Colonel soccer earns first two wins of the season

The Nicholls State University soccer team started off their six-game road trip with
success, earning a victory in both matches this weekend. On Friday, they defeated Grambling
State University with a score of 1-0 and on Sunday, they beat Jackson State University with a
score of 3-0. With these victories, the Colonels moved to 2-2 on the season.

The Colonels had seen an irregularly long time between games, with last week’s game
against Prairie View A&M being cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey. Unplanned time off between games often affects teams negatively, leading to disorganization and poor play.

The Colonels prepared accordingly and were rewarded as they won their first game of the
season on Friday vs. Grambling State. They improved to 1-2 on the season. Forward Kristy
Champagne scored her first goal of the season and what would prove to be the only goal of the
game with a 59th minute strike. The Colonels played strong defense from start to finish, allowing
only one shot on goal, which was saved by goalkeeper Roosa Hurmerinta.

Nicholls was in total control for most of the first half, taking seven shots compared to
zero by Grambling State. The Colonels finished the game with a nine to six shot advantage and a
two to one shot on goal advantage.

In Sunday’s game, Colonels soccer earned their second win of the season with a 3-0
victory against Jackson State. Sophomore forward Kristy Helmers scored the first goal in the
14th minute. At the beginning of the second half, junior midfielder Haylee Atwell netted the
second goal in the 46th minute. Fellow midfielder Emily Werenskiold scored the third and final goal with a 73rd minute strike. Goalkeeper Roosa Hurmerinta completed her second straight game in a row without allowing a goal.

The soccer team will continue their road trip next week with games at Alcorn State
University on Friday and at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette on Sunday.