THIBODAUX, La. -- The Nicholls State University women's soccer program (0-8-0, 0-5-0 SLC) fell short in a pair of tough Southland Conference contests against Stephen F. Austin (6-2-2, 4-0-0 SLC) and Sam Houston (1-1-1, 1-1-1) over a two-game weekend slate, initially faltering by a 5-0 margin to the Ladyjacks late Friday afternoon before suffering a 4-0 loss to the Bearkats early on Sunday.

KEY STORYLINES & STATISTICS
-- The Colonels continued to struggle offensively as, while the Red & Gray displayed noticeable improvement in terms of threatening the opposing goal over the two-game stretch, the team remained scoreless for the season thus far. Meanwhile, both SFA and SHSU found their footing on the attack as each squad consistently pressured the Nicholls defensive front, combining for nine goals en route to the pair of victories.
-- In the net, freshman Reagan Carter handled a heavy majority of the minutes for the Red & Gray in her seventh and eighth starts of the year, surrendering all nine goals while collecting 11 saves on the weekend. Fellow freshman Valeria Vargas Leon took over for the final 15 minutes of Friday's match against the Ladyjacks, giving up no scores while registering one save.
-- Offensively, sophomore transfer Ester Hardardottir composed a her most complete showing of the year as the Red & Gray's primary striker, notching four shots-on-goal -- three against SHSU alone -- during the weekend. Overall, the team logged a year-best six shots-on-goal in Sunday's loss to the Bearkats, and even managed to notch the first double-digit shot output of the season with 16.
 
UP NEXT
Following the weekend slate against SFA and SHSU, the Red & Gray continue the home stand with the team's sixth conference match of the year, hosting Lamar on Friday, Mar. 12 at the Nicholls Soccer Complex, kickoff set for 2 p.m.

STAY SOCIAL
For more information on Colonels Women's Soccer, follow the team on Twitter (@Nicholls_SOC), Instagram (@nicholls_soccer) and like their Facebook page (Nicholls Athletics).