University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss
Nicholls
Soccer Looks To Make It Six Straight Home Opener Wins
8/25/2021 6:36:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Hattiesburg, Miss. – The Southern Miss soccer program looks to make it six straight wins in a row for home openers as it is set to host Nicholls State, Thursday, Aug. 26, at 5 p.m., at the Southern Miss Soccer Complex.
Head Coach Mohammed El-Zare stated, "Playing your first home game is special in many ways. Looking forward to our young team to seize the moment by playing hard, smart, and sticking together".
"We are looking forward to our home opener against Nicholls State. It's always great to play in front of our home crowd. The girls are prepared and ready to execute on the field," Assistant Coach Carly Mauldin said.
Home Openers: The Southern Miss soccer program has won five home openers on the trot since 2016 with an aggregate score of, 13-1. Previous home openers include:
South Alabama, Feb. 14, 2021, 1-0.
South Alabama, Sep. 5, 2019, 1-0.
ULM, Aug. 19, 2018, 7-0.
Nicholls State, Aug. 18, 2017, 3-1.
ULM, Aug. 26, 2016, 1-0.
Series History: Southern Miss leads the series, 8-1-1, with the matchups starting in 1999.
Last Meeting: The Black and Gold last met in Thibodaux, La., on Feb. 3, 2021, in the shortened spring season. USM took the win in a 2-0 victory over the Colonels. The 2020-21 C-USA Offensive Player of the Year, Ariel Diaz, scored both goals for the Golden Eagles. The first was a solo goal in the 65th minute and the second goal came in the 90th minute as only nine seconds remained in the match.
Last Time In Hattiesburg: USM and Nicholls State previously met in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Aug. 18, 2017, for the USM season home opener as then senior, Becky McMullan, scored twice in a 3-1 win. McMullan netted the game's first goal in the fourth minute by a then senior, Lindsey Lee throw-in from the left side of the field that placed the ball inside of the box for McMullan to half-volley into the back of the net. 24 seconds into the second half, then senior, Katie Richmond's cross set up past sophomore, Monica Maldonado's header inside the box to go ahead 2-0. McMullan added her second goal of the game with a shot 25 yards out to find the top right corner of the net. The Colonels eventually scored with 11 minutes remaining to give the final score, 3-1.
For Southern Miss Soccer updates, follow the team's twitter account, @SouthernMissSoc, and check the main athletics site at SouthernMiss.com.
