LAKE CHARLES – With the end of the regular season nearing closer each day, the McNeese women's soccer team looks to gain more ground in the race for the Southland Conference Tournament as the Cowgirls prepare to host Nicholls Friday evening in a battle set for 7 o'clock.
Friday's event will be a key matchup for both squads as the series has gone back and forth the past few seasons. The teams have split the last four matchups with Nicholls taking last season's game, 3-2, in Thibodaux.
McNeese (5-7, 1-4 SLC) has only six games left in the regular season and currently stands eighth in the Southland Conference standings, with the top six squads earning a ticket to the league tournament in November. Nicholls (4-5-1, 1-3-1 SLC) finds itself in the same boat as the Cowgirls, sitting just one spot out of the top six in the conference standings.
The Cowgirls look to get out of its league rut as they have won just one matchup out of the five it has played this season. McNeese has yet to win a conference game on the home pitch.
Junior
Savannah LaRicci continues to lead the Cowgirl squad with 16 points (six goals, four assists) on the year along with a team-high 37 shots.
Gabi D'Alesandro follows behind with eight points (two goals and four assists) while goalkeeper
Annie Bravenec had 40 saves on the year.
Nicholls has not had much success in SLC play on the road this season dropping matches to Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word. The Colonels only league victory so far came against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi last weekend.
Jess Coates leads the way offensively with eight goals and three assists on the season while seven total Colonels players have scored two or more goals. Roosa Hurmerinta has seen most of the time within the net this season and recorded 35 saves in the process. Nicholls has posted three shutouts on the year.
McNeese leads the overall series against Nicholls with a 21-4-2 mark in the series that dates back to 1998.
Cowgirl fans can follow all of the action Friday via "Live Stats" by logging on to the soccer schedule page on McNeeseSports.com. Live video will also be available for a fee for fans to watch by clicking on the "Live Video" link on the soccer schedule page.
Fans can also receive in-game updates by following @McNeeseSoccer on Twitter and by liking the McNeese Sports page on Facebook.
All home games are free of admission courtesy of the Lake Charles American Press.
