BEAUMONT, Texas — The McNeese Cowgirl soccer team (9-6-3, 4-2-3 Southland Conference) hits the road for its regular-season finale Thursday night against the Lamar Cardinals (9-2-5, 6-1-2 Southland Conference) in the Battle of the Border. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., with live streaming available on ESPN+.

McNeese enters Thursday's match up following a 4-1 victory over preseason Southland Conference favorite Northwestern State. The win marked the Cowgirls' first victory over the Demons since the 2023 season, while the four-goal performance was their first time scoring four goals in a match since Aug. 21, 2025.

The Cowgirls struck early in the first half when Ashley Guild sent a pass forward to Isabella Baltov, who found the back of the net in the fifth minute to give McNeese a 1-0 lead. The Cowgirls extended their advantage in the 28th minute when Emma Korhonen connected with Sumayah Brown, who finished the opportunity to make it 2-0.

Following a video review for a potential penalty in the box, McNeese was awarded a penalty kick in the 37th minute. Brown converted the attempt to record her first collegiate brace and give the Cowgirls a 3-0 advantage heading into halftime. Morgan Fiedler then connected with Rhiannon Maynes-Tourond in the 58th minute for McNeese's final goal of the afternoon, securing the 4-1 victory.

Lamar enters Thursday's contest following a 1-1 draw at Houston Christian on Sunday but remains atop the Southland Conference standings heading into the regular-season finale. The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the 72nd minute when Emma Oubrik connected with Sydney Williams off a corner kick. Houston Christian responded just three minutes later, also scoring off a corner kick to even the match.

The Cardinals are led offensively by Marissa Gross, who has recorded 21 points on 10 goals and one assist.

vs Lamar
Date: Thursday, Nov. 5
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Beaumont, Texas
Venue: LU Soccer Complex

Match Notes:

• 19th meeting between the two programs
• Lamar was tabbed to finish tied for 3rd in the SLC conference while receiving two first place votes.
• The Cardinals are coming off a 1-1 draw on the road at Houston Christian
• McNeese enters the match coming off a 4-1 victory at home against Northwestern State
• 17 different Cowgirls saw action on the pitch last time out
• Alexandra Arvanitis, Rebecca Romero, Caitlyn Trosclair, and Celeste Marijnissen each played 90 minutes for the Cowgirls
• Isabella Baltov scored her third goal of the season in the fifth minute
• Sumayah Brown recorded her fifth and sixth goal of the season, including her first collegiate brace. Her second goal came from a PK.
• Rhiannon Maynes-Tourond scored her sixth goal of the season in the 59th minute
• Ashley Guild recorded her second assist, Emma Korhonen recorded her third assist, and Morgan Fiedler recorded her fifth assist of the season.
• Northwestern State held a 19-16 advantage in shots, while McNeese led 8-7 in shots on goal
• Brown led the Cowgirls with four points on two goals while coming off the bench and playing 51 minutes against the Demons
• Celeste Marijnissen played all 90 minutes and recorded six saves
• Coach Cable is just one win away from being the winningest first year head coach in program history 
• With the shutout against East Texas A&M, Shannon Dempsey has moved into 2nd place in the McNeese Record Book for single season shutouts with 7
• Freshman, Isabella Baltov was named the 2025-2026 Gatorade Louisiana Girls' Soccer Player of the Year back in June after setting the Caddo Parish record for most goals in a high school career with 176.
• Rhiannon Maynes-Tourond returns to the Cowgirls after leading the team in goals last season with six.
• McNeese returns two goalies from last season in #0 Shannon Dempsey and #99 Celeste Marijnissen
• Marijnissen returns with the most experience in the net for the Cowgirls after starting/appearing in 17 matches last season while seeing 1,449:18 minutes in the net.
• Coach Alexsis Cable is in her first season at the helm of the Cowgirls after serving as an Assistant Coach at North Texas the last five season.
• Cowgirls return 13 players, and welcome 16 newcomers consisting of 12 freshmen and four transfers.
• 12 of the 13 returners appeared in at least 10 matches last season
• Cowgirl soccer is composed of 5 international players from 4 different countries (Canada, Panama, Sweden, and Netherlands)
• Only two Cowgirls are from the state of Louisiana