LAKE CHARLES – McNeese soccer returns home for the first time since the beginning of October to play host to Stephen F. Austin and HCU Friday and Sunday respectively at Cowgirl Field.
 
Opponent: Stephen F. Austin
Time: Friday, Oct. 25; 7 p.m.
Location: Lake Charles, La. • Cowgirl Field
Records: McNeese 3-12-1 (0-6-1), SFA 8-3-2 (5-2-0)
Stream: ESPN+
Series: 40^th Meeting (SFA leads 28-7-4)
 
Opponent: HCU
Time: Sunday, Oct. 27; 1 p.m.
Location: Lake Charles, La. • Cowgirl Field
Records: McNeese 3-12-1 (0-6-1), HCU 4-8-5 (2-3-3)
Stream: ESPN+
Series: 19^th Meeting (McNeese leads 9-7-2)
 
McNeese Notes
• Morgan Schooley was named SLC Defensive Player of the Week Sept. 17 for the first time this season after earning a game-winning goal against Louisiana Christian.
• McNeese ranks 22nd in the nation in shot accuracy at .532, second in the SLC.
• Jackie Kelly sits eighth in the nation with 98 saves on the season. She is currently 13th in the nation as well in saves per game at 6.13.
• The Pokes sit atop the conference and15th in the nation with 6.31 saves per game.
• McNeese claimed two consecutive shutout victories at home against Texas Southern and Louisiana Christian, outscoring them 3-0 and 4-0 before taking on Texas State.
• The Cowgirls have netted 16 goals this season, seeing three players earn their first collegiate goal in freshmen Bailee Ramirez and Grace Denison, alongside sophomore Ellis Hosch.
• Three Cowgirls were named to the SLC Preseason First Team in Kaile Kukaua (Midfielder), Morgan Schooley (Defender), and Jackie Kelly (Goalkeeper)
• The Pokes were selected to finish third in the SLC preseason poll behind Lamar in the top spot and Texas A&M-Commerce in second.
• McNeese returns three of its five 2023 All-Southland Team selections in Kaile Kukaua, Jackie Kelly, and Morgan Schooley. All three of them earned All-Tournament recognition last season.
• The Cowgirls look to build upon their SLC Runner-Up bid in 2023, the first time the team has made it to the championship match since 2008.
• McNeese did not have any players transfer out from the program following the 2023 SLC Runner-Up finish at the conference tournament.
• 22 players remain Cowgirls after graduating seven players last season.
• The team's newcomers are comprised of 12 freshman and two transfers with three coming before the spring semester.
• McNeese went 1-1-0 during opening weekend, falling to UL-Lafayette 2-1 in the season opener before defeating Jackson State 2-1 at Cowgirl Field.
• Morgan Schooley netted the first goal of the season on a header after being served up by Morgan Fiedler off a corner kick.
• McNeese netted three goals during opening weekend. Schooley earned the first with Kaile Kukaua and Isabelle (Izzy) Smith earning the second and third respectively.
• McNeese hosted its lone exhibition of the season against Tarleton State, falling 1-0.
 
SFA Overview
• Jayme Bailey, Reaganne Crane, and Brielle Buchanan each own a team-leading six goals on the season.
• Maddie Bowers and Kamryn Jiles have five goals a piece.
• Four more players have scored at least two goals with three each having a lone goal.
• Lydia Sattler and Sierra McCluer each have played at least five matches on the season with about equal time in the net for each. Both have four victories in the net.
• 19 of the team's 43 goals have come within conference play, most notable in victories over TAMU-cc (7-0), UTRGV (4-1), and Lamar (3-0).
• SFA and McNeese played one common non-conference opponent in Oral Roberts in which SFA won 2-0.
• The Lumber jacks have had three Offensive POTW, one Defensive POTW, and one Goalkeeper of the Week.
 
Offensive POTW
                  - Maddie Bowers (Sept. 10)
                  - Reaganne Crane (Sept. 17)
                  - Alex Bayouth (Oct. 15)
Defensive POTW
                  - Ella Morgan (Oct. 15)
Goalkeeper of the Week
                  - Sierra McCluer (Oct. 15)
 
SFA Match Notes
• SFA has held the advantage in the last 10 meetings 8-1-1.
• Friday's meeting will be the first time Coach Fitzgerald and Coach Williams will have met at the helm of their respective programs.
• The last time the squads met was in April 2021 in Nacogdoches, Texas in a 2-1 Lumberjacks win.
• Last time the teams competed in Lake Charles, McNeese won 2-1 in two overtimes.
• McNeese and SFA have met every year since the inception of the Cowgirls program except in the fall of 2021 through last season when the Lumberjacks were in the WAC.
 
HCU Overview
• HCU has picked up two non-conference wins against Southern (2-1) and Prairie View (3-1).
• Within SLC play, the Huskies have downed Nicholls 2-0 and Southeastern 3-0.
• The Huskies went to #14 Texas earlier in the season in a 3-0 loss against the SEC opponent.
• Olivia Rossman leads the team in goals scored with six as three others have netted two or more goals as well.
• Three other Huskies have scored at least one goal.
• Emmy McKeon has played 14 matches in the net with two other goalies also earning playing time.
• McKeon was named SLC Goalkeeper of the Week once this season.
• Alexa Huerta was named the SLC Offensive Player of the Week following the second week of play.
 
HCU Match Notes
• McNeese holds the all-time advantage 9-7-2 over the Huskies with two victories over them in 2023.
• The Cowgirls outlasted the Huskies in the SLC Tournament 1-0 last season to advance to the Championship Match.
• Coach Whiting worked under the tutelage of Coach Fitzgerald for six seasons and the meeting will mark the first time they have met as head coaches.
• The Pokes have a 7-3 advantage in the last 10 competitions between the squads.
• Neither team had a common non-conference regular season opponent.
 
The Kelly File
• Jackie Kelly is close to breaking or tying numerous program records, sitting amongst the Top 10 all-time in six categories entering the season.
• Records to keep an eye on include:
 
- She has earned 54 career goalie starts and overtook Cassandra Read for the program record who held the record for 13 seasons at 46.
- Second most career goalie wins with 22, just two shy of tying the program record.
-  Tied third with most career shutouts at 11, seven shy of claiming the record.
- She sits second in career saves with 287. The record is 508 saves by Tony Deason.
- Kelly tied the program record in career goalie games played at 62 against Texas A&M-Commerce, tying Emma Roccaforte ('17-'21).
- Kelly has played 4,971 minutes in the net, the third most in program history.