After pulling a 1-1 rain shortened draw in their exhibition game against Mississippi State, the Lady Colonels soccer team returned home to open the 2007 season in a three game home stretch in which they finished .500. Head coach Cindy Piper said she was pleased with the team’s performance over the weekend but realized that three games so close together took a toll on the team.
“The team has really played competitively since opening the season; however, having three games so close together is playing three games so close together is hard on the players,” Piper said. “The second half effort from our girls in the Jackson State game was phenomenal and they showed a lot of heart and pride to finish.”
The first match against the Troy State University was slated for 4 p.m. Friday but a 90 minute rain delay and bad field conditions caused the referees to postpone the match until 10 a.m. Saturday.
Troy State finished their 2006 season 2-15-1 and returned three starters for the 2007 season.
Neither team was able to hit the net for a goal during the first 45 minutes of play. The Trojans found the net in the 68th minute of play taking the lead 1-0.
The Lady Colonels rallied late and Alicia Gautreau, the Lady Colonels leading scorer from the 2006 season, scored an unassisted goal in the last ten minutes of regulation tying the game 1-1.
The tie resulted in two overtimes for the Trojans and the Lady Colonels. Each team’s defense fought hard until Trojan forward Elena Gaudin slipped past a Nicholls defender to score a goal in the second overtime that resulted in the 2-1 loss for the Lady Colonels.
The Lady Colonels first win of the 2007 season came against the Southern University Jaguars in a shutout 1-0 victory on Sunday.
The sole goal was a corner kick from sophomore midfielder Michelle Branscome and off the head of true freshman forward Kaity Mattssonn.
The Lady Colonels finished the home game stretch with a 2-2 double overtime tie against Jackson State University Tigers Tuesday.
Nicholls took the lead early but let Jackson State score back-to-back goals in regulation.
The Lady Colonels rallied back and tied the game 2-2. Both teams failed to score in overtime.
