Postgame comments from Coach Dylan Harrison

BEAUMONT, Texas – For the first time in program history the Nicholls State University women's soccer team earned a postseason victory, taking a 1-0 win over conference rival McNeese State University on Thursday night at the Lamar Soccer Complex.
 
The Colonels (10-9, 6-6 SLC) earned their fourth victory over the Cowgirls (8-10-1, 6-6 SLC) in school history, en route to their first ever semifinals appearance.
 
"We knew coming in that we were going to put in a good effort," Head Coach Dylan Harrison said. "We had a close game with them the first time we played them this year. It's always tough to beat a good team twice I think and so the fact that they had already gotten us once this year just set up for us to go in and go at them and we got the result."
 
With a strong and steady wind bearing down on the field, Nicholls elected to play into the gusts for the first period, planning to take advantage of Mother Nature in the second half. Through the first 45 minutes of play each squad registered six shots as the teams played to a 0-0 draw. With the wind working intensely against the Colonels, they knew that surviving the first half would mean having the upper hand in the second.
 
"We knew dealing with the conditions out here that the wind is pretty stiff, so we knew going in the first half if we kept it close we were going to have the wind in the second half," Harrison said.
 
McNeese came out extremely aggressive in the second period, pushing hard to fight the conditions and attack early, but each time Nicholls was able to weather the storm. The Cowgirls fired a shot that soared just inches over the crossbar, and had another bounce off of the left pole early in the period.
 
In the 71^st minute, Kaylie Daniels found Hannah Savoie across the middle. Spencer Valdespino flew by Savoie, stealing the ball in the process before shooting from the top of the box. Her shot beat McNeese goalkeeper Lauren Sestak, sneaking inside the left post and finding the back of the net.
 
"At first I felt bad because I took it from my teammate," Valdespino said. "I thought she had a better run. I'm pretty sure I apologized during my shot but in total honesty I was really tired. I saw three players in front of me, I thought I'd just take a shot and see what it did. It wasn't a clean shot, it did get tipped off of one of their feet. Just one of those nights, it goes in I guess."
 
The Colonels, energized by the score, found another gear for the remainder of the game and kept McNeese on an almost constant defensive.
 
As the final seconds ticked down, the reserve players for Nicholls jumped up and down, loudly counting along for the last 10 seconds before storming the field.
 
Goalie Taylor Mosley (6-8) was an impenetrable wall, facing 15 shots and earning five saves in the shutout victory.
 
In the net for the Cowgirls, Sestak faced 14 shots, finishing with 10 saves and one goal allowed in the loss.
 
The No. 5 seed Colonels will face No. 1 seed Stephen F. Austin at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Lamar Soccer Complex.
 
"We came here last year and lost," Valdespino said. "Coming here and winning I think our mindset is completely different right now. We don't really look into seeding that much, we just see our opponent and we want to win, that's about it."
  
 
Semifinals Available on Southland Digital Network; Championship match on ESPN3
The championship match will be carried exclusively on ESPN3 with Lincoln Rose on play-by-play and two-time first-team all-Southland selection Laura Sadler on color. ESPN3 is available via WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app. In addition, first round and semifinal games of the tournament will be streamed live on the Southland Conference Digital Network, available at southland.org/watch and the Southland Conference app. Brian Daughdril will handle play-by-play duties for the first round and semifinal matches.
 
Tickets Available for Southland Soccer Tournament
Tickets are available through the Lamar ticket office.
Two-Day Session Pass: $15.00
Single-Day Pass: $10.00
Championship Pass: $8.00
Southland Student (with ID): Free
Children 5 and Under: Free
 
Women's College Cup Selection Show
The 2014 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship bracket will be announced the second weekend in November prior to First Round competition. The winner of the Southland Conference Tournament earns an automatic bid to the first round of the Women's College Cup held Nov. 15-17.
 
Visit geauxcolonels.com to find live stats and the most up-to-date information on Nicholls women's soccer.