MONROE, La. – The ULM women's soccer team is loading the busses for some in-state competition this weekend, as they visit McNeese on Friday (Aug. 31) and Northwestern State on Sunday (Sept. 1).
The Warhawks are familiar with both Southland opponents, meeting consistently over the years. ULM holds a slight disadvantage to McNeese, behind in the series 8-12-2. Against NSU, the Warhawks are 7-14-2 in the history of the series.
With a 0-4 record heading into the weekend, it goes unsaid that the Warhawks will be playing with vengeance, hungry for their first win of the 2018 season.
On Friday, ULM will lace up in Lake Charles against the Cowgirls of McNeese. The Cowgirls are off to a good start this season, with a 3-1 mark; their only loss came against a road-match at TCU.
McNeese' confidence is high, heading into the weekend after a 2-1 victory over Sun Belt opponent Texas State (Aug. 24) and a 3-2 double-overtime win against Arkansas (Aug. 26).
McNeese lost its top scorer and defender last season, but brought back sophomore goalkeeper Emma Roccaforte. Roccaforte started in 14 of her 16 matches played, allowing less than one goal per game. She was selected as the Southland's Goalkeeper of the Year after allowing only 11 goals all season in over 1,300 minutes in goal.
Last season, the Warhawks dropped a hard-fought heartbreaker to McNeese, after sophomore Cowgirl Havana Johnson sent one into the back of the net to break the zero-goal deadlock with only 36 seconds remaining in regulation.
ULM's defense held strong through McNeese's 24 shots and eight corner kicks, but a long-pass up the middle was enough for Johnson to break away and get the right touch to score.
The Warhawks have shown a similar defensive tenacity this season, putting a stop to 82% of their opponents' shots.
Northwestern State hosts ULM on Sunday with no Friday match and therefore an extra day of rest for the Lady Demons. NSU most recently defeated Mississippi Valley State, 4-2.
The Lady Demons are currently led on the offense by senior forward, April Trowbridge. Trowbridge is the only player for NSU with more than 10 shots (18). Northwestern's only All-Conference selection in 2017, Brittany Caserma has yet to score this season and has only fired off three shots in her two games played.
ULM will face McNeese on Friday at 7 p.m. (CT) and Northwestern State on Sunday at 1 p.m. (CT). Links to live stats and video are available at ULMWarhawks.com. Fans are encouraged to follow along with the action on Twitter at @ULM_soccer for live, in-game updates. Complete box score and match recap will be available at ULMWarhawks.com shortly following the match.
