MONROE, La. – Alcorn begins the first of three consecutive road games this weekend when the Braves visit Louisiana-Monroe for a matinee matchup at Brown Stadium in Monroe, Louisiana, on Sunday, Aug. 16, at 1 p.m. The contest will be the first time the two sides have met since 2022, where the game was made up after being postponed due to weather in Lorman, Mississippi.
 
THE SCHEDULE
Sunday, August 16
1 p.m. – ULM | Monroe, La. | Brown Stadium | Live Stats
 
IN THE RANKINGS
▪ Alcorn is not ranked in the United Soccer Coaches poll
▪ ULM is not ranked in the United Soccer Coaches poll
 
QUOTES FROM COACH KABIRU
"We had some good moments out there against McNeese, but we know we left points on the field that we should have taken. This group is hungry, and results like that one only sharpens that focus heading into what we hope will be a long and fruitful season."
 
"We don't have the luxury of sitting with [the McNeese loss] for long. We're already turning the page and putting our energy into preparation for Sunday. This team has shown they can respond, and I expect us to go to ULM with a chip on our shoulder."
 
"What I love about this group is how quickly they've come together. You can see how they communicate on the field and pick each other up after a tough moment. That chemistry is going to be a big part of our success as the season goes on."
 
"Playing in the upcoming Louisiana summer heat is no joke, and we've made it a priority in training in what we feel is just as brutal of a Mississippi summer heat and sun. We're adjusting our practice schedules, staying locked in on hydration, and making sure our conditioning matches what these road environments are going to throw at us. It's as much a mental battle as a physical one."
 
SERIES VS. ULM
• In a relatively short series against Louisiana-Monroe, the Warhawks lead the Braves by a 3-0-1 margin all-time dating back to 2005.
• The last time the teams met was a 2-2 draw back in 2022, where the game was made up after being postponed from an original date due to inclement weather.
• ULM claimed the first three meetings of the series by an aggregate score of 20-0.
• This will be the first time Alcorn has traveled to ULM since 2021.
 
WHEN ALCORN LAST FACED ULM…
A brace coming either side of halftime from freshman midfielder Zea Anderson was enough to earn Alcorn State a 2-2 draw with visiting Louisiana-Monroe in a nonconference matchup at Jack Spinks – Marino Casem Stadium.
 
Originally scheduled to be played Aug. 24, the game was being made-up due to inclement weather in the Lorman area for nearly a week, causing heavy flooding in several areas of the "Magnolia State". However, this fixture was delayed for almost three hours in itself due to storms in and around the Lorman area once again.
 
Once the game kicked off, ULM applied pressure early-on with shots coming from outside the box courtesy sophomore forward Mara Grutkamp and junior midfielder Santana Pressley. However, Alcorn State junior goalkeeper Paula Argelaguet was up to the task, stopping four shots in the first half alone.
 
The Warhawks breakthrough eventually came in the 43rd-minute, as Grutkamp netted her first goal of the season with a shot from just outside the box that stuck top-left corner just past a diving Argelaguet, giving ULM the 1-0 advantage just before the break.
 
The lead would last just over two minutes before Alcorn's Zea Anderson got behind the ULM defense, using a through-ball from freshman forward Samara Nunn down the right channel, allowing Anderson to cut in and place the ball on her favored right foot for a shot into the lower-left corner to tie the game, 1-1.
 
For Anderson, the goal was the first of the Colorado Rocky Mountain School alum's career.
 
Alcorn continued to apply pressure after halftime, using the fastest second half goal for the Purple and Gold in more than five years, with the Braves scoring just over a minute into the second half.
 
Once again it was Anderson getting in behind the Warhawks back line, as sophomore defender Natacia Ruiz collected a mishandled pass from ULM, delivering a pinpoint accurate pass through to Anderson, who once again placed the ball onto her right foot just inside the box and placed the shot almost into the exact same location as her first goal.
 
With Alcorn on top, 2-1, the lead was the first of its kind for the Braves this season.
 
The lead, however, would last just nine minutes, as ULM defender Lena Göppel headed home a goal off the end of a Grutkamp free kick following a Braves foul from 22 yards out. With both Grutkamp and Sophia Youngman standing over the free kick, Grutkamp took the ball short from the touch of Youngman and delivered the cross to the back post where Göppel was waiting to deliver the towering header.
 
The goal represented Göppel's second of its kind for the young 2022 campaign, knotting the game at 2-2 in the process.
 
The Braves and Warhawks traded shots on goal throughout the remainder of the contest, with both teams coming close to a potential match-winner in the end.
 
ULM's Shi Swift saw her headed attempt at goal narrowly miss the target, sailing over the bar by mere inches. And it was Alcorn's Anderson seeking to complete her hat-trick in the 76th minute with a shot that was saved by Warhawks keeper Mickaela Leal on the other end.
 
Alcorn junior midfielder Emily Serrato finished with a pair of shots, including one on target, while teammate Jada Ward provided a shot on target as well. Anderson finished the game with her two goals and three shots – all of which fell on target for the Purple and Gold. Ruiz and Nunn each tallied an assist on the night.
 
ULM's Grutkamp led the charge for the Warhawks with six shots (four on target), a goal and an assist. Efi Brame added four shots (three on target), while teammate Göppel tallied two shots (one on frame for the goal).
 
Alcorn keeper Argelaguet ended the game with eight saves, while counterpart Leal recorded three saves between the sticks for ULM.
 
SCOUTING ULM
• ULM enters the weekend having drawn 2-2 in its opening game against Little Rock in Arkansas.
• Freshman Victoria Vinals scored the only goal of the contest for the Warhawks.
• Jen Handy went the distance between the sticks for the Warhawks.
• In total against UALR, the Warhawks amassed seven shots – three of those coming on-target.
• Both Ines de Lope Casanova and Anna Roldaan picked up cards in their last game for the Warhawks, respectively.
 
LAST TIME OUT (vs. McNeese)
Larissa Joso Luma scored her first goal of the season for Alcorn as the Braves fell to visiting McNeese 2-1 in the season opener for both programs at Key City Park in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
 
Trailing 2-0 in the second half, Alcorn took advantage of a turnover with Grace Ambrose centering the ball to Larissa Joso Luma just on the top of the box, as the Cameroonian put it away for her first goal of the season to bring the Braves to within 2-1 with just over 20 minutes remaining.
 
The Braves had several attempts in the second half, forcing McNeese substitute goalkeeper Celeste Marijnissen into three second half saves. For the Braves, shots on target came from Bridget Sakyi, Annick Zouma and Ambrose, respectively.
 
The Cowgirls managed a pair of goals in quick succession in the latter stages of the opening 45 minutes of play.
 
Just over the half-hour mark, Emma Korhonen took a pass from the midway line from teammate Ella Grace Davis to place a shot past starting Alcorn keeper Renata Da Rosa for the game's opening goal.
 
Less than two minutes later, the Cowgirls were through on goal again, this time with Korhonen – the previous goal scorer – turned assist-maker, as she played a ball through to Gabbi Barusic for the 2-0 McNeese advantage.
 
In fact, the two goals for the visitors were the only two goals on target for the match.
 
Time of possession favored the Braves by having the ball almost 65 percent of the contest. Both goals for McNeese came by way of a counter attack with the Braves pressuring forward.
 
Alcorn attempted 11 shots to McNeese's five, with the homestanding Purple and Gold also taking seven corners.
 
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