Box Score NATCHITOCHES – First half goals by Brooke Eastburg and Johanaa Sigvardson along with a stout defense gave the Northwestern State soccer team an early lead on the way a 3-0 shutout against Prairie View A&M Sunday afternoon in the final non-conference match of the regular season.
 
Eastburg (2) scored just five minutes into the game for NSU (2-5-0) on a pass from Camila Ardila that gave Eastburg space to breakaway and score from the right side.
 
Sigvardsson scored her first goal of the season just before halftime on a cross from Louise Engberg to the right side. 
 
"We're really excited for the team.  We felt that ending the non-conference season with a win was a great way to go out, so we're excited for that," said head coach George Van Linder.
 
After halftime, both defenses took over the match and held each other scoreless until Enberg was hit in the middle with a pass from Sigvarddson that she attempted to get in the goal, but was blocked by PVAMU goalkeeper Dominque Dillon.   Enberg (1) retrieved the rebound and scored it in the 85^th minute.
 
The Panthers (0-7-0) had eight shots on-goal, but NSU goalkeepers Jessica Danku and Brooke Bourbonais continued make great plays to hold the combined shutout, including midway through the second half when Prairie View A&M took three shots on-goal in less than 20 seconds.
 
Danku (2-3) started the game in-goal and had two saves before Bourbonais entered the game at halftime and saved six.
 
Cassandra Briscoe and Enberg led Northwestern State with four shots followed by Eastburg, Jackie Strug and Sigvardsson who each had three. Enberg led in shots on-goal with three.
 
NSU opens Southland Conference play Friday against Lamar at 7 o'clock.
 
"I think we're going in the right direction (going into conference season). We've had to deal with a lot of adversity this year had a couple of bad things go our way," said Van Linder. "I think what sums our non-conference season is that it was a disappointment, not a disaster.
 
It's not where we wanted to be in terms of wins and losses, but in terms of being prepared we feel like we're going in the right direction," he said.
 
After Lamar, the Lady Demons travel to Stephen F. Austin and Houston Baptist before returning to the Lady Demon Soccer Complex on Sept. 29 with Central Arkansas to open a 10-game home stand.