BATON ROUGE, La. – Freshman goalie Taylor Benoit recorded her first career shutout as the Nicholls State University soccer team bested Southern University 4-0 Sunday at Jaguar Park.

"It's a pleasing way to end a tough run of road games," said Nicholls assistant coach Danny Free. "We had to battle for 90 minutes today. We did that and got the result we wanted. It's always hard playing a Sunday game, especially after they gave their all in a testing conference opener against Lamar on Friday. But we scored four goals and kept a clean sheet so it's positive steps toward next weekend and the rest of our season in conference."

Benoit, a Thibodaux native, tallied six saves after a 15-save performance at Lamar Friday.

Another freshman who made a substantial impact was midfielder Hannah Bodron. She slotted a header into goal in the second minute on a ball played in by junior midfielder Francesca Curteis.

The Colonels (3-5) added three more goals in the second half.

In the 59th minute, senior midfielder Emily Werenskiold found the back of the net on a nice assist from senior defender Nicole Dupin.

Bodron nearly posted another goal in the 66th minute, but instead it was followed in by sophomore Kristy Helmers after a Southern (0-4) save.

A 25-yard score from sophomore forward Jessica Shelby gave the Colonels some insurance and a 4-0 cushion in the 89th minute.
Nicholls held a 10-6 shots on goal advantage.

The Colonels resume conference play Friday against Incarnate Word at the Nicholls Soccer Complex. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT.
  
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