LAKE CHARLES – When the preseason polls were released in August, no one gave the McNeese women's soccer team a fighting chance, picking the Cowgirls to finish almost dead last in the league. However, hard work and determination played a big role in the team' success during conference play and now McNeese will step onto the pitch at the Lamar Soccer Complex in Beaumont, Texas as one of the top seeds in this year's Southland Conference Tournament.
 
McNeese (8-9-1, 6-5 SLC) will look to prove everyone wrong once again when it begins its quest for a championship when it takes on Nicholls (9-9, 5-6 SLC) in the first round on Thursday at 7 p.m. The Cowgirls will enter the tournament as the fourth seed while the Colonels are seeded fifth.
 
"I feel like we are playing with good momentum and a lot of confidence as we head into postseason play," said McNeese head coach Scooter Savoie. "Looking at the way the results have played out throughout the year, I believe that the tournament is anyone's to win this season."
 
The winner of Thursday's match will advance to the semi-finals on Friday at 7 p.m. against the No. 1 seeded Stephen F. Austin.
 
The match will mark only the second time the two programs have met in the conference tournament with McNeese scoring a 4-0 victory in 1998. The Cowgirls scored a 3-2 win over Nicholls earlier this season in Lake Charles.
 
McNeese will ride a wave of momentum into Beaumont for this year's tournament after posting a victory in four of their last five matches along with a fourth place finish in the regular season standings. With a 6-5 mark and 18 points in conference play, the Cowgirls posted their best conference record since the 2008 season.
 
"We have played well down the home stretch in terms of finding ways to win," said Savoie. "I think that as long as we continue to do those things then we will have a shot at making a run in the tournament and into the finals as well."
 
All-Southland Conference selection Savannah LaRicci will lead the charge for the McNeese frontline on Thursday. LaRicci leads in all three scoring categories – goals (6), assists (3) and points (15). She stands among the Southland Conference leaders as well. Her 15 points ranks ninth in the league while her total shots (52) ranks fourth.
 
Senior Haley Lyons, an All-Southland Conference selection, has anchored a Cowgirl defense that has recorded six shutouts and limited the top three scoring teams in conference to just four total goals. She has started all 18 games for McNeese this season and ranks second on the squad in minutes played with 1,633.
 
Each tournament game will be available via live stream on the Southland Conference Digital Network, available at Southland.org and on the league's iPhone and Android mobile and tablet apps. Brian Daughdril will handle play-by-play duties for the first round and semifinal matches. The championship match will be carried exclusively on ESPN3 with Lincoln Rose on play-by-play and two-time first-team all-Southland selection Laura Sadler on color. ESPN3 is available via WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app.
 
In addition, fans can also get in-game updates as well as behind the scenes coverage of the Cowgirls by following @McNeeseSoccer on Twitter and by liking the McNeese Sports page on Facebook.
 
Tickets for the Southland Conference can be purchased through the Lamar ticket office. Single session tickets on Thursday and Friday are available for $10. Two-day, two-session tickets are $15. Tickets for the Sunday's championship are available for $8. Children under the age of 5 and students at Southland Conference institutions are free with a valid ID.