Soccer wraps up conference home matches this weekend

As the first season under Head Coach Michael McBride winds down, Nicholls’ soccer is coming upon their last two home games.

The Colonels have an overall record of 3-2-1 at home this season, and will wrap up their home matches against Stephen F. Austin State University and Sam Houston State University.

“It’s exciting because we get to play on the actual home field again,” McBride said, referring to the fact that the soccer team had to play several of their games earlier in the season on their practice field.

The soccer team has had a record of 1-1 on their standard field since making the switch.

“We’re playing one of the best teams in the league for our first game this week. They’re flying away at the top of the league and are doing very well,” McBride said.

The next opponent for the Colonels is SFA, who currently sits at second place in the Southland Conference with an 8-3 record. Nicholls lost to the Lady Jacks last season with a score of 0-4.

Following their game this Friday against SFA, Nicholls will conclude their regular season games at home with a matchup against Sam Houston State. The Bearkats have an overall record of 2-11-1. Nicholls beat SHSU last year with a score of 2-0.

“If we can get everybody healthy again, we’ve got a good chance against most teams. If we bring our best, then I think we’ve got a great chance. Anything less than our best and it’ll be very difficult,” McBride said.

The Nicholls soccer team has three away games left this season, all of which come after their final two matches at home.

“It would have been nice to be able to finish out at home, but I think it reverses next year. At least then we’ll be able to play our last regular season game at home,” McBride said on finishing the season this year with a road trip. “Generally, with the distances we travel, we would stay at a hotel the day before [an away game], so fitting a practice in at the opposition’s field can be a challenge,” McBride said.

“I think that I’ve identified certain areas we can improve on, and certain types of players that would increase the team’s capabilities,” McBride said on elevating the team past their current level.

“We’re still in the very early stages of what we’ll be,” McBride said on his plans moving forward with the team after this season.

This has been McBride’s first season with the Colonels, and, after only a few months, he said that he has learned what direction to take the team in next season.
The Colonels are currently sitting with an overall record of 4-6-1, which is almost identical to the record they held at the same point last season. In 2015, the Colonels won three of their last four games against the same teams they will face at the end of this season. Nicholls is currently sitting at tenth place in the Southland Conference, trailing just a conference game behind the University of the Incarnate Word and McNeese.

The next home game for Nicholls starts at 4 p.m. against SFA this Friday, while their final home game of the season kicks off at 1 p.m. on Sunday against SHSU.