THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University women's soccer team will host Southeastern in its annual Crystal Cup match to conclude the regular season on Thursday, Nov. 5. Kickoff from Thibodaux Regional Sports Complex is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the action will be streamed via ESPN+.
 
Last week, Nicholls (5-6-6, 3-3-3 SLC) dropped its second consecutive match as they fell 2-1 against Texas A&M – Corpus Christi. The Colonels are currently tied for seventh place with East Texas A&M in the Southland Conference standings. If the Red & Gray win, they will qualify for the SLC Tournament for the first time since 2014.
 
The Red & Gray offense is led by senior midfielder Alyssa Wheeler who has eight goals and six assists this season. She is one of five players in the SLC with at least eight goals and one of six with at least six assists. She is also tied with the most points in the league with 22.
 
Other statistical leaders for the Colonels include Jezlyn Nelson and Olyvia Pugh who have 12 points apiece. Nelson has five goals and two assists while Pugh has four goals and four assists. Senior goalkeeper Aislinn Wright anchors the defense as she has tallied 72 saves with a 72.7 save percentage and 1.64 goals allowed average.
 
Southeastern (8-7-2, 4-4-1, SLC) split their games last week as they beat Northwestern State (1-0) and lost to Lamar (1-0).  SLU is led by Alexandra Knight and Brooke Opferman who have eight and five goals, respectively. Kendall Curran anchors the Lady Lion defense as she has 54 saves with a 72 save percentage and 1.29 goals allowed average.
 
The Colonels and Lady Lions have clashed 37 times dating back to 1998 with the Red & Gray's only victory in the series coming in 2014. Last season, the Colonels secured the Crystal Cup in dramatic fashion as the match ended in a draw for the second time in the series. Following the draw, the teams agreed to a penalty kick shootout to claim a winner of the trophy. Nicholls won and the draw snapped a 12-match losing streak in the series.