The key word this season for the Northwestern State soccer team has been ‘resiliency.’
After seeing its five-game winning streak come to an end last time out, NSU (5-6, 2-1) must show that resiliency once again, as it returns home to take on East Texas A&M (2-6-3, 1-2) in a matchup of the top two teams in the Southland Conference preseason polls.
Kickoff is at 7 tonight at the Demon Soccer Complex with ESPN+ coverage.
“Resiliency has been our word all season long,” head coach Ian Brophy said. “We’ve been really good at home, so the hope is that we get that home cooking underneath us again.
“We’re going to have tough moments, but it’s how do we respond to them and hopefully we can see a good response.”
The Demons have been unbeatable at home in recent years, as NSU has not lost in 14 games, the longest streak in school history, going 12-0-2 in those 14.
That includes a victory to begin conference play, a 2-0 win over Lamar last month.
“We’re pumped to be back at home,” junior defender Sophie Minnillo said. “We absolutely love home games. The energy is just different when playing there.”
The last time the Demons were beaten at home happened to come at the hands of ETAMU, a 2-1 Lions win on Oct. 13, 2024. NSU won in Commerce last year, 3-1.
The Lions are coming off a close defeat at the hands of Lamar, as the Cardinals scored in the final two minutes to win the crucial conference contest.
This has been a tight rivalry, as four of the last five have been decided by a single goal.
“East Texas A&M is really dangerous,” Brophy said. “They are like a cornered animal right now. They have had some tough results, but they are very good, so we know we will have to be at it and very competitive in every action of the game and at every moment. We’re going to have to dominate possession and here at home, we have to control the action and take advantage of our moments.”