BEAUMONT, Texas — Going into the season, the Northwestern State soccer team had many goals.
Two — a Southland Conference regular season championship and a Southland Tournament championship — stand above the rest.
Northwestern (11-3-3, 6-1-1) has a chance to capture the first objective at Lamar (5-6-5, 2-2-4) tonight at the LU Soccer Complex.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. with ESPN+ coverage.
“It is going to be a tough game,” head coach Ian Brophy said. “Lamar is a very good team with some very dangerous players, especially the league’s leading scorer. We know if we give up an opportunity, they can put it away.
“For us, it’s about doing the things we have done, and obviously clean sheets give us a real opportunity to do well and win matches. If we can get out of there with a clean sheet, it should be a step closer for us in terms of winning a title.”
The Demons can claim the conference regular season crown with a win, the first of three they aim to earn in Beaumont, as the field is where the conference tournament is being held.
Northwestern can either clinch with a triumph at Lamar or a loss by second-place Stephen F. Austin at UIW. The Demons have a four-point lead with two matches left, with wins counting three points. NSU’s regular season concludes next Thursday at Nicholls.
NSU was in a similar position last season, as it could have won the 2024 SLC title with a victory at Stephen F. Austin in the regular season finale, but the Lumberjacks came away with a 5-0 win.
The Demons remember that experience and are prepared to handle the moment this time around.
“This team has learned a lot from that experience last year and coming up just short,” Brophy said. “The hope is to use that as fuel to make sure it doesn’t happen again. For us, we need to stay focused on the little things and doing all the things we know are going to lead to success.”
NSU is coming off a strong weekend, finishing off an unbeaten home schedule with shutout victories over McNeese and UIW. The Demons have won five straight.
The Cardinals are aiming to hold on to their tournament spot, as they are in a jumbled mess within the SLC standings, as fourth-place Southeastern Louisiana is just three points ahead of ninth-place Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
With 10 points, Lamar is three points ahead of last-place UTRGV.
