UH soccer looks to defeat Ragin’ Cajuns

The UH soccer team will keep the ball rolling as it plays the Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette at 7 p.m. Friday at Robertson Stadium.

Over the weekend, the Cougars defeated the Sam Houston State Bearkats and Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks, but the Cougars are still hungry for victory.

"We’ve done well so far," head coach Susan Bush said in a press release. "We are creating great opportunities offensively. We just need to do a better job finishing in the final third."

Two of Houston’s three goals against Sam Houston came in the first period, and the Cougars added another point in the 69th minute, but did not score in the final period. Its only goal against SFA came from freshman defender Stephanie Derieg just over 21 minutes into the game.

One thing the Cougars haven’t had to worry about much is the other team scoring on senior goalkeeper Shelby Scott. Scott, who has played every minute for the Cougars in the net this season, has only given up two goals in three games and got her ninth career shutout against SFA, setting a school record.

She said that the team is focused on being more prepared than it’s opponents to finish their games strong.

"This year, we come to each game with a mentality that we’re to outwork the other team," Scott said. "Tuesday practices are never fun, so we know we’re showing up (to games) fit."

They’ll need that fitness to cope with the loss of sophomore defender Brittany Cannon on their roster due to injury. During Sunday’s physical 1-0 win over SFA, Cannon left the game after a collision that left her leg entangled with an opponent’s.

"My leg was bent back, and I heard a crack when I came down on it," Cannon said.

Preliminary evaluation showed signs of a possible ACL trauma. Cannon added one shot to Houston’s 25 against Sam Houston.

Bush said Cannon’s injury wouldn’t affect performance.

"We’re putting out a different lineup than we have used in the past – we have a couple more people healthy," Bush said.

Sophomore defender Stephanie Booker is one of those players Bush is depending on to fill in the gap left by Cannon. She said the team is in high spirits despite the injury.

"We’ve made some adjustments. They moved me back to defense, where I played as a freshman," Booker said. "But we’re ready to go."

The Cougars lead the series between the two schools 4-1 and have won three consecutive games in the series.