CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Heading into perhaps the most crucial weekend of the season, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's soccer team ventures out on the road for a pair of games. The Islanders (2-13, 2-6) visit Lamar on Friday at 7 p.m., before crossing state lines to face McNeese on Sunday for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
Lamar (1-12-3, 0-5-3) will stream the game for free, while McNeese (7-8, 3-5) will have a $6.95 fee to view the match.
A&M-Corpus Christi is looking to build off a split performance against two teams at the top of the Southland Conference table last weekend. The Islanders topped Northwestern State 1-0 on Friday night, before dropping a Sunday contest 6-2 to league leaders Central Arkansas.
Yvette Franco led the way in scoring on the weekend with her second and third goals of the year.
The results left the Islanders in ninth place of eligible teams to reach the Southland Conference Tournament. Four points separates fourth through ninth in the conference standings, with the top six qualifying for the postseason.
SERIES HISTORY
• The Islanders hold a winning record against both teams this weekend, due in large part to a weekend sweep at the Dugan Soccer Stadium last year. In both rivalries, each team has held serve at home in the first three meetings, a trend the Blue and Green aim to disrupt this weekend.
• A&M-Corpus Christi took a 2-1 series lead over Lamar during the 2015 campaign with a come-from-behind victory. After falling behind 1-0 in the first half, senior
Jessica Berdan leveled the match in the 54th minute, before Nanna Poulsen bagged the game-winner in the 89th minute on a corner kick. The Islanders are riding a two-game winning streak against Lamar into the weekend.
• In the 2015 match with the Cowgirls, Berdan gave the Islanders a 1-0 victory on Senior Day after a great run of play by then-juniors
Emma Biba and
Audrey Kuhl. The win gave the Blue and Green a 2-1 record against McNeese.
• The Islanders recorded their first Southland Conference victory in program history against McNeese in 2013 with 1-0 result at the Jack.
LAST MATCHES
• A&M-Corpus Christi honored the eight senior members of the 2016 squad in a pregame ceremony last Friday night before the match against Northwestern State.
• The celebration energy spilled over into the match, as
Yvette Franco unleashed a dipping effort that found the back of the net in the sixth minute. After that, the defense, anchored by seniors
Audrey Kuhl,
Mariah Olivé and
Kallyn Redona, and goalkeeper
Jordan Wainwright posted the first shutout of the season for a 1-0 victory.
• On Sunday, a fast start by Central Arkansas put the Islanders on the back foot early. Despite Franco's third consecutive game with a goal and
Kallyn Redona's first score of the year, the Blue and Green fell 6-2.
FRANCO STRIKES THRICE
•
Yvette Franco entered the 2016 campaign as the program's leader in goals, assists, points, shots and shots on goal.
• After being held off the scoresheet for the first 12 games of the year, Franco has notched a trio of goals, including a pair of game-winning efforts against NSU (Oct. 14) and Incarnate Word (Oct. 7).
BACK-TO-BACK WINS
• The two-game winning streak the Islanders took into the UCA match was the fourth multi-win streak in program history.
• The program record for wins in a row is three, which came in 2015 with victories at UCA (Oct. 18) and at home against Lamar (Oct. 23) and McNeese (Oct. 25).
Multi-Win Streaks:
2 - Oct. 12, 2014, vs. Lamar, 4-0 - Oct. 17, 2014, vs. Abilene Christian, 2-1
2 - Oct. 4, 2015, vs. Southeastern La., 2-1 - Oct. 9, 2015, vs. Incarnate Word, 1-0
3 - Oct. 18, 2015, at Central Arkansas, 2-1 - Oct. 23, 2015, vs. Lamar, 2-1 - Oct. 25, 2015, vs. McNeese, 1-0
2 - Oct. 7, 2016, at Incarnate Word, 2-1(OT) - Oct. 14, 2016, vs. Northwestern State, 1-0
COMING OFF A WIN
• In the three years of Islanders Soccer, the Blue and Green is 5-8 in matches following a victory.
• A&M-Corpus Christi was 2-1 in games following a victory during the 2015 season.
STAY SOCIAL
For more information on Islanders women's soccer, follow the team on Twitter (@IslandersSoccer), Instagram (@IslandersSoccer) and like their Facebook page (Islanders Soccer).
- Go Islanders -
