LAFAYETTE – After a long first 45, the Cowgirls kicked it into high gear after halftime, sending two goals into the net at the 55^th and 66^th minute of the match, resulting in a 2-0 victory over the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns. Both goals came from freshman forward Havana Johnson with the assists coming from senior defender Gabi D'Alesandro and junior midfielder Nola Prickett. This is Johnson's second and third goal on the season.
 
Johnson's first goal of the game came from a throw in from D'Alesandro, Johnson took the ball down the wing and sent it passed Cajun goalkeeper Haley Boroch.
 
The freshman forward's second goal came from another throw in, this one coming from Nola Prickett around midfield, again, Johnson used her speed to advance passed the Ragin Cajun defenders and send another ball into the net to give the Cowgirls the lead they needed to capture the victory. "I was able to settle in once we began the second half and my teammates were able to transfer the ball from behind the line while I was making runs," Johnson says.
 
The win improved McNeese to 2-1 overall while the loss dropped Louisiana to 0-3 on the year. The goal was Havana's third during the regular season, "It's exciting being a new player with the team and to be able to find the net two games in a row," Johnson exclaims. With the victory, the Cowgirls-Cajuns series now sits at 3-8-3.

"Its good for our team to get a win against an opponent we've struggled with. They players really believe in each other and its just fun to see that belief growing every week" Second year head coach Drew Fitzgerald said. "Today we took fewer bad shots and Havana did an exceptional job at making the most of her chances."

The Cowgirls and Cajuns matched up fairly well, with McNeese post 12 shots and the Ragin' Cajuns posting 13 of their own, this would be the first time this season McNeese did not outshoot their opponents. Freshman goalkeeper Emma Roccaforte managed four saves and her second shutout of the season. Louisiana was given six opportunities from corner kicks but each time the McNeese defense stepped up and was able to protect the house once more. "Its just really exciting to be able to come in as a freshman and to have earned the trust of the backline," Roccaforte comments. "We've bonded wuickly and I have a lot of faith in them."
 
In the second half, McNeese doubled it's total shots from four to eight, and that was the step they needed to take the lead. Johnson lead the Cowgirls in total shots (4), while Savannah LaRicci had three, followed by Nola Prickett (2), Morgan Middleton (1), Mariah Ruelas (1), and Kayla Goedicke (1).

Sunday's match in San Marcos against Texas State has been canceled due to impending Hurricane Harvey, visit McNeeseSports.com or follow the Cowgirls on Twitter at @McNeeseSoccer to stay up to date on any additional schedule changes concerning next weekend's road trip versus the US Air Force Academy (September 1) and the University of Wyoming (September 3).
 

Scoring Summary

Time	Team	Description
55:19		Johnson, Havana (2)  Assisted By: Dalesandro, Gabi
66:15		Johnson, Havana (3)  Assisted By: Prickett, Nola