THIBODAUX, La. – Jess Coates' goal in the 11th minute was enough to lift Nicholls to a 1-0 victory over the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's soccer team on Sunday. Megan Delaney made six saves in the defeat for the Islanders (1-4-2, 0-2-0 Southland).
Taylor Mosley added six saves of her own to post a shutout for the Colonels, who improved to 5-4-0 and evened their conference record at 1-1-0 with the win. Nicholls outshot the Islanders 17-12 in the contest, though A&M-Corpus Christi was awarded six corners to Nicholls' three.
"We let the game slip through our hands today," head coach Shanna Caldwell said. "We had great early chances that we didn't convert and in the end that was the difference. They finished their one chance and we didn't.
"We have to find a way to commit to converting our opportunities," she added. "Moving forward, that will be the biggest difference we can make."
Nicholls cracked the scoreboard in the 11th minute, with Coates netting her second goal of the season. Emily Werenskiold took a free kick for the Colonels and found Coates, who sent it into the lower left corner of the net to make it a 1-0 game at 10:10.
The score remained that way through halftime, though the Islanders had the bulk of the chances for the majority of the period. Megan Delaney had several long free kicks that threatened, but could not find their way past Mosley. The Islanders outshot the Colonels in the opening half, 11-8, and put six of those on frame.
In the second half, neither team had much in the way of chances, with the home squad tallying nine shots and putting four on goal. Delaney made four saves after the break to keep it a one-goal game all the way to the final whistle.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi will return to the Coastal Bend next weekend for their first home conference match of the year. Central Arkansas will face the Islanders on Friday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. at the Dugan Family Soccer & Track Stadium. For all the latest on Islanders Soccer, be sure to follow the team on Twitter and Instagram (@IslandersSoccer) and like the team's official Facebook page (Islanders Soccer).
