Braves Stop at Nicholls State for Midweek Action

THIBODAUX, La. – Alcorn Soccer will once again visit the "Bayou State" this week when the Braves travel to Nicholls State on Thursday, August 20, for a nonconference midweek affair taking place inside Thibodaux Regional Sports Complex in Thibodaux, Louisiana, marked with a 7 p.m. kickoff time.
 
Alcorn is seeking its first win of the year, entering the contest 0-2-0 on the campaign with losses to McNeese and Louisiana-Monroe, respectively.
 
THE SCHEDULE
Thursday, August 20
7 p.m. – at Nicholls State | Thibodaux, La. | Thibodaux Regional Sports Complex | Live Stats
 
IN THE RANKINGS
▪ Alcorn is not ranked in the United Soccer Coaches poll
▪ Nicholls is not ranked in the United Soccer Coaches poll
 
QUOTES FROM COACH KABIRU
"We know what we did right the last time we played them, but every game is its own story. We're not relying on last year's result to carry us."
 
"We've had some hard lessons these past two games, and now it's about showing we learned from them. This is a good opportunity to respond. Nobody in that locker room is hanging their heads. We know what we're capable of, and Thursday is our chance to prove it."
 
"This is exactly the kind of game that tests your identity as a team. We want to find out who we are on the road against good competition. Look at their last score against UAPB. That alone tells you how dangerous they can be at any moment, and how quickly they break on the counter."
 
"Every road trip is a chance to grow. We're excited for the challenge Thursday night presents."
 
SERIES VS. NICHOLLS
• Nicholls State holds a commanding 9-3 edge all-time in the series against Alcorn, dating back to 2009.
• The Colonels won the first six meetings in the series until the Braves pulled off a 1-0 win in Lorman, Mississippi, during the 2017 season.
• The Purple and Gold won last year's contest 3-1 in Lorman as well.
• All-time in Thibodaux, Louisiana, the Braves are just 0-5.
• In 2010, the teams met in Prairie View, Texas, with the Colonels of Nicholls claiming an 8-0 win, respectfully.
• Across the series, the Braves have scored just 11 goals – three of those coming last season alone.
 
NOTING ALCORN…
• Grace Ambrose was named SWAC Offensive Player of the Week for the period of August 18-24.
• Ambrose supplied a goal and an assist in the first two games for the Purple and Gold.
• Renata Da Rosa has stopped four shots between the sticks thus far on the campaign.
• Larissa Joso Luma scored a goal in her last outing at ULM.
• Rebecca Kwoba has played all 180 minutes across both games for the Braves.
 
WHEN ALCORN LAST FACED NICHOLLS…
Alcorn Soccer earned its first win of the 2025 season in impressive fashion, rallying from a halftime deficit to defeat Nicholls State 3-1 on Thursday afternoon at Key City Park.
 
The Braves showed resilience after conceding the opening goal in the 39th minute, when Nicholls' Kaylie Harris capitalized to give the Colonels a 1-0 advantage heading into the break. Playing with urgency in the second half.
 
Alcorn quickly found its rhythm and began to control possession, creating consistent chances in the attacking third.
 
The breakthrough came in the 63rd minute when forward Deryn Doamekpor scored her first goal of the season, finishing a pass from Grace Ambrose to level the match at 1-1. The goal energized the Lady Braves, who continued pressing the Colonels' defense.
 
With the momentum fully in Alcorn's favor, defender Larissa Joso Luma delivered the decisive blow in the 87th minute, driving home the go-ahead goal with a composed finish. She struck again less than three minutes later, adding an insurance goal off an assist from Doamekpor to secure the 3-1 victory.
 
Alcorn dominated the stat sheet, holding a 72 percent possession advantage and out shooting Nicholls seven to five.
 
The Braves also earned seven corner kicks compared to just one for the Colonels, applying steady offensive pressure throughout the second half. Goalkeeper Ainara Aldeano secured the win in goal, completing a strong defensive performance from the back line.
 
The victory not only marked Alcorn's first of the young season, improving the team's record to 1-2-0, but also highlighted the squad's ability to respond under pressure and close out a match with confidence. Nicholls dropped to 0-3-0 with the loss.
 
SCOUTING THE COLONELS
• The Colonels enter the midweek contest 1-0-1 with a win over SWAC opponent Arkansas-Pine Bluff in their last contest.
• Nicholls drew away to Louisiana Tech 2-2 in the season opener for both programs.
• Olyvia Pugh and Kaylie Harris scored a brace each for the Colonels against UAPB.
• Five different players have scored two goals apiece on the campaign – Sydney Becker, Harris, Pugh, Alyssa Wheeler and Jezlyn Nelson.
• Thea Patuel has played 180 minutes for the Colonels on the year, seeing action for a complete 90 minutes in both games to start the year.
 
LAST TIME OUT (at ULM)
Grace Ambrose scored her first goal of the season for Alcorn on Sunday afternoon as Louisiana-Monroe defeated the visiting Braves 6-1 in nonconference women's soccer action at Brown Stadium in Monroe, Louisiana.
 
Alcorn (0-2-0) got on the board late through junior forward Grace Ambrose (Aba, Nigeria), but the deficit was already too steep to overcome against a ULM side (1-0-1) that piled up 17 shots, 12 of them on target, and forced Braves goalkeepers into five saves on the afternoon.
 
The Warhawks broke the game open in a decisive 14-minute stretch of the first half.
 
Maria Thania Gealon opened the scoring in the 28th minute with an unassisted finish, and Alcorn had no time to regroup.
 
Charli Harris beat the Purple and Gold defense just 27 seconds later, assisted by Bernadett Stefan, to make it 2-0 in favor of the hosts.
 
Giulia Franco added a third in the 37th minute, and Harris struck again for her brace in the 41st off a feed from Georgina Knott and Stacey Qosja, sending ULM into the break with a commanding 4-0 lead.
 
Alcorn goalkeeper Renata Da Rosa (Montevideo, Uruguay) was peppered early and often, facing 10 shots in the first half alone while her offense could only muster two shots of its own before the intermission.
 
ULM wasted little time extending the lead out of the locker room.
 
Angela Moreno converted just two minutes after the break (45:58) off an assist from Jenni Huttunen, and Amy Sharkey made it 6-0 just three minutes later, capping the scoring for the Warhawks and putting the game out of reach.
 
To their credit, the Braves did not fold.
 
Alcorn amassed five shots in the second half and continued to press even after Bailey Perales (Fremont, Calif.) took over in goal following a substitution just after the hour mark in the contest. Perales made a key save on a Bernadett Stefan shot in the 71st minute to help keep the margin from growing further.
 
Alcorn's lone tally came in the 87th minute, when Ambrose buried an unassisted shot to get the Purple and Gold.
 
Sophomore forward Annick Zouma (Yaoundé, Cameroon) led Alcorn's offensive effort with three shots on the day, all three on frame, and was whistled for a yellow card in the 72nd minute.
 
ULM finished with a 51-49 percent edge in possession and a 6-0 advantage in offside calls, a product of how often the Warhawks' attack pushed into the final third.
 
Harris' brace paced all scorers with two goals on four shots, while Gealon and Harris combined to test Da Rosa and Perales throughout the match. Jen Handy earned the win in net for ULM, stopping two shots across 61:35 of work before giving way to Maria Heuman, who turned away two more chances in relief.
 
Da Rosa was tagged with the loss after allowing six goals on six saves in 61:35 of action.
 
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