Lady Tigers shut out Prairie View A&M, claim No. 2 seed in SWAC tourney

HOUSTON – Texas Southern's soccer team conHcluded its regular season Friday with a 2-0 victory over visiting Prairie View A&M to highlight the Lady Tigers' Senior Night festivities.
 
Paige Hayward scored both goals of the match as the Lady Tigers (10-6-1) claimed the No. 2 berth into next week's Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament with an 8-1-1 league record.
 
The goals from Hayward were her 11th and 12th of the season, which topped the TSU's previous season record of 10, set last by Marlyn Campa. Texas Southern also added to its record-setting win total, with the Lady Tigers reaching 10 wins for the first time in the history of the soccer program.
 
Hayward gave the Lady Tigers a lead during the ninth minute when she caught a through pass from Kaylah Valdry on the run, defeated a defender, then fired a strike into the top-left corner of the goal. Hayward added a penalty kick goal in the 59th minute.
 
Alexis Robles picked up her fifth shutout of the season for the Lady Tigers. She was helped by the defensive efforts of Makayla Johnson, Bailey Blalock, Briana Norwood, and Christina Vital. The Lady Tigers stifled PVAMU's scoring chances, outshooting the visiting Lady Panthers 21-7. Robles was asked to make only two saves.
 
The loss dropped PVAMU (3-12-1) to 3-5-1 in SWAC play, which puts the Lady Panthers in seventh place. This will likely set up a rematch of the SWAC's Lone Star derby in the opening round of the conference tournament, which will be hosted by Prairie View A&M.