JACKSONVILLE – Sophomore Laleh Lonteen provided the offense and Jacksonville State put together a solid performance in a 1-0 exhibition win over Chattanooga on Friday night at the JSU Soccer Complex.

Lonteen, from Prosper, Texas drilled a shot to the left corner pocket of the goal into the back of the net in the second of three 30-minute sessions between the two sides. Jax State finished with 10 shots on the night, while the Mocs were plus-one in the same category.
Head coach Neil Macdonald was very pleased with the effort by his squad that has a plethora of new faces and a core veteran group.

"It was an excellent team performance and we were very committed to a relentless press at times and plus we got a lot of players in the game with our rotations and that is very encouraging," said head coach Neil Macdonald.
The JSU staff was able to evaluate most of the squad that was available for the match in game situations.

"It looks like we have some real string depth as well. Overall, it was excellent and the first 30 minutes was as good as I have seen us play in a long time and obviously as the game went on we got tired, but we dug in when we needed to," mentioned Macdonald.
Macdonald highlighted the scoring play of Lonteen as she finished with the game-winning goal.

"She has great technique and she is one of those players that is confident and plays with an attitude," added Macdonald. "She showed tonight what she is capable o and she is one that we will be looking to get an awful lot from this season."

JSU played a pair of goalkeepers against UTC as senior Morgan Lerch and freshman Bailey Dean combined to keep the Mocs off the scoreboard.

"I think it is going to be a real interesting battle with those two and both played very well tonight. I thought our backline was excellent," Macdonald added.

The Gamecocks will now focus on the opening weekend of the season that begins on Thursday, August 18 against in-state rival Samford. The first weekend of the season also features a contes with the Jaguars of South Alabama on Sunday, August 21. Both matches at the JSU Soccer Complex are free admission. Thursday's season-opening test is set for 7 p.m., followed by Sunday's 12 p.m. matinee match. The two matches will also be streamed on ESPN+.

"I just told them that I am proud of them, but we have to get back to the drawing board and get back to work because we are opening up with probably the toughest two games that we could possibly asked for with Samford and South Alabama. We have a challenge ahead and we will embrace them," continued Macdonald.

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