NSU Lady Colonels’ drop home-opener 4-2 to Centenary

It wasn’t the result fifth-year head coach Cindy Piper wanted, but the Nicholls State Lady Colonels’ 4-2 loss to Centenary College of Louisiana in last Wednesday’s home opener gave her reason to believe.

A quick start put the visiting team up 4-0, but Nicholls junior Jessica Bedford and sophomore Kaity Mattsson’s points in the second half provided Piper with what she needed to see. For the first time since before the storms, the Lady Colonels scored goals.

The soccer team had to cancel two games because of hurricanes Gustav and Ike and lost two weeks of practice, which was a huge setback, according to Piper. When the team was finally able to play again, they lost five straight games and failed to score a single goal in the process.

But the two goals against Centenary was a sign Piper’s team still has the desire to keep fighting.

“Everything that we did in the preseason, we lost. It played a big factor in where we are at right now, but I think these girls can overcome it,” the coach said. “It’s not the same when you can’t get ‘game fit’ for two weeks. It was good to see our kids come back and score two good goals to get some momentum going, which can give us some confidence. The loss hurts us a little bit, but the confidence can build because we know we can still come back and score goals.”

It has taken time, but Piper believes the team is finally buying into the philosophies that she and assistant coach Kristen Fillmore are trying to teach. It was evident in the second half of last Wednesday’s game, Piper said, when her team refused to give up.

When the season first started, it was apparent that the Lady Colonels were determined to be a contender.

Right off the bat, the season started solid as they went 2-0, defeating Southern and Texas Southern universities before losing a hard-fought match to South Alabama, 3-1.

With a 2-1 record, the Lady Colonels prepped themselves to play games against Mississippi Valley State and to open at home Sept. 7 against Grambling State. But the storms cancelled those games and the momentum was lost. As a result, the Lady Colonels now find themselves on a six-game losing streak.

Although their record sits at 2-7, Piper isn’t discouraged. The losses were to solid programs, including Mississippi State, Arkansas, South Alabama and Missouri State.

In fact, if anything, Piper said the losses can provide lessons that can help the Lady Colonels stay competitive in conference play.

“It’s been a struggle,” Piper said of regaining the team’s early momentum. “Our previous four games have been against really tough opponents. Our confidence has been shaken up a little bit. It’s been hard to judge the last couple games where we are, but by watching our team in the second half of this game I know that we have the tools that we need to be competitive in our conference play. It’s just a matter of if we can come out and forget about our non-conference schedule.”

To keep the team focused, Piper is relying on all of last season’s returning players to help prepare the newcomers.

Even though the season is still young, the coach has been impressed with what she has seen in junior midfielder Caitlyn Donegan and freshman midfielder Sam Etherington.

“I think (Caitlyn) is leading the team in the right direction and doing great things for us,” Piper explained. “We need leadership like that, where I think in years past she has kind of been a little quiet and a little hesitant a little bit. Now, she has come out of her shell.”

Etherington “is dangerous when she gets the ball,” the coach said, which should help the Lady Colonels win games in the conference.

All that’s left for the Lady Colonels now is the Southland Conference schedule.

Conference play begins at home this Friday against Sam Houston State. Game time is set for 4 p.m.

Piper believes the Lady Colonels have the tools in place to compete for a spot in the Southland Conference tournament as long as they don’t look back at the non-conference play.

“I think we were thinking about everything that went wrong in the first half of the season too much,” Piper said. “We just have to stay focused on our remaining games because right now we are 0-0 in conference and that’s all that matters.”

“Non-conference records don’t matter and that’s what we have to remember,” he said. “I think we are where we need to be. It’s just a matter of coming out to play.”

Nicholls State’s Michaela Gaudin tries to get the ball from a Centenary player during last Wednesday’s home opener. The Lady Colonels wrapped up their non-conference schedule and begin conference play at home Friday. * Photo by KYLE CARRIER