THIBODAUX, La. – After having some time off, the Nicholls State University women's soccer team will hit the road to play a match against Northwestern State that will heavily impact the Southland Conference standings. Kickoff from Natchitoches at the Lady Demon Soccer Complex is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Nicholls (5-4-6, 3-1-3) is currently in tied for fifth place with Northwestern State in the SLC standings with 12 points. Last week, the Red & Gray won a road match 2-1 at UTRGV to record the most conference wins by a Colonel squad since 2017.
The Red & Gray offense has a balanced attack that features 11 different players who have scored this season. Additionally, the squad has three players who have double figure points.
The offense is spearheaded by reigning SLC Offensive Player of the Week
Alyssa Wheeler who leads the unit with 20 points. She earned the league weekly honor after a spectacular game which saw her dish an assist on the Colonels' first goal before scoring the game winning goal via a corner kick. Wheeler's seventh goal is the most by a Colonel in a single season since 2019 and her 20 points is the most by a Colonel since 2014.
Other offensive leaders include
Jezlyn Nelson and
Olyvia Pugh who have 12 points apiece.
Angelina Rispone and
Sammi Doyle have four goals apiece while
Kaylie Harris and
Kate Guillory have three goals apiece. Defensively,
Aislinn Wright has 65 saves and three shutouts as she has the most victories in a season by a Colonel goalkeeper since 2011.
Northwestern State (7-8, 4-3 SLC) enters the matchup on a two-game losing streak after losing a road contest at Southeastern (1-0) on Thursday night. The Lady Demons' offense is led by Paige Baumgartner and Emily Gundin who have 22 and 21 points. Baumgartner has eight goals and six assists while Gundin has seven goals and seven assists. Audrey Marfia and Saki Tsuchiya split time in goal as the duo has combined for 70 saves with 2.73 goals allowed average.
Nicholls is seeking its first victory over Northwestern State since 2017 as the Colonels have dropped eight of the last nine with a draw in 2023. The Red & Gray has never beaten the Lady Demons in Natchitoches.
