A Red Mass will be held Friday, Nov. 8 at 9 am at the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, located at the corner of Church and Second Streets in Natchitoches. All faiths are invited to attend.

A Red Mass is celebrated annually in the Catholic Church for all members of the legal profession, regardless of religious affiliation. This includes judges, lawyers, law school professors, law students, government officials, and first responders.

The Red Mass opens the judicial year; traditionally around the first Monday in October, the opening of the US Supreme Court session.

Through prayerful petition and thanksgiving the Red Mass requests guidance from the Holy Spirit for all who seek justice, and offers the legal community an opportunity to reflect on what Catholics believe is the God-given power and responsibility of all in the legal profession.

It’s traditional name, the Red Mass, is derived from the color of the vestments that may be worn by the celebrants of the mass, and the traditional scarlet robes of the attending judges (now judges wear black robes).

The first Red Mass is uncertain; recorded as early as 1245 in England. The tradition of an annual Red Mass in London at Westminster Cathedral began in 1310 and continues to this day. The Red Mass in Natchitoches alternates between Trinity Episcopal Church and Immaculate Conception.

11/02/2019

Letter to the Editor,

I write this letter not knowing where else to turn. The roads in Natchitoches Parish are in deplorable condition, particularly in my area Hart Road (Par. Rd. 317), Pardee Road (Par. Rd. 319) and Sandy Point Road. There are so many potholes in the roads that drivers are veering into homeowners yards to navigate around them. Traveling from my home back to Hwy 9 would normally take 3 to 5 minutes, but now it takes at least fifteen minutes. This is due to the roads falling into a horrendous state of repair. The school buses have a difficult time traveling their routes and a neighbor was told by Fedex that a package could not be delivered for several days due to the road conditions. Many vehicles have suffered tires, shocks & front end damage, including mine.

We love this area with its scenic beauty, excellent fishing, wildlife, and great neighbors. We bought a nice home here in Natchitoches Parish several years ago and moved here permanently this past year. The horrid road conditions are causing concern for me and our neighbors about property values decreasing in an otherwise positive real estate market. Our taxes are high and yet our roads have deteriorated significantly in the past twelve months.

We have called the Parish Council-Public Works Department numerous times in the past nine months to alert them of particularly dangerous potholes. Those that answer the phones have been nice and occasionally sent crews out to apply a cold patch or place a gravel/concrete dust mixture but those temporary fixes rarely last more than a few weeks. We have asked to speak with someone in the Public Works Department or Parish Council and been told that someone would return our call. No one has yet returned our phone calls. Recently some neighbors have helped by taking their personal tractors to smooth areas just to make the roads passable. Some have place concrete blocks & logs into deeper potholes.

Two churches in our area, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church and Family Worship Center have seen positive growth this year. However, due to the roads diminishing so significantly in the past nine months that now parishioners are having a difficult time just getting to church. We have spoken to many families and lay leaders in both churches and all the leaders are very concerned with this problem. Also the roads leading to the public boat landings on Westwind and Sandy Point Road are in such poor condition that fewer and fewer fisherman/sportsman and their families are coming to the lake because they are afraid of damage to their vehicles, boats and trailers. The road conditions are definitely causing economic problems for the restaurants on Hwy 9 with reduced visitors to our beautiful parish. Something must be done! Who in our parish government will be held accountable?

Debbie, Campti, LA

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The views and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Natchitoches Parish Journal.  If you have an article or story of interest for publishing consideration by the NPJ, please send it to NPJNatLa@gmail.com.

By Melanie Wilson

Facebook is great about popping up memories and my memory this week is about getting the first baby. I can’t believe it has been a year since I started the journey of being a foster mom. This article is all about the things I have learned or the crazy things that have happened.

The first thing I have to acknowledge is that this is a calling from God. I could not deal with all of this without knowing God called me and loves me. I have made mistakes but I know God gives me grace and won’t leave me especially in the really hard times.

Second, I have got “too attached” to every child that has entered my home. I hear this all the time about how people couldn’t do this because they would get “too attached” and I’m here to say if you don’t then you probably shouldn’t do this.

Third, my village is amazing. My village has supported, loved, prayed, and cared for the kids and me so much. My village has grown by so many that I can’t count how many people have helped us.

Fourth, I’m never going to sugar coat things so the truth is it is not all rainbows and sunshines. It is life and it is hard. It is probably the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I have thought about quitting, I have cried, and I have had to get a babysitter just so that I could walk away for a few hours and breath. I have had way more sleepless nights then I ever thought was humanly possible to survive.

Finally, the system is BROKEN! Children stay too long in foster care. I believe biological parents should be given a chance but children’s life shouldn’t be placed in limbo for 600+ days. It shouldn’t take 2 years for a child to be adopted. Children shouldn’t be in foster care twice. I shouldn’t also feel that I am the only one fighting for these kids. There is only one side to this and it is the kids.

I can’t believe it has been a year. There have been lots of firsts for sure. I was called mommy for the first time. We had babies for Christmas and holidays took on an entire new meaning. I learned how to install carseats and how to hold down screaming kicking baby and bulk them up.

Things I have not been able to get over is the nasty diapers! Does throwing up from them ever stop? Also waking up ready to play at 5am, I don’t know if I will get over that either. Why do they wake up so early? Sleep till 8 and I’ll buy you a pony.

I don’t have all the answers to fix the system. I don’t know all of the parenting secrets or if I really honestly know what I am doing. The only thing I know is that I love these babies, I want what is best for them, and even during the hard times it is the best decision I ever made.

DID YOU KNOW? Unfortunately depending on the area and the resources available has an effect on if babies are taken from the hospital or the parent is given a chance. There are some parishes that no child leaves the hospital if the mother has a positive drug test and some that is not the case. Why do we not have enough resources to take care of every child. I started this article saying I couldn’t do this without God and I pray that people who are hearing the calling or if you don’t believe but have ever thought about foster care goes for it! These kids need our help!

Farm Bureau Insurance Player of the Week for Natchitoches Central High School:
Devin Sowell, #27. He rushed for 144 yards.

Farm Bureau Insurance Player of the Week for Saint Mary’s:
Michael Guillet

Farm Bureau Insurance Player of the Week for Lakeview High School:
Two amazing athletes: Tevin Hickman and Devonte Robinson.
Tevin, #2, rushed for 130 yards, ran 80 yards for a touchdown. Saved game with a blocked pass
Devonte, #25, linebacker. 8 – solo tackles, 4- assists, 1 – sac, 2 broken passes

By Holly Penta

April Wade is a “change agent” for her students at East Natchitoches Elementary. She’s been teaching since 1986 and is currently an inclusion teacher for fifth and sixth graders. She believes that all students can learn and excel if they are intrinsically nurtured and know that someone genuinely cares. Students do best when they’re encouraged and when they’re in environments where their needs are prioritized.

For Wade, it’s hard to be under appreciated as an educator. The hardest part is seeing the minimum volunteerism in schools, especially from critics of public education.

“Teachers affect the lives of every individual in the world,” she said. “As such, they should receive the respect that they deserve.”

Teachers empower individuals with the essential tools of becoming literate, productive, contributing members of society and many teachers take on roles outside of their job. For example, many teachers are coaches and spend personal money to make the lives of their students better. Still, they do not always get the recognition, respect, or support that they need. Because of this, Wade is especially appreciative of individuals and businesses that support the mission and vision of education and to them she says, “Thank you!”

Her impact on certain students has been profound. Once, the older sister of one of her former students told Wade that her sibling only felt safe at school and that Wade’s unconditional love and support really meant a lot to her. Though Wade did not know what the student was experiencing at home, her love helped the little girl get through it. The sister told Wade it helped the girl in ways Wade has no idea about.

Experiences like these are some of her favorite parts about teaching. She loves to see former students and hear about their accomplishments and see how her teaching has impacted their lives. Another particularly notable student was a kindergarten girl who came into Wade’s class functioning well below average. The child hardly spoke and severely lacked confidence. Wade, with the help of a speech pathologist, helped the girl learn to speak well and read and write simple sentences.

Wade says that kindergarten is her favorite grade to teach since the kids enter the school year with limited knowledge. For her, observing students master foundational and grade level competencies is an exciting experience. She knows that these skills are learned by working together in the classroom. When children are younger, they tend to get more educational support from their families, which Wade finds helpful.

Although Wade strongly believes that teaching is a calling, she didn’t always know that she wanted to be a teacher. She had a few different career choices and prayed and asked God to show her what her purpose was. He reminded her of all the “classrooms” she created while helping babysit younger children. Her students and their parents are so lucky that He did.

Northwestern State University will hold its Fall N Side View Day Saturday, Nov. 9.

More than 800 prospective juniors, seniors and parents are expected to attend a preview of what Northwestern State has to offer. A check-in and organizational browse begins at 10 a.m. in the Fine Arts Annex near Magale Recital Hall.

Fall N Side View Day will include a guest speaker, a student panel composed of a variety of current NSU students and a parent panel covering scholarship, financial aid and housing options.

Tours of the Northwestern State campus and university residence halls will be available. Representatives of the university’s academic programs and student organizations will be available to answer questions.

Lunch will be available for a small fee. Students can receive a free ticket to the 6:30 p.m. football game against Lamar. Football tickets for those accompanying the students are $5. Tailgating will begin near Turpin Stadium at 4 p.m.

To make reservations for Fall N Side View, call (800) 327-1903 or (318) 357-4503.

On Halloween the Marie Shaw Dunn Child Development Center at Northwestern State University hosted a party for their preschool classes. The kids, aged 3-5, dressed in Halloween costumes, decorated pumpkins, learned about farm animals, and of course got lots of candy. The Director of the Child Development Center, Faith Stanfield, dressed as the Cat in the Hat and the other teachers, Dana Chadick and Joni Prewitt, were Thing 1 and Thing 2. Most of the children were dressed up, some as princesses, some as superheroes, dinosaurs, witches, and one was an old lady!

Over the past few weeks the kids have been getting more and more excited about Halloween. They’ve been playing with costumes, playing “Trick or Treat”, and decorating pumpkins. Each child’s parents brought them a small pumpkin to decorate and throughout the week, they painted them and added glitter, stickers, and beads. When they were finished decorating them, they told their teachers all about them. They talked about the name of the pumpkin, their thoughts behind their artistic process, and what they planned to do with the pumpkin when they brought it home.

The teachers carved pumpkins so that the children could play with the seeds and practice their fine motor skills by taking the eyes, nose and mouth out and practicing putting them back in. They have also been tracing and coloring in pumpkins, playing with small Trick-or-Treat buckets, and practicing putting on costumes by themselves.

When it was finally Halloween day, On the Go Petting Zoo came to the school to teach the children about farm animals. They brought a hen, a rooster, a duck, a goat, a sheep, and a rabbit. Despite the cold, the animals were set up on the playground and the owners talked to the kids about what the animals liked to eat and what kind of things they liked to do. They had lots of questions about the animals, but mostly just wanted to know when they could pet them. After learning about them, the kids got the chance to pet and feed the animals. A few were scared of them, but most of the kids loved getting to see the animals up close and personal.

In the afternoon, after naptime, parents came in to help while the children all played games. Each game had prizes provided by the parents who were each in charge of a game. There was an obstacle course outside and golf and bowling available in the kitchen. Additionally, there were paper spider race game and a craft table where the kids made bracelets and colored in pumpkin and ghost cutouts.

When the rest of the parents came to pick up the kids, some weren’t ready to go. They wanted to stay and play at school, but at the end of the day, all of the princesses, witches, and the old lady all went home with lots of candy and fun memories.

CANE RIVER BRIDGE CHURCH STREET ROUTE LA 1-X

STATE PROJECT NO. H.001271

FEDERAL PROJECT NO. H001271

NATCHITOCHES PARISH

The Louisiana Department and Transportation and Development (LADOTD) in conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is conducting a Public Hearing for the proposed replacement of Cane River Bridge on Church Street Route LA 1-X located in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana.

The purpose of the open-house-style Public Hearing is to present an overview of the project, alternatives studied, the preferred alternative, and impacts from the project. A continuous multi-media presentation will be shown, and informational handouts, maps, and graphic displays will be available at the public hearing. Representatives from LADOTD and its consultants will be at the open house to answer questions and discuss issues related to the project. Verbal comments can be recorded, and written statements can be submitted at the meeting. Written statements can also be mailed to the address shown below, postmarked no later than December 20, 2019 to be included in the public hearing transcript. The public meeting has been scheduled as follows:

Tuesday, December 10, 2019
4:00 PM – 7:00 pm
Natchitoches Events Center, McCullen Hall B
750 2nd Street
Natchitoches, LA 71457

Detailed information about the project is available in the Environmental Assessment (EA). Copies are available for public review at the following locations: Natchitoches Parish Library, 450 2nd Street, Natchitoches, LA 71457; Natchitoches Parish Library— Northeast Branch, 3204 US 71, Campti, LA 71411; Northwestern State University Library—Eugene P. Watson Memorial Library, 913 University Parkway, Natchitoches, LA 71497; Louisiana State Library, 701 North 4th Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70802; and LADOTD Headquarters, 1201 Capitol Access Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70802. The EA can be reviewed and/or purchased at the LADOTD District 08 Office, 3300 S. MacArthur Drive, Alexandria, LA 71301. The EA will also be available for review in the project folder titled H.001271 Cane River Bridge Church Street Route LA 1-X, on the LADOTD website at:

THESE DOCUMENTS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE UNTIL NOVEMBER 12, 2019  They were sent by US Mail to the Post Offices and have not arrived.

http://wwwsp.dotd.la.gov/Inside_LaDOTD/Divisions/Engineering/Environmental/Pages/default.aspx

Should you require special assistance due to a disability in order to participate in this public meeting, please contact LADOTD Environmental Section by telephone at (225) 242-4508, or at the address below, at least five (5) working days prior to the public meeting date.

Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development
Environmental Engineer Administrator, Section 28
P.O. Box 94245
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9245

Lakeview FFA member Cadie Coleman has recently earned her American FFA Degree and received her award at the 92nd National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis on November 2.

As the highest degree achievable in the National FFA Organization, the American FFA Degree shows an FFA member’s dedication to his or her chapter and state FFA association. It demonstrates the effort FFA members apply toward their supervised agricultural experience and the outstanding leadership abilities and community involvement they exhibited through their FFA career.

American FFA Degree recipients show promise for the future and have gone above and beyond to achieve excellence.

The requirements to earn the American FFA Degree are set forth in the National FFA Constitution. To be eligible to receive the American FFA Degree, members must meet qualifications such as receiving a State FFA Degree, holding active membership for the past three years, completing secondary instruction in an agricultural education program and operating an outstanding supervised agricultural experience program. Community service, leadership abilities and outstanding scholastic achievement are also required.

All applications are submitted to the National FFA Organization after approval of a member’s state association. After review by national staff, the National FFA Board of Directors approve qualified candidates to receive the American FFA Degree at the National FFA Convention & Expo.

The National FFA Organization provides leadership, personal growth and career success training through agricultural education to 700,170 student members who belong to one of 8,568 local FFA chapters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The organization is also supported by 344,239 alumni members in 2,051 alumni chapters throughout the U.S.

PHOTO: Cadie Coleman received her American FFA Degree at the 92nd National FFA Convention & Expo.

Dr. Pamela Simmons, senior director and professor of nursing in the College of Nursing at Northwestern State University, has been re-elected as vice-chair of the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education Board of Commissioners. Simmons previously served as the board’s secretary.

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education is an autonomous accrediting agency contributing to the improvement of the public’s health. CCNE ensures the quality and integrity of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education programs and nurse residency and fellowship programs. As a voluntary, self-regulatory process, CCNE accreditation supports and encourages continuing self-assessment by nursing programs and supports continuing growth and improvement of collegiate professional education and nurse residency programs.

Simmons has been a member of Northwestern State’s nursing faculty for 19 years. Since 2010, she has been senior director and department head in the College of Nursing. Simmons has responsibility for directing the ASN BSN, RN to BSN, MSN, DNP and Post Master’s Certificate programs. She teaches core courses in the graduate program and provides leadership in curriculum development and program effectiveness for the graduate and undergraduate nursing programs. Simmons’ responsibilities also include teaching selected courses in the BSN and RN to BSN and DNP programs. She holds the Ann Splon Coughlin Endowed Professorship.

Her professional career includes administrative, clinical and teaching positions at LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport. She has also held nursing positions at Schumpert Medical Center, Physicians and Surgeons Hospital, Nurses T.L.C., Shreveport Regional Dialysis Center and Highland Hospital.

Simmons holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a Master of Science in Nursing and a Post Masters Certificate (FNP) from Northwestern State University and a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing from Texas Women’s University.

2019-2020 Royal Court members of the Krewe of Excellence participated in Grambling State University’s annual Homecoming parade in Grambling on Nov. 2. Court members were able to meet and speak with Governor Bel Edwards during the festivities.

Pictured above are Dr. CarDarius Murphy (Duke of Perfection), Dr. Oghale Eleyae (Duke of Superiority), Cloyd Benjamin (King VII), Governor John B. Edwards, LaQuita Collins (Queen VII), Natosha Johnson-Payne (Duchess of Superiority) and Lashonda Berryman(Duchess of Perfection).

Pictured below are Royal Court members Dr. Oghale Eleyae (Duke of Superiority), Natosha Johnson-Payne (Duchesses of Superiority), Laquita Collins (Queen VII), Cloyd Benjamin (King VII), Lashonda Berryman (Duchesses of Perfection) and Dr. Cardarrius Murphy (Duke of Perfection).

The 3rd Annual Christmas on the Cane Pageant will be held Saturday, Nov. 23 starting at 11 am at the Natchitoches Jr. High School.

0–12 months – Infant Miss 13–23 months – Baby Miss
2-3 years – Toddler Miss 4-5 years – Tiny Miss
6-7 years – Little Miss 8-10 years – Petite Miss
11-13 years – Deb Miss 14-16 years – Teen Miss
17-23 years – Miss 21+ years (married/divorced/mother) – Ms.

$55 for the first contestant. $30 for each additional sibling. Each contestant is required to bring 1 unwrapped gift. The gift must be new. The price and age range are left up to the contestant. The contestant who brings the most gifts will be crowned Ambassador Queen.

0 months – 7 years – Sunday Best *This doesn’t have to be a Christmas dress.* (custom or off the rack)
8-up – Evening Wear (floor-length formal)
*0-3 years: no fake hair or fake teeth, & NO MAKEUP *4 years and up: age appropriate hair and makeup

At the door you may enter an overall division for $10 each or $25 for all 3. Judges will choose an overall for the following: overall most beautiful, overall best fashion, and overall photogenic. The overall winners will receive a supreme crown and certificate. There will be 3 overall division break-downs, 0 months – 3 years, 4 – 7 years, & 8 – up.

This pageant will benefit M.A.S.H (Make a Smile Happen) Toy Drive hosted annually by the Natchitoches area Jaycees. Last year 1,137 toys were collected at the pageant and donated to the Natchitoches Jaycees for MASH!

A $5 admission fee is required for everyone attending the pageant over the age of 3.

NATCHITOCHES PARISH:

Dwayne Lewis
September 10, 1969 – November 03, 2019
Visitation: Tuesday, November 5 from 5-8 pm at Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home

Deacon Floyd Crittle, Jr.
Sergeant Major, US Army (Retired)
July 26, 1931 – October 28, 2019
Visitation: Friday, November 8 from 6-8 pm in the Winnfield Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Natchitoches and Saturday, November 9 from 9:30-11 am at the Restoration Apostolic Ministries (RAMS) Church, located at 175 Fairgrounds Road in Natchitoches
Service: Saturday, November 9 at 11 am at the Restoration Apostolic Ministries (RAMS) Church
Interment: Lawrence Serenity Sanctum

Junior Wright
October 28, 2019
Arrangements TBA

The NSU Trumpet Studio Ensemble and Euphonium-Tuba Ensemble will present a concert on Monday, Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall. Admission is free and open to the public. Galindo Rodriguez is director of the Trumpet Studio Ensemble. Masahito Kuroda is director of the Euphonium-Tuba Ensemble. NSU student Dean Mayeux, a senior music education major from Alexandria, will be guest conductor of the Euphonium-Tuba Ensemble.

The Trumpet Ensemble will perform “Charamela Real,” an early 18th century tune from the Lisbon Trumpeters Court and “Dance of the Comedians” from “The Bartered Bride” by Bedrich Smetana and arranged by David Hickman.

The Euphonium-Tuba Ensemble will premiere Mayeux’s arrangement of “How Great Thou Art” and will also play “Nessun Dorma” from the opera “Tourandot” by Giacomo Puccini and arranged by J. McIntyre and Tchaikovsky’s “Marche Slave” (Slavonic March) arranged by G. Patton.

Attachments area

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), advises the public that bridge number 053-04-1463-1, Church Street Bridge, will be closed for inspection from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Monday, November 4, 2019. This Structure is on LA 1-X (Business) or Church Street over Cane River Lake and is located 0.46 miles North of the junction of LA 494, Keyser Avenue and LA 1.

Detour Section
The road will be closed to all traffic while the inspection is being performed by LA DOTD personnel. Detour will be LA 1223 North to LA 6-X (Business) East

Safety Reminder
DOTD appreciates your patience and reminds you to please drive with caution through the construction site and be on the lookout for work crews and their equipment.

Public Notice:

On November 9, 2019 there will be a non-powered regatta held on the north end of Cane River Lake. Teams from all over the United States will be participating. From the North Dam to Church Street bridge (downtown riverbank), including Washington Street landing will be closed to boating traffic for this event. South of the downtown area to the South Dam will remain open to all types of navigation. All other landings will remain open. For more information please contact Betty Fuller 318-617-3235.

Current lake status: 97.7 MSL (pool stage 98.0 MSL)

Thanks,
Betty Fuller
Commission Administrator

Kevin’s Gallery

Dancing, flag twirling, marching and music were the order of the day as thirty-three high school bands with over 3,000 band members from Texas and every corner of Louisiana converged on Northwestern State University’s Turpin stadium for the 2019 Classic on the Cane High School Band Competition. The competition, a longtime tradition of the area high school band scene, is in its 31st year. The Classic on the Cane is a superb opportunity for the bands to showcase their abilities and spend a day in friendly competition with fellow musicians. Shreveport’s The Band House was one of the event’s major sponsors as they have been for the past 5 years.

Each marching band gave a half-time type performance and was graded on several factors relating to marching, performing and musicality. The east side of Turpin stadium was filled to capacity with the band members’ families and supporters who enthusiastically waved signs and cheered on their favorite bands.

NSU’s Spirit of Northwestern band gave the last performance of the evening, a high energy production that drew repeated applause from the crowd. It is a sign of both NSU’s excellence and service to our state that well over half of the band directors at the competition are NSU alumni.

The Classic on the Cane has been a feature of the high school marching band scene for the past 31 years. The Natchitoches Parish Journal is looking forward to seeing some of the superb young musicians at the competition coming to NSU to continue their education. The Natchitoches Parish Journal is donating the event photography. The performers and their families are welcome to download any they wish with our compliments. We are looking forward to next year’s contest!

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Northwestern State University’s Demon Rowing Crew will host a regatta in downtown Natchitoches on Saturday, Nov. 9. The public is invited to watch the 5K races.

Teams will launch from the downtown riverbank and row to the north end of Cane River Lake for the starting lineup. Crews will race down from the north dam to the finish line near Beau Jardin.

Races will begin at 8 a.m.

Cane River will be closed to boat traffic from the north dam to the Church Street Bridge, including the Washington Street boat launch. South of the downtown area to the South Dam will remain open to all types of navigation. All other landings will remain open.

Crews from Rice University, Wichita State, Tulane University and several junior programs from Dallas, Houston and Tulsa are registered to participate.

For more information, contact Jason Stelly, Demon Crew coach, at stellyj@nsula.edu.

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For the first time since 2005, the Northwestern State soccer team earned a top two seed in the conference tournament, as it knocked off Central Arkansas 2-1 Friday night at the Lady Demon Soccer Complex.
Sophomore Norma Trejo directed in a pass by Kalee Williams early and senior Jayden Wheeler scored on a perfect centering pass by Trejo. The two goals in the first 29 minutes were enough to earn the victory.

NSU (11-7-1, 8-2-1) has 25 conference points for the first time since going 10-2 in 2002 and it has eight conference victories for the first time since going 8-4 in 2004. The Lady Demons also reached 11 overall wins for the first time since 2009.

“We knew if we took care of business, we would be in this position (to be the No. 2 seed),” co-head coach Jess Jobe said. “We’re excited to be in this position and finally looking ahead to the conference tournament. I’m pumped about that and I know the team is as well.”

They will take on No. 7 seed Sam Houston State Wednesday in the first round of the Southland Conference Tournament. NSU defeated SHSU 1-0 in Natchitoches on Oct. 11.

UCA (5-12-1, 4-7) was eliminated from tournament contention with the loss. The defeat snapped a four-match winning streak for the Bears.

One of the keys for NSU was to start fast since UCA was a desperate team coming in needing three points. The Lady Demons responded with a goal in the third minute.

Kalee Williams was dribbling up the flank and sent it in, and Trejo booted it in from inside the box. Sophomore Karleigh Acosta, making her first career start, started the break near midfield with a great pass to Williams.

It is Trejo’s second goal of the season.

“We did a couple of activities this week to try to get more from us early in the game,” Jobe said. “It’s an area we wanted to get on top of, so I am really happy about that. It was a good, quick start for us.”

NSU kept applying the pressure following the goal, as it attempted six more shots in the next 14 minutes. Freshman Samantha Hanking attempted two of the shots, including one that made it past UCA goalkeeper Clara Bornet, but it was knocked out of harms way before it went it the net by a Bears defender.

UCA had a golden chance to tie in the 19th minute. After a turnover, Jordan Slim attempted a shot that was ticketed to go into the back of the net, but Williams got it out of trouble by kicking it and it hit the crossbar.

Just when the Bears were starting to find their footing, the Lady Demons tacked on another goal. UCA had two shots and controlled possession up until NSU doubled the lead.

The Lady Demons performed one of the prettiest goals of the season in the 29th minute. NSU executed a give-and-go to perfection, as Wheeler passed it to Trejo, who dribbled it and passed it back to Wheeler at the top of the box. The senior sent it home to put NSU in front 2-0.

“Scoring a goal rarely happens for me in a game,” Wheeler. “On my jog back, I thought ‘Oh my gosh, this will be my last goal on this field.’ It was awesome because all my teammates came to me because they were so happy for me. It was so nice to get that support from all my teammates.”

It is Wheeler’s second goal of the season and second in three contests.

UCA had chances to tie it, but two shots in the span of a minute by Emma Hawkins were saved by NSU goalkeeper Kayla Bomben. It remained 2-0 after 45 minutes.

The Bears controlled the second half possession, but the NSU defense was up to the challenge. Bomben thwarted UCA attacks multiple times by winning the race to the ball or catching it in traffic before the Bears could get a shot off.

They picked up the heat, and finally got one in the back of the net. Taylor Webb fired one on net from past the box on the right side to put the Bears on the board.

In the final minutes, UCA had shots to tie it up, as it had four shots in the final four minutes. In the 87th minute, Bomben was in a race with Connie Awuku-Darkoh, and Awuku-Darkoh shot one, but Bomben challenged her and was able to save it.

Two Bears shots misfired in the final minute and the Lady Demons escaped with the victory.

Donaldson led NSU with four shots, with one being on goal. Wheeler’s two shots on goal led the team in that category.

Bomben made five saves for the Lady Demons.

UCA won the shot battle 15-12, and 7-6 in shots on goal.

Next up for the Lady Demons is Wednesday in the opening game of the conference tournament against Sam Houston State. The contest begins at 11 a.m.

Photo Credit: Chris Reich, NSU Photographic Services

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