VICKSBURG, Miss. – First-year head coach Alexsis Cable will make her regular season debut on Thursday when the McNeese Cowgirl soccer team kicks off its 2026 season against Alcorn State. Kickoff is at 10 a.m. at Key City Park in Vicksburg. The matchup marks the fifth meeting all-time between the two programs with the Cowgirls holding a 3-0-1 record.
 
The Cowgirls enter the regular season coming off an impressive 7-0 exhibition victory over LSU-Eunice last week. McNeese saw six different players find the back of the net, including a two-goal performance from Morgan Fiedler, as the Cowgirls closed out the preseason with momentum heading into Thursday's opener.
 
McNeese was selected to finish ninth in the 2026 Southland Conference Preseason Poll.
 
Alcorn State was picked to finish fourth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) preseason poll after receiving two first-place votes. The Lady Braves finished the 2025 season with a 5-8-4 overall record and a 3-3-2 mark in conference play.
 
Three Alcorn State players earned spots on the SWAC Preseason Team. Annick Zouma was named SWAC Preseason Midfielder of the Year and earned first-team honors alongside Larissa Joso Luma. Ainara Aldeano was selected to the second team.
 
vs. Alcorn State
Date: Thursday, Aug. 13
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Vicksburg, Miss.
Venue: Key City Park 
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Match Notes:
· The Cowgirls defeated LSU-Eunice, 7-0, in their lone exhibition match of the season.
· Six different Cowgirls scored in the exhibition victory: Morgan Fiedler (2), Ashley Guild (1), Sumayah Brown (1), Rhiannon Maynes-Tourond (1), Gabbi Barusic (1, PK), and Kenya Correia (1).
· Freshman Isabella Baltov was named the 2025-26 Gatorade Louisiana Girls Soccer Player of the Year in June after setting the Caddo Parish record for most goals in a high school career with 176.
· Rhiannon Maynes-Tourond returns after leading the Cowgirls with six goals last season.
· McNeese returns both goalkeepers from last season: No. 0 Shannon Dempsey and No. 99 Celeste Marijnissen.
· Marijnissen returns with the most experience in goal after appearing in 17 matches last season and logging 1,449:18 minutes in the net.
· Cable enters her first season at the helm of the Cowgirls after spending the previous five seasons as an assistant coach at North Texas.
· McNeese returns 13 players and welcomes 16 newcomers, including 12 freshmen and four transfers.
· Twelve of McNeese's 13 returners appeared in at least 10 matches last season.
· The Cowgirl roster features five international players representing four countries: Canada, Panama, Sweden, and the Netherlands.
· Only two Cowgirls hail from the state of Louisiana.
· McNeese was picked to finish ninth in the Southland