RUSTON – The Bulldogs (1-7-1) fell to the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (2-4-1), 1-0, in a tightly contested contest at the Mack Thursday night.
 
LA Tech and SFA were both evenly matched throughout a vast majority of the evening, with the Bulldogs showing the slight edge on possession in their attacking third. Forward Ashley Leonhart led the home team with five shots taken putting two on target in all but six minutes of the match.
 
The German transfer created several opportunities, including a header that missed just inches to the left of the frame.  
 
Tech took 15 shots on the night for the second-most they've taken this season and marked double-digit attempts for the first time since facing UL-Lafayette on August 21. Maeva Costenaro took three shots, two of which missed off the top crossbar and just narrowly outside of the goal on the left side of the box.
 
Once the match was through a clean 70 minutes, the Lumberjacks drove down the field to their attacking box and fired a cross in that found a header to the top left corner of the net for the lone score of the match.
 
Freshman keeper Ansley Ittel made her first collegiate start in frame, collecting six saves on 19 shots faced.
 
Head Coach Steve Voltz following Thursday's match:
"It's extremely frustrating that we have not been able to score a goal. If we were a bad side and not playing good soccer, then I would understand—we haven't earned it. But at the end of the day, tonight we dominated possession and we dominated good stretches of the game. We had the game in their half quite a bit. Had about four high-quality opportunities to put it away, and now we have to show up again tomorrow in training and continue to work. The way we're playing, we're super happy. I think we had at one point seven freshmen on the field, super happy with how they're performing. Ansley did a great job in her first college start today. It is just one of those things right now—it's going to take, probably, a really ugly goal of some sort for us to break through. Once that happens, I believe in our group and how they're playing, how they're competing. There's nothing wrong with the way we're competing and working during the game, it's purely now the final product is holding us back."

SUPPORT LA TECH ATHLETICS
Championships require championship resources.  Fans can make a direct impact on the success of LA Tech Athletics through LTAC, Aillet Society, T-Club, and Young Alumni program as well as the CHAMP fund, a revenue-sharing initiative designed to directly support LA Tech Athletics through NIL and marketing opportunities for Bulldog and Lady Techster student-athletes.  Visit BuildTheLegacy.com today.
 
BARK LOUDER
Our mission is to engage, develop, and advance the Louisiana Tech Athletics brand.  You can do that by spending time consuming our content and by investing your talents.  By barking louder with your time and talent, you can affect progress and brand advancement in a meaningful way.  Visit LATechSports.com/BarkLouder today.  You bark.  We bark.  Louder together.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest in Bulldog Soccer, follow us on X (@LATechSOC), Instagram (@LATechSoccer), and Facebook (LATechSoccer).