Oct. 3, 2013
Week 6 Game Notes 
RUSTON - Louisiana Tech soccer will play its first ever Conference USA matches at the Lady Techster Soccer Complex this weekend as they host Marshall on Friday night at 7 p.m. and FIU at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
A LA Tech (5-6-1, 0-2-0 C-USA) roster with only one senior and two juniors has been forced to grow up quickly on the soccer field, having recently been shut out on the road by Tulsa and North Texas, both of whom were ranked in the top 10 of the NSCAA/Continental Tire central region rankings.
"With soccer being so strong in C-USA, we find ourselves in a learning process and in an environment which will take time to adapt to," head coach Kevin Sherry said. "The good news is the team is learning to adapt and they are improving. You can see great potential in the team."
The Lady Techster defense held firm against a stout North Texas offense, but the Mean Green made their first shot on goal count off a header goal via a corner kick.
Sophomore midfielder Brittany Beddow has provided the most shot ammo for LA Tech recently, taking five of the team's 12 attempts at the net in the past two matches combined.
Minimizing mistakes will be a key to the game plan in both matches against top-quality opponents.
"The key element to be competitive in C-USA soccer is to match up physically and mentally," Sherry said. "We have to learn how to match up with this which is a big ask of an 18-year old, which this team mainly consists of. Both Marshall and FIU play the C-USA power game and have some of the nation's best talent to call upon which will be a very difficult challenge for us."
Marshall (6-3-1, 1-1-0 C-USA) enters the match coming off a 1-0 loss versus UAB. It marked the first time all season the Thundering Herd was shut out in a game.
Marshall does most of its damage in the first period, outscoring its opponents 8-0. Forward Mykda DeMarco leads the team with four goals and two assists.
FIU recently rebounded from a shutout loss against Charlotte by overpowering Old Dominion, 4-0, in a shutout of its own.
Ashleigh Shim and Madlen Weinhardt have combined to score seven of the team's 12 goals this season.
This will be the first time LA Tech has ever played Marshall or FIU in soccer.
Admission is free to all home soccer matches.
LA Tech All-Access subscribers can listen to and watch a live video stream of the game by logging on through LATechSports.com, the official website of Louisiana Tech Athletics. Live stats will be available through the link provided on the schedule page.
Twitter users can get updates of the game as well by following @LATechSOC.
