NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Northwestern State bench erupted Friday as senior Payton Roney curved a corner kick into the net in what looked like a tying goal in the middle of the second half.
But officials waived off the goal, explaining that an NSU player grabbed Stephen F. Austin goalkeeper Allyson Smith's arm.
The Ladyjacks scored an insurance goal on the ensuing possession to hand the Lady Demons a 2-0 loss to open Southland Conference play.
NSU coach George Van Linder said several momentum-changing sequences took place throughout the game, but the Lady Demons (4-4, 0-1 SLC) couldn't convert its chances.
"It definitely hurt us in terms of momentum, but I'm proud of the team in terms of fight and effort," Van Linder said. "We're all a little bit disappointed that we didn't execute the game plan as good as we would have liked.
"We had a couple of chances. The defense did well, but we had a couple of breakdowns. That makes a difference in Southland Conference games, and the players know that."
Senior goalkeeper Alex Latham made a career-high 14 saves as the Ladyjacks compiled 25 shots.
The NSU defense withstood most of what SFA had to offer, including Latham making several diving saves.
But SFA scored a crafty first goal in the 54th minute when Lauren Hall, standing in front of the goal, deflected Hanna Barker's pass into the net for a 1-0 lead.
After Roney's near goal, Barker charged down the field and scored a short goal on a Breanna Moore assist in the 70th minute.
The Lady Demons had two tough misses in the first half on their only two shots of the period. NSU had nine shots overall.
April Trowbridge took a shot in the ninth minute from inside the box that hit at the opposite corner of the post and crossbar.
Roney's shot from the center missed just high on a header pass from Brittany Caserma.
NSU returns to action Friday when McNeese visits Natchitoches in a rematch of the SLC Tournament quarterfinals game that McNeese won in overtime.
"It's so early in the conference season, and who knows, this is what could be a prelude to a championship," Van Linder said. "We battled, we had some good chances.
"If we can clean up some areas, we'll be fine. It's disappointing to start conference season with a loss against a big rival."
