MONROE, La. – The ULM soccer team seeks its first nine-win season since 2005 and the second winning season in program history when it hosts App State and Nicholls. Kickoff against App State is set for 5 p.m. Friday. Kickoff against Nicholls is set for 1 p.m. Sunday. Both matches are at Brown Stadium.
ULM (8-3-1 overall, 2-3-1 Sun Belt Conference) is coming off a 3-1 win over defending SBC champion South Alabama on Sunday. The Warhawks' eighth victory matches the most by a ULM squad in the program's SBC era (2006-present). Only the 2014 squad (8-10-1) won eight games in a season while competing in the SBC.
If the Warhawks win two more matches in 2021, ULM will have 10 or more wins for just the second time in program history, joining the 2005 team (14-6-2).
ULM enters the weekend with 37 goals on the season, which is tied for third best in program history with the 2014 team. The 2004 team has the record with 40 goals, while the 2005 squad notched 39 goals.
Junior
Courtney Marten continues to lead the Warhawks and NCAA Division I with 1.1 goals per game. Her 11 goals were scored in her first six matches of the season. She has not scored in her last four appearances.
Senior
Theoni Zerva has played all 1,000 minutes for ULM and has seven goals with seven assists. Her 21 points ranks second on the team. She picked up an assist at Arkansas State on Thursday before netting a goal on Sunday vs. South Alabama.
Freshman
Mara Grutkamp is the reigning Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week after scoring twice against USA. She has four goals and three assists and her 11 points ranks third on the team. She is the second player to earn SBC Offensive Player of the Week honors after Marten twice won the award. She is the third player to earn a weekly honor from the SBC after junior goalkeeper
Hailey Hillock was named Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 31.
Hillock has started 10 matches in net with a 1.28 goals against average and .740 save percentage.
App State (4-8-1 overall, 0-6-0 SBC) is 6-0-1 all-time against ULM. The Mountaineers won last year's meeting, 2-1, in double overtime in the first round of the SBC Championship. Breckyn Monteith leads App with four goals. Sarah Widderich has five assists to lead the club. Kerry Eagleston has started 13 matches in net for the Mountaineers with a 1.46 goals against average and .791 save percentage.
ULM's final non-conference match is Sunday against Nicholls (0-12). The two were initially scheduled to meet on Sept. 2, but the match was postponed due to the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. The Warhawks lead the series against the Colonels, 13-6-2, and won last year's meeting, 4-0, in Thibodaux. Kaitlyn Poirrier has scored Nicholls' lone goal of the season and was assisted by Kristy Castelan. Regan Carter has started all 12 games in net with a 3.05 goals against average and .711 save percentage.
Links to live video and stats for both matches are available on the soccer schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com.
