THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University women’s soccer team took a little longer to get out of the gate than expected, but when it mattered most the Colonels scored twice in the first period and four times in the second to earn a 6-0 win over Alcorn State to move to 6-0-1 on the season, tying the school record for wins in a season.

The Colonels, playing in its last non-conference game of the season, fired off 30 shots in the match and held the Lady Braves (0-2) to just a single shot which ties a record for the fewest shots given up by a Colonel squad in team history. Of those 30 shots, 20 of them were on goal, as 14 different Nicholls players had at least one shot on the day.

Nicholls has won five straight matches, tying the longest winning streak in team history which was back in 2011.

Lauren O’Brien led all players scoring two goals in the second half against Alcorn and dishing out one assist with six total shots. Miranda O’Neil scored in both periods as she was next with five total shots on goal. Nicholls earned assists on five of the six goals, as Kirstie Champagne had two.

Josie Stiles (1-0) earned the start in goal for Nicholls and stopped the only shot the Lady Braves took, as she and Haley Golden combined for the shutout with the sophomore playing the final 22 minutes of the match.

Alcorn’s lone bright spot was goalkeeper Ashley Murray who had 13 saves on the afternoon.

The Colonels opened the scoring onslaught in the 27th minute as Melissa Pestalozzi got a pass from Nicole Doherty and fired a shot to the far right post and put Nicholls up 1-0.

Just before the end of the period, Pestalozzi stayed on the offensive and found O’Neil streaking down the middle of the field as the freshman tipped a shot past the Alcorn goalkeeper’s left side and put the Colonels up 2-0.

Mere minutes into the second period, O’Brien set up a perfect cross from the right side of the box and found Smith who flicked it in off the tip of her foot and got it past the keeper to give the Colonels a 3-0 advantage with most of the period left.

O’Brien scored the first of her consecutive goals in the 66th minute, as Champagne fired off a shot from the left side of the box that flew wide that O’Brien was able to stop and fire in for the winner to make it 4-0 Nicholls. The very next score looked like a replay of the previous one, as Champagne fired a shot from the left side that was initially saved but bounced back into the field of play that O’Brien fired past the keeper to make it 5-0.

In the 74th minute, O’Neil was able to create her own shot as she found herself four yards away after a deflected pass and scored to make it a 6-0 Nicholls lead.

Nicholls will be back in action next weekend, opening Southland Conference play hosting the McNeese State Cowgirls in Thibodaux at 4 p.m.
 

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