Women’s Soccer Head Coach Mark Matlock. “We have gotten to know each other very well and I feel like we are getting back used to playing and getting used to my style of play.” 
 
Matlock is in his first season leading the Pilots. He is currently the Head Girls Soccer Coach at Loyola College Prep, located just down the road from LSUS. He led the Lady Flyers to their first ever State Championship in 2019 and has been a constant title contender every season leading the Lady Flyers. He is hopeful that his success at the high school level will translate to the college game as well.
 
“When I got the call I was really excited,” said Coach Matlock. “I am excited to work with this great group of women and continue to chase championships. I am hoping that my success at the levels I have coached at can translate to the college game but so far it has been a ton of fun and I am enjoying it.”
 
The Pilots are coming off a season full of milestones. They finished with an overall record of 14-6-1 and a conference record of 6-1. After finishing second in the Red River Athletic Conference regular season standings, the Pilots would go on to win the program’s second RRAC Tournament Championship. By winning the conference tournament crown, the Pilots earned a spot in the NAIA Opening Round for the fourth time in program history. The Pilots enter this season picked to win the RRAC regular season championship. 
 
With 17 women returning from last year’s squad, the Pilots and Coach Matlock are looking to compete for another conference crown and beyond. 
 
“I have relied heavily on the women that have been here for several years,” said Matlock. “Coming in with just about a week before we play, it was tough for me to get a quick grasp on how these women play but they were very successful last year so we are not looking to change much. We want to do the things that we do well, continue to get better, and hopefully take a step past winning the conference and get back to the National Tournament and do well there.” 
 
Among those 17 returners are RRAC First Team All-Conference Members Chelsea Brown, Alexis Hobbs, Madison Salas, and Karolyn Hasler. 
 
Brown made a huge impact for the Pilots during her freshman season. She led the team with 13 goals, 29 points, and notched three assists on the season as well. Hobbs appeared in 21 games and started 19 in her first season wearing the purple and gold. Known for her ability to set up goal opportunities, she finished the season with a team leading eight assists and scored two goals in the process. Salas also made a splash in her freshman season for the Pilots. She started 19 of the 20 games she appeared in while scoring two goals and dishing out one assist. Hasler was a steady force in the net all season long. The Pilots went 11-3-1 with Hasler at goalkeeper as she notched 84 saves and finished with a 90.3 save percentage. 
 
The Pilots will begin their season on the road tomorrow, August 18 against Mobile. They then will head to Hattiesburg, Mississippi for a matchup against No. 2 William Carey University, last season’s National Runner-up. In all, the Pilots will have seven non-conference games, six of which are on the road, before an 11 game conference schedule beginning on September 23 against Our Lady of the Lake. 
 
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