PREVIEW: Ladyjacks Open Key Southland Stretch at Nicholls, Host Lamar

Thursday, October 8

Thibodaux, LA

7:00 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

Nicholls

PREVIEW: Ladyjacks Open Key Southland Stretch at Nicholls, Host Lamar

10/6/2026 11:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

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SFA travels to Thibodaux on Thursday before returning to the Chopping Block for Sunday’s matchup with the Cardinals.

By: Jason Madden, Assistant Director for Communications

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – SFA begins a key Southland stretch Thursday at Nicholls before returning to Nacogdoches to host Lamar on Sunday, looking to rebound after a 2–0 loss at HCU and build on last season's 2–0 win over the Colonels and postseason victory over the Cardinals.

SFA at Nicholls
  Date and Time: Thursday, October 8 at 7 PM
  Location: Thibodaux Regional Sports Complex, Thibodaux, La.
  Broadcast: ESPN+

SFA vs Lamar
  Date and Time: Sunday, October 11 at 1 PM
  Location: The Chopping Block, Nacogdoches, TX
  Broadcast: ESPN+

BROADCAST AND TICKET INFORMATION
For fans who can't attend in person, Sunday's match will be broadcast live on ESPN+ so that supporters can catch all the action from home. Single-game tickets are available for purchase HERE. Additionally, students can enjoy free entry, making it an excellent opportunity for the student body to support Ladyjacks Soccer.

LADYJACKS IN FRONT OF THE HOME FAITHFUL
The Ladyjacks return to the Chopping Block on Sunday, where the energy of the home crowd and Nacogdoches community provides a major lift for SFA.

Head Coach Ashley Whittemore stated, "It is always nice to be back home. We play well at home and love our fans and our community, and when they come out to our home pitch it means everything in the world. We are looking forward to Sunday and are very excited to be back home."

SOUTHLAND STANDINGS
The Ladyjacks enter the week in 10^th place with a 4-9 overall record and a 1-3 SLC record. SFA defeated TAMU-CC in the SLC opener before dropping matches to McNeese, NSU, and HCU. The Colonels sit sixth in the conference with a 3-3-6 record and a 1-0-3 record in league play. Lamar sits near the top of the table at third place with a 5-2-4 record and a 2-1-1 SLC record.

SCOUTING THE COLONELS
Nicholls enters Thursday's matchup at 3-3-6 overall and 1-0-3 in Southland Conference play following a scoreless draw at McNeese. The Colonels have outscored opponents 31-19 this season and are led offensively by Alyssa Wheeler, who has recorded six goals and five assists. Olyvia Pugh and Jezlyn Nelson have each added four goals, while Pugh ranks second on the team with four assists. Senior goalkeeper Aislinn Wright has posted four shutouts and carries a 1.65 goals-against average with 52 saves. In conference play, Nicholls has allowed just three goals in four matches.

SERIES HISTORY (NICHOLLS)
SFA holds a 29-3-1 advantage in the all-time series with Nicholls and enters Thursday's matchup on a four-match winning streak. The Ladyjacks earned a 2-0 victory in last season's meeting in Nacogdoches and own a 13-2-1 record all-time in Thibodaux. SFA is 8-2 over the last 10 meetings with the Colonels.

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
Lamar enters Sunday's matchup at 5-2-4 overall and 2-1-1 in Southland Conference play after a 2-1 road win at East Texas A&M. The Cardinals have outscored opponents 26-9 this season, averaging 15.5 shots per match while allowing 9.1. Senior Marissa Gross leads Big Red with six goals and four game winners, while Kamryn Harvey has added four goals and three assists, and Diem Sealy has contributed four goals. Lamar is unbeaten in eight of its last nine matches.

SERIES HISTORY (LAMAR)
SFA owns a 17-5-1 advantage in the all-time series with Lamar, including an 8-1 record in matches played in Nacogdoches. The Ladyjacks claimed the most recent meeting, a 2-0 victory in the 2025 Southland Conference Tournament, after the teams played to a 1-1 draw in Beaumont during the regular season. SFA is 6-3-1 over the last 10 matchups with the Cardinals.

COMEBACK JACKS
SFA capped non-conference play with a thrilling comeback victory over Jackson State, as Alyce Chappelle scored the game-winner in the 77th minute. One week later, Chappelle delivered another late goal in the 88th minute to complete a comeback against the Islanders and move the Ladyjacks to 1-0 in Southland Conference play.

SECOND HALF
On the season, the Ladyjacks have scored 23 goals, with 17 coming in the second half. Head coach Ashley Whittemore addressed the team's second-half success.
"We are a strong second-half team," Whittemore said. "We just have to adjust in the first half and put the pedal to the floor in the first 45 minutes as we do in the second half."

SOUTHLAND NUMBERS
The Ladyjacks enter this week's matchups with forward Alyce Chappelle ranked fourth among the Southland Conference's top 10 goal scorers. Chappelle has scored seven goals in 13 matches, ranking fourth in the conference. Freshman standout Savanna Oberholtzer ranks fourth in the SLC with two game-winning goals, while Chappelle sits fifth. The Jacks rank third in the conference for assists per game with 1.85 and second for total assists with 24.

PLAYER TO WATCH
Alyce Chappelle: Alyce Chappelle leads SFA with 15 points, pairing a team-best seven goals with one assist in her first season as a Ladyjack. The Idaho transfer scored the game-winner against Jackson State as part of a two-goal performance and has quickly become a focal point of the SFA attack. Chappelle added her second game-winning goal in the 88th minute against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the Southland Conference opener. She leads the Ladyjacks in five of six offensive categories and ranks fourth in the SLC in total goals. Against NSU, Chappelle netted two goals, including a last-second goal to give the Ladyjacks a first-half lead over the Lady Demons.

WHITTEMORE PREVIEWS THE WEEK
Head coach Ashley Whittemore discusses the Ladyjacks' priorities heading into this week's Southland matchups:

"The approach this week is to stay focused, get back on the scoresheet, go to goal, be dangerous and hold onto the ball. At the same time, we have to avoid giving up corner kicks and free shots, which have led to goals against us on set pieces."

LADYJACKS LAND AT THE FIVE
Before the start of the 2026 season, the Southland Conference reintroduced its preseason polls. Coming off a historic 2025 campaign that included a berth in the Southland Conference Tournament championship match, the Ladyjacks were picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll. SFA received one first-place vote, making the Ladyjacks the final team in the preseason poll to receive a first-place selection. The Islanders were picked seventh in the preseason poll, receiving 51 points.

WILLIAMS EARNS SLC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK (SEPT. 15)
Sydney Williams logged 180 minutes across matches against Texas Southern and Jackson State. She helped anchor the Ladyjacks' first shutout of the season in Thursday's 3–0 win over the Tigers, then scored the opening goal Sunday against Jackson State while leading SFA's backline to a second-half shutout in the Ladyjacks' comeback victory.

A LOOK TO THE NUMBERS
The Ladyjacks have 24 assists on 23 goals, led by Prié's three assists. That total reflects an attack built on combination play rather than a single scorer, with Davis, Rosito, Platt and several others regularly involved in the final pass.

The Ladyjacks rank among the top 101 scoring offenses in the nation and are ranked 59th in the country in assists per game and 86th in points per game at 5.38. The Ladyjacks have scored 23 goals this season, the 62nd-most in the nation, while their 24 total assists rank 43rd nationally. Alyce Chappelle leads the Jacks in goals and is ranked in the top 50 for goal scorers in the nation.

MUST KNOW MUSSER
Goalkeeper Brandie Musser ranks in the top 50 keepers in the nation for total saves and top 10 in the Southland. Musser also sits at standalone third place in the Southland for saves per game, averaging 4.15 a match.

WHITTEMORE BEGINS CONFERENCE YEAR TWO
Head coach Ashley Whittemore enters Thursday with a 12-13-10 record at SFA. In her first season, she led the Ladyjacks to an 8-4-10 record, a 5-1-4 Southland mark and the program's second Southland Conference Tournament championship-match appearance since returning to the league.

LAST TIME OUT
The Ladyjacks were blanked at HCU in the 2-0 defeat. SFA was held to just four shots with two on target. Brandie Musser played for 45 minutes, collecting two saves and allowing no goals.

UP NEXT
SFA Soccer hosts SLU after their pair of matches this week. The Jacks and Lions kick off at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 15 in the 45^th meeting in the series.

WOMEN OF THE MATCH
vs Sul Ross - Savanna Oberholtzer: Six shots, two shots on goal, one goal, 60 minutes
at Oklahoma State - Brandie Musser: 90 min, 3 goals allowed, four saves
at Arkansas State - Carlie Thurmond: 1 goal, 1 shot, 63 minutes
vs LA Tech - Kamrynn Davis: Played as a defender for 90 minutes as a forward, ran 8 miles, recorded 5 shots and 4 on goal.
vs ULM - BB Bonzheim: One shot, 55 minutes, made second start for SFA in the new season
at Texas A&M - Sydney Williams: Logged 90 minutes, won 77% of duels, 3 blocked shots
at Texas Southern- Lucie Platt: Logged 31 minutes, 3 shots, 3 shots-on-goal, 2 goals
vs Jackson State- Alyce Chappelle: Logged 39 minutes, 4 shots, 2 shots-on-goal, 2 goals
vs Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: Kensley Smith: 57 minutes, 1 SOG, 1 goal
at McNeese: Sawyer Kohutek: 76 minutes, 1 SOG, 1 goal
vs NSU: Alyce Chappelle: 51 minutes, 2 SOG, 2 goals
at HCU: Cassidy Hoang: 73 minutes

FOLLOW THE LADYJACKS
For all the latest information on SFA soccer, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Ladyjacks on X, Instagram, and Facebook.

#AxeEm x #EarnThe90