THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University soccer team pulled off a 2-1 upset over Abilene Christian University Sunday afternoon at the Nicholls Soccer Complex.
"We decided to change our shape a little bit and were a little bit deeper than we were against Incarnate Word," said head coach
Mac McBride. "We tried to stay compact and play on the counter if we could, but not just in a direct fashion. We were trying to retain possession in the midfield, and I thought we did a pretty good job of that today.
"It's hard to fathom how a team can have a result that we had Friday and then turn around in 48 hours – that's one of the best teams in this conference. There's no doubt about that. It's a great way to finish the weekend."
After a scoreless first half that included an hour and a half lightning delay, the Colonels (4-6, 1-2 SLC) found the back of the net twice in the second half.
In the 55th minute, junior midfielder
Francesca Curteis dropped the ball off to junior midfielder
Haylee Atwell who curved a 35-yard shot around the keeper for the Colonels first goal.
"I just kind of risked it," Atwell said. "I was just trying to get us ahead and take every chance that we had so it worked out. Honestly the game on Friday was just a big wakeup call. We know we're better than that, and I think today really proved that."
Senior midfielder
Emily Werenskiold tacked on a much-needed second goal in the 68th minute. Werenskiold slotted the ball in from within the box on a counter-attack after a lovely feed from freshman midfielder
Hannah Bodron.
The Wildcats (4-6, 2-1 SLC) applied heavy pressure from that point forward, finally breaking through with a goal in the 85th minute by Christina Arteaga.
Nicholls brilliantly possessed the ball after ACU's goal, constantly forcing the action to the visitor's corner. The Colonels were outshot 19-7 as freshman
Taylor Benoit recorded nine saves in the match.
This is Nicholls' first victory over the Wildcats since Sept. 27, 2013.
The Colonels return to action at Houston Baptist Friday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT.
For the latest news on Nicholls soccer, follow the team on Twitter
@Nicholls_SOC.
