Mississippi Valley defeats Nicholls State 3-1 for first victory of 2018

ITTA BENA, Mississippi – The Delta Devilettes of Mississippi Valley State claimed their first win of the 2018 season Friday with a 3-1 triumph over visiting Nicholls State.

Laadi Issaka netted two goals in the first half – including the match-winner – as Valley snapped a season-opening two-match losing streak. Karenth Zabala-Terrazas added an insurance goal in the second half.

Freshman goalkeeper Myisha Butts picked up the win for Valley in her first collegiate start. The native of Sugar Land, Texas, made seven saves in the match, including five in the last 15 minutes of the contest.

BOX SCORE

Issaka opened the scoring in the 11th minute with a strike into a wide-open right side of the net, giving the Ghana national her second goal of the season. Nicholls State leveled in the 17th minute when Welsh national Francesca Curteis scored on a crossing pass from teammate Hannah Bodron.

Valley reclaimed the lead near the half-hour when Issaka scored from 20 yards out. Zabala-Terrazas gave the home side a two-goal lead less than five minutes after the restart.

The Devilettes did not have a deep bench for the match, but that proved not to be a problem as Valley claimed their second consecutive win in as many seasons. Sydney Newport, Stephany Adomako, and Ronique Alexander all played the full 90 minutes, alongside Issaka and Zabala-Terrazas.

The loss to Valley was Nicholls' second consecutive to a Southwestern Athletic Conference opponent. The Colonels (0-3) fell at home to Grambling by a 2-1 score Sunday.

Valley will host Northwestern State on Sunday at 2 p.m.

MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS