Box Score HAMMOND, LA. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women's soccer team rallied to secure a 2-2 tie against Nicholls at home Sunday evening in the Crystal Cup Rivalry.
Southeastern (3-6-4, 2-2-2 SLC) posted its first tie against Nicholls (4-7-3, 1-3-2 SLC) since the official annual Crystal Cup rivalry began five seasons ago. The Lady Lions controlled the first half off a goal by freshman Aja Nelson. Nicholls continued to battle to net two goals in the second half alone, but Nelson stepped up once again to equalize the match and close out week four of Southland Conference play. SLU goalkeeper Kendall Curran finished with five saves after tackling all the responsibility in the net the entire match.
Both teams came out to a slow start in the opening minutes of the match, working to find their rhythm to claim the early momentum. Nicholls secured the spark early with multiple counter attacks as its defenders broke through the gaps of Southeastern's offense. The Colonels remained aggressive midway through the first half to secure a 10-8 shot advantage over the Lady Lions. SLU sensing the shift of momentum favoring the visitors, gained a break in the 40th minute of the match as Nelson claimed the first goal of the match.
The Lady Lions ended the first half 1-0 as the Dallas native posted her second goal of the season against the conference rival. Nicholls fought to answer with a goal of its own in the final minutes of the half off two late corner kick opportunities, but could not capitalize.
The Colonels came out on a mission after the halftime break to cut into their deficit early in the second half. Junior forward Samantha Doyle broke free in the 56th minute of the match off an assist by Mylea Riggle to tie the contest 1-1. Southeastern struggled to counter as Nicholls relentlessly formulated attacks to put pressure on the hosts' defense. The Colonels connected in the net again in the 72nd minute of the match as Kaylie Harries launched a shot past Curran to gain their first lead, 2-1.
SLU regrouped late in the second half as its defense locked down to keep Nicholls off the board the remainder of the match. The Lady Lions continued to push to remain aggressive with the home field advantage as Nelson proved to be unstoppable around the net. The freshman forward recorded her third goal of the season in the 81st minute of the match off a perfectly placed assist by Kaitlyn Tung, 2-2. Southeastern closed the match with its second draw of the season in league play with 12 shots, seven shots on goal and six corner kicks.
The Lady Lions will travel to San Antonio, Texas to face UIW Thursday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. Thursday's match will be televised on ESPN+.
SLU – 2 1 – 1 - 2 (3-6-4, 2-2-2 SLC)
NCH – 2 0 – 2 – 2 (4-7-3, 1-3-2 SLC)
Scoring Summary
1. 40:26 – SLU – Aja Nelson (2) – Assist: Lainey Connell
2. 56:54 – NCH – Samantha Doyle (2) – Assist: Mylea Riggle
3. 72:19 – NCH – Kaylie Harris (4) – Assist: Lillie Mazur
4. 81:37 – SLU – Aja Nelson (3) – Assist: Kaitlyn Tung
Shots – NCH 16, SLU 12
Saves – SLU 6, NCH 5
Corner Kicks – SLU 6, NCH 5
Fouls – SLLU 9, NCH 8
Offsides – SLU 2, 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 follow slusoccer on Instagram.
