The Lady Colonels soccer team opens its new season with a new coach and new mentality. After winning their first two games last season, the Colonels lost their last 16 games.

With the addition of new coach, Dylan Harrison, the Colonels hope to rebound and surprise their opponents.

“We’ve been saying it all summer,” Harrison said. “We need to try to change the mentality of the program. That’s not something that happens over night.”

The Colonels only have to look as far as the preseason conference rankings for motivation. They are ranked last of ten teams in the Southland Conference.

The Colonels return their top scorer in Kaity Mattsson who led the team with 16 points, eight goals, and 30 shots.

“It’s going great and I’m very excited,” Mattsson said. “I think we’ll come together and put together more goals.”

As a freshman, Mattsson started 13 of the Colonels’ 18 games and last year had a three-game scoring streak with goals against Northwestern State, McNeese State, and Lamar.

Nicholls ended last season with a record of 2-16, going 0-9 in conference play.

Mattsson knows Harrison is counting on her to turn things around for the Colonels.

“Coach Harrison is very passionate and brings different styles to the table,” Mattsson said.

Britni Crone is one of four freshmen Harrison is counting on to step up.

“I’m very excited for this year because of the new coach,” Crone said. “I think we’ll win many games in conference and do well in the playoffs.”

With only four wins in two years, The Colonels find themselves as the underdogs. Crone likes the challenge and feels the stats are of unimportant.

“I think that’s the past and the team’s a lot better,” Crone said. “I’m not worried about the underdog role and I think we’ll change that role this year.

The Colonels kick off the season with three of their first four games at home looking to get on the right track. The Colonels begin against Southern miss on August 23 with kickoff at 3:00 p.m.