NATCHITOCHES, La. -- The Nicholls State University women's soccer program (0-5-0, 0-2-0 SLC) stumbled in the team's Southland Conference opening weekend, initially dropping a competitive 2-0 contest at McNeese (5-2-1, 2-0-0 SLC) on Friday evening in Lake Charles, La. before falling by a final 4-0 mark to Northwestern State (2-3-2, 2-0-0 SLC) on Saturday afternoon up in Natchitoches, La.

KEY STORYLINES & STATISTICS
GAME ONE at McNeese (L 0-2) -- Friday, Sept. 10
-- In spite of an unexpected break due to Hurricane Ida, the Red & Gray proved a tough match in the squad's Southland debut against McNeese, holding the usually-offensive Cowgirls to just a pair of goals for the day.
-- Individually, senior Rami Mitchel posted a team-high behind three shots while sophomore Reagan Carter logged a full 90 minutes between the pipes, grabbing eight saves while surrendering both scores.

GAME TWO at Northwestern State (L 0-4) -- Sunday, Sept. 12
-- Following a relatively slow start for both squads, the Lady Demons managed to find some offense midway through the first half as they collected successive goals for an early advantage. The second period proved a similar story, as Northwestern State took nearly a full 20 minutes before scoring the final two scores of the match, sealing the 4-0 victory.
-- In the net, Carter handled a heavy majority of the goalkeeping duties, swiping four saves while allowing all four goals across just under 80 minutes on the pitch.

UP NEXT
With the Southland opening weekend out of the way, the Red & Gray remain away from home as the team packs their bags for another roadtrip, initially trekking to regional adversary Alcorn State on Friday, Sept. 17 before heading over to Houston Baptist for a tough league test against the Huskies on Sunday, Sept. 19.

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).