The Nicholls State University Soccer team starts off the conference season with high hopes against McNeese State University and Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi after a 4-0 shutout against Alcorn State University this past weekend.

This past Friday, the Colonels traveled to Lorman, Mississippi to play the ASU Braves, who now have a record of 0-2. The win came as no surprise to the ladies since the last two years the Colonels have won 4-1 in 2012 and 6-0 in 2013.

The team set the tone of the game early with a 2-0 lead in the first half, with goals from junior forward, Spencer Valdespino, with an assist from senior midfielder, Misty Tatom, and another goal from senior midfielder, Lauren O’Brien. The second half continued just as strong with the final two goals scored from sophomore forward, Shelby Smith, with an assist from senior midfielder/defender, Missy McGuire, and another from sophomore defender/midfielder, Bethany Hollier. Braves Goalie, Meagan Aria, ended the game with five saves and four goals allowed.

“We’re hitting all of the notes that we want to hit, and although wins and losses play into it, we’re not starting out with our record as clean as it was last year, but our success is only just a little bit dictated by how many wins we get. We’re hitting the notches that we want to hit, and so far, it’s been really good. I think we’re all pretty pleased with how well we’ve all come together as a team, and I think everyone is really doing their part and stepping up,” freshman, Ainsley Pratt, said.

Nicholls State University, now 4-3 in record, has had fifteen different players score a goal in the last seven games. The teamwork and determination should continue into the first two conference games this weekend as they travel to Lake Charles, Louisiana to play the Mississippi State University Cowboys Friday and come back home to play the Texas A & M Islanders Sunday. The Cowboys will come into the game with a record of 2-4, with a 3-0 loss to Nicholls last year. The Islanders currently have a record of 1-2 with a loss to the Colonels of 2-1 in 2013.

“We knew coming in that we had really high expectations, and the team needed us to perform so we could have similar outcomes and to keep moving forward. We had to make a name for ourselves. We knew coming in it was going to be pretty difficult to live up to expectations, but I think all of us adjusted really well. The team has been super supportive of getting us transitioned in. We do have three freshman starters: myself, our center defender, Katherine Kelly, and one of our outside midfielders, Emily Werenskiold. We know what our job is and we’ve all succeeded in fulfilling those expectations,” Pratt said.

The Nicholls State University women’s soccer team will kick off their first conference game of the season this Friday against McNeese, followed by a match against Texas A & M-Corpus Christi Sunday.