The 2026 Southland Conference Women's Soccer Tournament gets underway Tuesday in Commerce, Texas, with seven teams looking to finish the season with a conference championship. For Nicholls, the tournament presents an opportunity to build on a competitive conference season and potentially make some noise in the postseason.

The Colonels enter the tournament as the No. 5 seed after finishing the regular season with a 6-6-6 overall record and a 4-3-3 mark in Southland play. Nicholls will face fourth-seeded UIW on Tuesday at noon at the Lion Soccer Complex on the campus of East Texas A&M.

While Nicholls enters as the lower seed, the Colonels have already shown they can beat the Cardinals. Nicholls picked up a 1-0 victory over UIW in Thibodaux on September 24, a result that should give the Colonels some confidence heading into Tuesday's matchup.



Nicholls Has the Offense to Compete

One of the biggest strengths for Nicholls this season has been its ability to score goals. The Colonels finished the regular season with 38 goals in 18 matches, averaging 2.11 goals per contest.

Alyssa Wheeler has been a major part of that success. Wheeler leads Nicholls with eight goals and seven assists, totaling 23 points. Her production has made her one of the players to watch throughout the tournament.

Jezlyn Nelson has also been a key contributor, finishing with six goals, while Olyvia Pugh, Kate Guillory, and Angelina Rispone each have four goals this season.

The Colonels have several players capable of finding the back of the net, something that could make a difference in tournament play. However, Nicholls will need to be more consistent offensively, especially against a UIW team that has relied heavily on its defense.

A Familiar Opponent in UIW

The fourth-seeded Cardinals enter Tuesday's matchup with a defense that has been among their biggest strengths this season.

UIW goalkeeper Hannah Alexander has recorded 83 saves and six shutouts, earning Southland Goalkeeper of the Week honors twice. The Cardinals have not been one of the conference's highest-scoring teams, but their ability to keep opponents off the scoreboard has helped them remain competitive.

For Nicholls, getting opportunities around the goal will be important. The Colonels averaged nearly 14 shots per match during the regular season, but converting those opportunities could determine whether they advance.

The previous meeting between these programs was decided by a single goal, and there is plenty of reason to believe Tuesday's matchup could be another close contest.

Colonels Looking to Build on Regular-Season Finale

Nicholls enters the tournament coming off a 2-1 victory over Southeastern Louisiana on November 5 in Thibodaux.

That victory was important after the Colonels had dropped consecutive conference matches against Northwestern State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Nicholls has shown throughout the season that it can compete with some of the conference's better teams. The Colonels earned a 2-2 draw against regular-season champion Lamar, battled second-seeded Houston Christian to a 1-1 draw and picked up a 2-1 victory over Stephen F. Austin.

The biggest question entering the tournament is whether Nicholls can put together complete performances against quality opponents.

Defensively, goalkeeper Aislinn Wright has been a consistent presence for the Colonels, recording 76 saves and helping Nicholls collect four team shutouts during the regular season.

With the tournament being single elimination, limiting mistakes and finishing scoring opportunities will be critical.

The Road to a Southland Championship

Lamar enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed after winning the regular-season championship with a 7-1-2 conference record. The Cardinals receive a first-round bye and will await the winner of Nicholls and UIW in Thursday's semifinals.

Houston Christian, the defending tournament champion, earned the No. 2 seed, while Northwestern State enters as the No. 3 seed.

The tournament gets underway Tuesday, November 10, with three first-round matchups. Fourth-seeded UIW faces fifth-seeded Nicholls at noon, followed by No. 3 Northwestern State taking on No. 6 McNeese at 3:30 p.m. The opening round concludes with second-seeded Houston Christian facing seventh-seeded East Texas A&M at 7 p.m.

Semifinal action is scheduled for Thursday, November 12, beginning with top-seeded Lamar facing the winner of Nicholls and UIW at 3:30 p.m. The winners of the other two first-round matches will meet at 7 p.m. The Southland Conference Championship is scheduled for Sunday, November 15, at 1 p.m., with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

All six tournament matches will be played at the Lion Soccer Complex in Commerce, Texas, and broadcast on ESPN+.

Final Thoughts

Nicholls may not enter the tournament as one of the favorites, but the Colonels have enough offensive talent to be a dangerous opponent.

The biggest challenge will be putting everything together. Nicholls has shown flashes of being a very good offensive team, but consistency has been an issue at times throughout the season.

Tuesday's matchup against UIW is certainly winnable, especially considering the Colonels already defeated the Cardinals earlier this season. A victory would set up a difficult semifinal matchup against Lamar, but Nicholls has already shown it can compete with the regular-season champions.

Tournament soccer can be unpredictable. One goal, one defensive mistake or one outstanding performance can completely change a team's season.

For Nicholls, the opportunity is there. Now it comes down to taking advantage of it.