THIBODAUX – The McNeese women's soccer team (9-3-1, 5-1) took on the Nicholls Colonels (5-8, 2-4) on Friday afternoon, claiming victory in a 2-0 shutout at the Nicholls Soccer Complex in Thibodaux.
 
The Cowgirl offense has not lost a game this season in which they scored a goal, so when senior Savannah LaRicci netted her seventh of the season at the 40^th minute, it was sure to be a promising second half.
 
Emilee Mayes, a junior from Deer Park, Texas scored her second goal of the season, giving McNeese the insurance goal they were needing in the 58^th minute of play with the assist from LaRicci.
 
"Savannah set me up perfectly with a great through ball, right inside the eighteen, and I just took a touch, aimed near the post, and hit it," she said.
 
"Emilee Mayes scoring the 2^nd goal to give us some breathing room was huge. She's a player who has not received a ton of minutes up to this point, but she trains hard every day, is a great teammate and she really took advantage of the opportunity," head coach Drew Fitzgerald said.
 
The McNeese defense held Nicholls to only four shots, only the second time this season the Colonels have been held to such offensive lows.
 
For the Cowgirls, the offensive attack was deep. Sophomore midfielder, Rachel Palet, lead all players with four shots, but Palet was only one of 10 Cowgirls who took shots in Friday's contest.
 
"Nicholls plays hard and is difficult to break down, so despite feeling like we were in control, it never felt comfortable, but our defense did a good job at limited their opportunities," Fitzgerald said.
 
The McNeese defense was directed by the senior-freshman duo Nikki Schaaf and Emma Roccaforte. The two have worked together this season to give McNeese 10 shutouts, allowing an average of .38 goals per game- an unprecedented defensive threshold for opponents to overcome.
 
With Friday's performance in the books, McNeese is now 5-1 in the Southland Conference and undefeated on the road, against conference opponents.
 
From here, the Cowgirls will have an entire week to recover and prepare for next Friday's home match against Abilene Christian, game time is set for 7:00PM.
 
All home matches are free admission courtesy of The American Press and are live streamed at McNeeseSports.com/watch. Live stats are also available through the website for fans, who are encouraged to follow the Cowgirls on Twitter at @McNeeseSoccer for live game updates and all things Cowgirl soccer.