LA Tech game notes

RUSTON ââ'¬" Louisiana Tech will host its final two home matches of the season this weekend when they take on Middle Tennessee on Friday night at 7 p.m. and then UAB on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. at the Lady Techster Soccer Complex.

For six seniors ââ'¬" Kendall Ayers, Madison Doll, Annabel Prior, Kylee Seto, Charity Simmons and Kathryn Sloan ââ'¬" it will be their final time playing on the home pitch. It will also be a crucial weekend as LA Tech (11-4-1, 3-3 C-USA) looks to stay in the hunt for the top eight which qualifies for the league tournament.

"Senior night is always a special occasion tinged with many different emotions: Pride, Gratitude, Joy and Sadness," head coach Kevin Sherry said. "We are so thankful for what these seniors have given us and recognize the sacrifices they have all made to ensure the program keeps moving forward in a positive way.

"We need to take advantage of our two home games this weekend if we want to achieve our goal of qualifying for the C- USA tournament. Having to win on the road to qualify is not a scenario you want."

The Lady Techsters have put themselves in their current position thanks to two big conference road wins, one of which came this past Sunday at Old Dominion.

Sloan (one of five four-year seniors) played a key role in the victory, drawing the foul in the box to get awarded a penalty kick and then delivering an insurance goal late to seal it.

The senior group has combined for 132 points and 220 saves in their Lady Techster careers.

The challenge this weekend will be Middle Tennessee (4-10-1, 2-6 C-USA) and UAB (4-10-1, 1-6-1 C-USA) who are currently outside of the top eight and looking to make a late move up the standings.

"Middle Tennessee and UAB are two very good teams who will give us a very tough challenge," Sherry said. "Both teams have high scoring offenses and we will have to be 100 percent focused in our defensive strategy if we want to be competitive in the games."

The Blue Raiders are currently in 11th place in the league standings. They opened C-USA action with a win over UAB, but have since lost six of their last seven. Salera Jordan anchors the team with 15 points on seven goals and one assist.

UAB comes in tied for 13th with Southern Miss. The Blazers got off to a hot start with a victory over UTEP and a draw with FIU but are currently on a five-match losing skid. Jessica Do and Megan Hudgens lead the way with nine points apiece.

LA Tech is tied with MT, 1-1-1, in the all-time series and lead the series 2-0 versus UAB.

The senior ceremony will take place after the match on Friday night. All home games are free admission. For those unable to attend, the matches will be streamed live on CUSA.TV. Fans can also follow @LATechSOC on Twitter for live in-game updates.