THIBODAUX, La. - The Southeastern Louisiana University women's soccer team earned a 2-0 victory against conference rival Nicholls Sunday evening at the Thibodaux Regional Sports Complex.
Southeastern (6-6-1, 5-2 SLC) secured its fourth consecutive Crystal Cup rivalry win over the Colonels (2-9-1, 0-6 SLC) to finish the weekend in second place in Southland Conference standings.
Hailie Yoder and
Maggie Denison found the net to clutch the victory for SLU.
The Lady Lions came out to a slow start on the road before settling into the match. Southeastern worked to gain some early momentum over Nicholls, but the Colonels did not back down as both teams battled to find the back of the net. SLU attained the upper hand over Nicholls in every category to finish the first half with a 4-2 edge in shots and 3-1 advantage in corner kicks.
SLU returned from the halftime break with a refreshed focus as Yoder broke free within the opening 15 minutes of the second half. The senior scored off an assist from
Katie Brown and
Kelsey Fuller in the 52
nd minute of the match to put Southeastern on the board with a 1-0 lead. Yoder gained her first goal of the season to turn the tide of momentum in the Lady Lions' favor.
Nicholls fought to weather the storm, but SLU's defensive front held firm to keep the Colonels from scoring. Southeastern valued each possession seeking to extend its lead with narrow misses midway in the second half of the match.
The Lady Lions remained aggressive and connected in the net for the second time of the evening with a goal from Denison in the 81th minute. Denison being at the right place off a head in shot by Fuller, soared a kick past the Colonels' goalkeeper to further add to SLU's lead, 2-0. The junior recorded her first goal of the season to aid Southeastern in collecting its fifth conference victory.
Nicholls worked to find a seam of opportunity, but to no avail. The Lady Lions limited the Colonels to two corner kicks, two shots on goal and six shots to end the contest. Nicholls' goalkeeper Megan Cook played all 90 minutes and finished with five saves.
Southeastern earned its third shutout of the season as sophomore
Kendall Curran protected the net to end with one save in the victory. SLU contained Nicholls the entire duration of the match to acquire a 10-6 shot advantage and 5-2 edge in corner kicks. Denison led the team with three shots and two shots on goal to close out the rivalry series back in the win column. A total of 19 Lady Lions saw action in their second league win on the road.
SLU will return to action Sunday, Oct. 20 at 3:30 p.m. to face HCU in Houston, Texas. The match will be played at Sorrels Field and televised on ESPN+.
SLU – 0 2 – 2 (6-6-1, 5-2 SLC)
NCH – 0 0 – 10 (2-9-1, 0-6 SLC)
Scoring Summary
1. 52:31 - SLU –
Hailie Yoder (1) – Assist:
Katie Brown,
Kelsey Fuller
2. 81:52 – SLU –
Maggie Denison (1) – Unassisted
Shots – SLU 10, NCH 6
Saves – NCH 5, SLU 1
Corner Kicks – SLU 5, NCH 2
Fouls – NCH 6, SLU 2
Offsides – SLU 4, NCH 0
SCORE ONE MORE CLUB/S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the women's soccer program are encouraged to join the Score One More Club. Lion alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners. All membership fees and donations to Score One More Club are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern soccer program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at
laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting
www.LionUp.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Soccer, follow @LionUpSoccer and @Nathan90G on X, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.
