The Nicholls State University women’s soccer team battled the Louisiana weather in a three-match week against Louisiana State University, University of Louisiana-Lafayette and University of Louisiana-Monroe.
After falling short to LSU on Tuesday and a postponed game against ULL Friday, the Colonels came out ready to win against ULM this past Sunday.
Tuesday, Sept. 2, the Colonels traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to face the LSU Tigers. The game began after a brief lightening delay and ended with a defeat of 3-0 by the Tigers. LSU started off the game strong with three goals in the first half and a defensive second half.
The Colonels struggled to comeback with three shots on goal and seven saves from sophomore goalie Taylor Mosely. During the game, two shots were made from the Colonels junior forward Spencer Valdespino (one on goal) and one each from both freshman midfielders Ainsley Pratt and Emily Werenskiold. The team looks forward to the chance to redeem themselves Tuesday.
“They are always a physical team, and since it was so early in the season, I don’t think we were ready for that kind of game. On the bright side, we only loss 3-0, so it wasn’t a real big blow out. It shows that we’ve grown as a team,” Valdespino said.
Excited for their first home game of the season, the Colonels prepared for a thrilling match against the ULL Ragin’ Cajuns Friday, Sept. 5. Unfortunately, the game was postponed due to weather conditions. The Colonels will play the Ragin’ Cajuns at a later date.
“I had never been more excited for a game. We wanted to play Saturday. We were so excited and ready to play,” Valdespino said.
The Nicholls State University Women’s soccer team played their first real home game of the season against the ULM Warhawks this past Sunday. With the weather on their side and the thought of playing on home turf, the Colonels had something to prove. They started off the game strong with a 4-1 lead in the first half and sealing the deal by winning with a score of 4-3. The Warhawks fought to the finish and scored two additional goals in the second half of the game, but they just could not outscore the Colonels by the final whistle.
Valdespino led the Colonels with two goals, and junior midfielder Jess Coates assisted on a goal from both Pratt and freshman midfielder Mie Elvestad.
“Our excitement from Friday just carried over to Sunday because we were ready to play. We consider them a small rival since it’s such a close distance. Last year, we went into overtime and won, so they really come out wanting the win as well,” Valdespino said.