LAKE CHARLES – Following their first loss of the season, the McNeese Cowgirl Soccer team (3-1-0) hits the road for the Sunshine State for a midweek match up against West Florida on Thursday at 11 a.m.  Thursday's contest will mark the first meeting between the two programs.

The Cowgirls enter Thursday's match up coming off a 4-2 loss to North Texas on Sunday afternoon. Twenty-one different Cowgirls saw action in the match, including Faith Curtis, who made her first collegiate start against the Mean Green.

Vitoria Mitre put the Cowgirls on the scoreboard in the 26th minute, recording her first collegiate goal off the first collegiate assist from Sophia Hull to cut North Texas' lead to 2-1.

McNeese continued to battle after halftime, earning a penalty kick in the 48th minute. Rhiannon Maynes-Tourond converted the opportunity for her first goal of the season, cutting the Mean Green's lead to 3-2.

West Florida will open its season Thursday against the Cowgirls after its scheduled season opener was canceled due to inclement weather. The Argonauts are entering their first season of Division I competition as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference and were picked to finish eighth in the league's preseason poll.
 
vs. West Florida 
Date: Thursday, Aug. 27
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Location: Pensacola, Fla.
Venue: UWF Soccer Complex
Live Stats

Match Notes:

• First meeting in program history between the two programs
• West Florida was tabbed to finish 8th in the ASUN
• First game in Division I for West Florida as their game against Alabama A&M was canceled
• Cowgirls dropped first match of the season to UNT
• The Mean Green outshot the Cowgirls 24-13 in the game with
• 14 of their shots being on goal compared to 7 for the Cowgirls
• Vitoria Mitre netted her first career goal in the 26th minute
• Sophia Hull was credited with her first career assist against UNT
• Rhiannon Maynes-Tourond scored her first goal of the season off a penalty kick
• 21 Cowgirls saw action on the pitch against UNT
• Faith Curtis made her first collegiate start this afternoon against the Mean Green
• Celeste Marijnissen tallied a season high 10 saves against UNT while also being the only Cowgirl to see all 90 minutes on the pitch
• 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