Islanders Look to Extend Winning Streak at SHSU

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Striding toward their most successful season in program history, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi looks to extend its longest unbeaten streak in program history, at Sam Houston State this Friday at 6:30 p.m. This weekend's storyline describes that of an unstoppable force facing an immovable object, as the Bearkats' potent offense faces a Corpus Christi defense that has been all but unsolvable as of late. 

The Blue and Green is on its longest shutout streak in history, keeping opponents scoreless for its last 311 consecutive minutes. The side's .95 goals against for the season ranks third in the Southland, and drops to an unreal .47 when excluding its 4-0 loss to Rice to start the year. Sam Houston State meanwhile, has scored an impressive 17 goals in 2017, with its average of 2.43 per match ranking 22nd in D-I Women's Soccer.

The Islanders previous week of success was awarded with Southland honors, as Megan Dodd earned the program's first Defensive Player of the Week honor while Abbie Flax took home Goalkeeper of the Week. The pair's selections marks the first time two Islanders have ever earned a weekly conference honor in the same term.

SERIES HISTORY

• Sam Houston State leads the all time series between the Islanders and Bearkats 4-0, outscoring the Blue and Green 8-2 in that span
• Current Islander Chayse Bauer is one of just two Islanders to score against SHSU, with a 48th minute tally against the Bearkats the previous season
• Brooke Erdmann and Kaitlyn Joy are the only players on Corpus Christi's roster to have recorded a start against the Bearkats, and earned a starting nod in the current season as well
• Erdmann, Joy, Bauer and Shayla Spearman all recorded a shot on goal against Sam Houston State last year
• Five players that started for the Bearkats in last season's matchup remain in the SHSU lineup, with another seven seeing playing time in that contest

THE ISLANDERS

• Texas A&M-Corpus Christi has produced its longest unbeaten streak in program history, having gone 3-0-1 over the previous four contests
• The Islanders have recorded three consecutive shutouts for the first time in program history, shutting out UTRGV, Incarnate Word and PVAMU. The Blue and Green have not been scored on for a record 311 minutes
• For the first time in the history of the Southland, two Texas A&M-Corpus Christi players earned weekly conference honors, with freshman Megan Dodd earning Defensive Player of the Week and Abbie Flax grabbing Goalkeeper of the Week
• Flax' designation comes after posting two straight clean sheets, becoming the third keeper in Islander history to receive the award
• Dodd's honor is the first defensive recognition in Islander history, as the freshman scored her first career goal against PVAMU this past Sunday
• The Blue and Green held the Panthers to season-lows in both shots (4) and shots on goals (1)
• Corpus Christi broke the previous season-best they had set on Friday at UIW with 21 shots and 12 shots on goal against PVAMU. The Islanders took 13 shots in the first half alone, setting a match-high for the season in the opening 45 minutes
• Flax' second clean sheet of the season puts her in a tie for second in career shutouts. No Islander keeper has ever posted three consecutive scoreless outings
• The Islanders are off to their best start in program history (4-2-1) and sit just a single win away from tying a season-best all time
• Freshman Addison Urbanus recorded the first goal of her career against UIW, while fellow first-year Emily Keoughan gathered her first assist of the year on the same goal
• Katie Lawrence moved into a team lead with her second goal of the year, scoring the Blue and Green's first PK of the season at UIW
• Lawrence's game winner against the Cardinals is the second of her career and puts her in a tie with Brooke Erdmann for the second-most in program history. She is just two GWG away from tying the top mark in Division I women's soccer
• With its 3-0 victory at PVAMU, Corpus Christi is now 6-1-1 when scoring two or more goals over the past two seasons
• Kaitlyn Joy currently leads the Blue and Green with 11 shots and is tied for first on her team with four points
• Head Coach Craig Shaw has started seven freshmen in his last two starting lineups, with Celia Hilsabeck and Urbanus both grabbing their first career starts over the weekend
• The Blue and Green is 7-5-2 over its past 14 outings, and 6-4-2 when counting just regular season contests

SCOUTING THE BEARKATS

• Sam Houston State enters this weekend coming off a 2-1 loss to Central Arkansas. This puts the Bearkats at 0-1 in the Southland this season, the second year in a row they've lost their conference opener to the Bears
• SHSU's 2.43 goals per match ranks second in the Southland, and sits 22nd in all of Division I women's soccer. Four Bearkats have registered multiple tallies this year, led by Carota Suarez Crespo and Beryl Smith at four apiece
• Crespo and Smith are responsible for 23 of the Bearkats' 54 shots on goal (43%), with the latter shooting at a clip of .250. The pair's four goals and .57 goals per match both tie for a lead in the Southland Conference this season
• Despite not receiving a start yet in 2017, forward Lexi Bullard has accrued a team-best three assists on the year. Her .500 assists per match played currently ranks 48th on the national stage
• The Bearkats' heavy offensive attack has forced 39 corners over the year, at a Southland best 5.57 per match. SHSU has surrendered just 17 corners all season, but foul an average of 12 times per contest
• Christina Hendershot has started six of Sam Houston's seven matches over the course of the season, posting a record of 2-4-0. She's averaged 2.67 goals per match and a .652 save percentage
• For as many goals they've scored this season, the Bearkats have equally allowed 17 into their own net. The team's impressive 107 attempts on net is neutered by the 105 its allowed from opponents.
• Sam Houston State is near dead last in Division I women's soccer with 2.43 goals allowed. Jackson State is the only team not to score on the side this year, with three opponents tallying three or more in a single match.

Islanders fans can catch all of this week's action against SHSU on the BearkatSportsNetwork on YouTube, or follow along with live stats. Upon conclusion of Friday's contest, the Blue and Green will continue its route along the Southland Conference to Stephen F. Austin, with a 1 p.m. Sunday kickoff.

STAY SOCIAL
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