The Nicholls State soccer program picked up one of its biggest wins in its short history as the Colonels (4-15, 1-10 Southland Conference) defeated LSU 2-1 in Thibodaux Wednesday night.
“It was a huge upset,” said senior midfielder Jen deHay. “They played well and we didn’t.”
The loss marks the first time the Tigers (9-8-1, 2-6 Southeastern Conference) have lost to an in-state foe since coach George Fotopoulos took the reigns of the LSU soccer program. Prior to his arrival, LSU often struggled against in-state teams, but LSU is 17-1-2 against Louisiana schools under Fotopoulos.
“The people that haven’t been on the team a while got a sense of what the program was like before George,” said freshman defender Stephanie Ford. “We now have an understanding of what it is like to be at the bottom of the hill.”
Fotopoulos chose to use a different starting lineup and deHay said the chemistry may have been off from that, but the Tigers still should have won.
“We’re better than to let something like that be an excuse,” deHay said.
The Colonels only had two shots on goal in the first half, but Samantha Bledsoe was successful on both attempts. The Colonels ended the game with only five shots on goal.
“In the first half, there were a few minor breakdowns that cost us big,” said junior goalkeeper Robyn DesOrmeaux.
The Tigers changed up their strategy in the second half and shifted their formation to attack the goal.
“After halftime it was almost like there was a new team on the field,” DesOrmeaux said. “Everybody kind of stepped in positions they weren’t used to, to help push the attack.”
LSU had many opportunities as the Tigers had 11 corner kicks, took 35 shots, 18 of those shots on goal, with four shots hitting off the goal post, but they were unable to score until a 89th-minute goal by senior midfielder Stephanie Keating on a penalty kick.
“The ball just did not bounce our way today,” deHay said. “If we would have scored two, we would’ve scored 10. It’s so frustrating.”
LSU freshman goalkeeper Heather Zurburg got some game experience and played the entire second half in place of DesOrmeaux.
“She made some really key saves in the second half,” DesOrmeaux said.
Ford said she was not sure what went wrong that caused the Tigers to lose to a team they should beat.
“I don’t really know,” Ford said. “I think we’re all trying to figure that out right now. It’s not that we weren’t trying or playing hard, it just wasn’t happening. We made a lot of little mistakes that added up.”