LAKE CHARLES – The McNeese soccer team's five-game unbeaten streak came to an end Friday evening with a tough, hard-fought 2-0 loss at North Texas.

The Cowgirls came into the game with their best start in school history before suffering its first loss of the year Friday, and is now 5-2-0 on the year. North Texas, who is regionally ranked, improved to 5-2-0 overall, and is now on a three-match unbeaten streak. Friday was the third meeting between the two schools with the Mean Green taking a 3-0 series advantage.

"We came out on the short end of the scoreboard tonight but all in all we were impressed with how our team played," said head coach Scooter Savoie.  "We had an idea on how we wanted to attack the game and I think our players did a really good job of executing the game plan. 

Cowgirl goalkeepers Maggie Marks and Lauren Sestak kept McNeese in the match, facing six on goal shots with four saves combined. North Texas' Haley Riley earned the shutout, getting help from her defense, which allowed only two on goal shots from the Cowgirls. 
 
Krista Steinbeiser led McNeese with two shots on the night while five other Cowgirls each recorded a shot.
 
The Mean Green wasted no time in getting on the board in the first half when Shelly Holt scored the winning goal in 16^th minute of the match.  Holt's goal sailed over Marks and clipped the back post to go in.
 
North Texas tacked on another goal just before halftime when Allison Harper netted the goal off of a cross from Lynda Hercules that squeaked past the McNeese defense.  The Mean Green would enjoy a 2-0 lead at halftime.
 
It was a physical match, with 10 fouls called in the first half including three on the Cowgirls. A total of 22 fouls were whistled in the match with a total of 10 on McNeese.

Like the first half, the Cowgirls were on defense for the majority of the second stanza. The physicality continued in the second half, with sophomore Sarah Bricker drawing a yellow card in the 85th minute.
 
Despite 12 shots that were taken by North Texas in the second half, the McNeese defense allowed no goals to score.  Sestak started the second half and finished with two saves.
 
"I think our players did a really good job creating opportunities and really stepped up physically in the second half," said Savoie.  "I thought all throughout the game their concentration was really good.  They met North Texas on the field in a lot of ways and learned how to play well together and attack the game.  We will continue to get better."

The Cowgirls finished with seven total shots on the night, two shots that were on goal.  McNeese also led the Mean Green in corners, 3-1.
 
The Cowgirls will travel to Waco, Texas to take on one of their toughest opponents of the season in No. 7 Baylor on Sunday.  The match is slated for a 1 p.m. start.
 
McNeese fans can follow Sunday's match through at McNeeseSports.com and clicking on live stats on the Soccer schedule and can also follow @McNeeseWSoccer on Twitter for live in-game updates.