LAKE CHARLES – After facing a 1-0 deficit at the beginning of the match, sophomore Savannah LaRicci led an offensive explosion as she and the McNeese women's soccer team emerged with a 3-2 thrilling victory over Nicholls in a back-and-forth affair on Friday at Cowgirl Field.
 
With the match winding down and overtime play looking inevitable, LaRicci, who had a career night with two goals and an assist, dug down deep and laced up her cleats one more time and took the charge with a Haley Lyons pass and sent it sailing past the goalkeeper to break the tie and give the Cowgirls a 3-2 conference opening victory.
 
"This victory is a big confidence booster for our team," said LaRicci. "Last year we started out our league schedule with a loss to Nicholls so to be able to come back and overcome some obstacles is very encouraging for us."
 
The Cowgirls (3-4-1) open their conference slate with a win over a league foe for the first time since the 2012 season and are currently on a three game unbeaten streak for the first time since the beginning of last season.
 
"This was a very deserving win for our team tonight," said head coach Scooter Savoie. "It is important to get off to a good start in conference and it's especially important to win your home games because it can give you the momentum you need when you travel the next day."
 
The Cowgirls found themselves in a 1-0 deficit right off the bat as Nicholls' (4-4) Spencer Valdespino snuck a shot from the right side of the pitch past the keeper in the 3^rd minute to give the Colonels the early advantage.
 
Refusing to go down without a fight, McNeese set the tone with a goal of its own just one minute later as senior Krista Steinbeiser kicked in a shot off of a cross from LaRicci to knot the game up at one goal a piece. Steinbeiser's goal was her second on the season while LaRicci was credited with the assist on the play.
 
"We missed a runner and they got through to score the first goal but we immediately calmed down and went back to playing our style," said Savoie. "Not being rattled was big for us as we were able to pressure them and be able to score the goal."
 
Both teams remained tied coming out of halftime but LaRicci wasted no time and took advantage of a golden opportunity in the 49^th minute as she made her way towards the middle of the field and rocketed her second goal of the season past the keeper to give the Cowgirls a 2-1 lead.
 
As the match progressed, business picked up with the Colonels using a Valdespino goal in the 52^nd minute to again tie the score between both teams 2-2 before bowing down to the Cowgirls in the end.
 
LaRicci led McNeese with five shots on the night while five others recorded two or more shots. In total, 10 Cowgirls logged a shot in the match.

Junior goalkeeper Maggie Marks picked up the victory after facing just three shots and recording one save.
 
The Cowgirls seized control of the entire match leading Nicholls in shots 21-8 and in shots on goal 11-3. Both teams were tied with three corners apiece.
 
McNeese will now turn its attention to Sunday's showdown against defending SLC tournament champion Southeastern Louisiana as the match is set to kick off at 1 p.m. in Hammond.