On a night for the seniors, Northwestern State’s five did not disappoint.
One of them, Paige Baumgartner, broke the school record with five goals, as the Demons (2-5) smashed the team goals record in a staggering 24-1 rout of Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-4) on Thursday evening at the Demon Soccer Complex.
It earned NSU mention on ESPN’s SportsCenter and left the Demons grinning afterward.
“We talked about making the day special beforehand,” fourth-year head coach Ian Brophy said, after winning his 32nd game at NSU, tied for the third-most in program history. “We talked about wanting to win it for the seniors and play well. We did that tonight. I thought the finishing was really good, and every senior got on the scoresheet outside of our goalkeeper, Saki. Not much more you can ask and then you get the cherry on top with the record-setting night.”
Seven players recorded multiple goals, led by Baumgartner’s five, as the 24 goals break the Southland Conference record and fell just one goal shy of the NCAA record set by Mississippi Valley State, which scored 25 in a 25-0 romp over Alcorn State in 2006.
The previous Southland mark had been held for 22 years, a Sam Houston 23-goal outburst against Texas Southern in 2004.
“To break the school record is great,” Baumgartner said. “Scoring 24 goals in a single game is an insane amount. Contributing to five of those goals was great for me and great for the team and it is a huge confidence boost for the team.”
NSU shattered its previous school record of 15 goals, set in 1998 in a 15-2 win over then-Louisiana College.
In addition to the goals (24), assists (26) and points (74) records set Thursday, they also tied the school record with 54 shot attempts, tying the record set in 2017 against LSU-Shreveport.
To go along with Baumgartner’s school record, seniors Emily Gundin and Riley Stern tied the school record with four assists on their Senior Night.
The Demons put the pedal to the medal in the first half, breaking the school record of 15 goals with a 16-goal onslaught in half No. 1 to lead 16-1 at the break.
Baumgartner scored four goals in the first 15 minutes of action before taking a rest. Her final goal came in the 85th minute to etch her name in the school record books alone at the top of the single game goal scoring list at NSU.
The Demons get a well-earned week off before heading to Grambling on Sept. 17 for the final non-conference match before Southland play begins on Sept. 24 against Lamar.