LAKE CHARLES – The McNeese Cowgirl soccer team (3-2-0) returns home Sunday for an afternoon matchup against UL Lafayette at 5 p.m. at Cowgirl Field. The match will stream live on ESPN+.

The Cowgirls enter Sunday's matchup coming off a 3-1 loss at West Florida on Thursday. Twenty-three different Cowgirls saw action in the match, including Gabbi Barusic and Kayla Pelter, who made their first career starts for McNeese.

West Florida jumped out to an early 2-0 lead before Rhiannon Maynes-Tourond answered in the eighth minute, finding the back of the net for her second goal of the season. The score remained 2-1 heading into halftime before the Argonauts added a third goal in the 73rd minute on a penalty kick.

UL Lafayette enters Sunday's match with a 3-1-1 overall record and was picked to finish seventh in the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Poll. The Ragin' Cajuns enter on a two-match winning streak after defeating Northwestern State 4-1 and Nicholls 2-0 over the past week.

Sunday's matchup will mark the fifth Southland Conference opponent UL Lafayette has faced this season.

Miku Kurihara was selected as the Sun Belt Preseason Midfielder of the Year and earned a spot on the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team. Carson Glenn was also named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team.
 
vs. UL-Lafayette
Date: Sunday, Aug. 30
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Location: Lake Charles, La.
Venue: Cowgirl Field
Live Stats
Watch Live

Match Notes:

• 18th meeting between the two programs
• UL-Lafayette was tabbed to finish 7th in the Sun Belt
• Ragin Cajuns on a two-game winning streak with 4-1 win over Northwestern State and 2-0 win over Nicholls.
• McNeese will be the fifth Southland Conference school the Ragin Cajuns play this season as they are currently 3-0-1 when playing SLC schools
• Miku Kurihara for the Ragin Cajuns was tabbed as Preseason Midfielder of the Year and named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team.
• Carson Glenn was also named Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
• The Cowgirls dropped their second match of the season against West Florida Thursday
• Rhiannon Mayne-Tourond recorded her second goal of the season against the Argonauts
• Gabbi Barusic and Kayla Pelter made their first career start as Cowgirls on Thursday against West Florida
• 23 Cowgirls saw action on the pitch against West Florida
• West Florida outshot McNeese 15-8, with both teams recording seven shots on go
• 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