Box Score NATCHITOCHES – Annika Shcmidt's hat trick led Louisiana-Lafayette to a 5-0 victory over the Northwestern State women's soccer team Sunday afternoon in non-conference action.
 
Carly Ellender (1) and Ashley Gussoni (1) also scored for the Ragin' Cajuns (1-2-2) who gave the Lady Demons (0-4-0) their third shutout this season.
 
Schmidt (2, 3, 4) scored the match's first goal in the 16^th minute on a give-and-go from Shelby Isley. The game was pushed to 2-0 on the goal from Carly Ellender on a cross from MacKenzie Higgnins.
 
"We did a much better job of keeping the ball the first half then we have before, however, we still gave up two goals in the first half," said head coach George Van Linder.  "For the second half, we decided to change tactics completely and go for it."
 
NSU kept up pace with Louisiana in the second half in shots taken (11-10) and had four corner kicks while the Cajuns had none.
 
"We had more shots and more corner kicks the second half, but we still were porous in the back," said Van Linder. "As the head coach I have to accept the responsibility for this decision, the players gave everything they could.  I took the gamble and it failed."
 
Schmidt scored her second and third goals of the game in the 59th and 62nd minutes, respectively.  Her second goal was on a one-timer from Yazmin Montoya, and her third was unassisted.
 
Gussoni scored the fifth and final goal of the game on her own rebound in the 75^th minute.  
 
Shelby Balmer led the Lady Demons with four shots, two on-goal, and Chandler Mason followed that with two, one on-goal.  Jackie Strug, Brooke Eastburg, Johanna Sigvardsson, Chelsea Schaefer, Louise Enberg, Nikki Saunders, and Jade Theriot also added shots in the match.
 
Jessica Danku (0-3-0) played the entire match between the pipes, and allowed five goals and had five saves.
 
The Lady Demons wrap-up their five game road stint next weekend with trips to Jackson State and Louisiana-Monroe.  Northwestern State returns home on Sept. 15 to face Prairie View A&M in the Lady Demon Soccer Complex.