NATCHITOCHES – In some ways, the 12-day break the Northwestern State soccer team enjoyed was a blessing. In others, it came at exactly the wrong time.
When NSU hosts Incarnate Word at the Lady Demon Soccer Complex at 7 p.m. Friday, it will mark the first time the Lady Demons (4-12-1, 1-7-1 Southland Conference) have played since a 3-2 loss to Southeastern Louisiana on Oct. 19. That game, which featured a pair of game-tying goals by NSU's
Cassandra Briscoe, came two days after Northwestern State scored its first Southland Conference victory of the season, defeating Nicholls, 2-1, on Oct. 17.
"That's the frustrating thing," NSU head coach
George Van Linder said. "We did get that groove, and now all week has been about trying to keep things going. We kept thinking about NBA teams that finish playoff series early or baseball teams. Then they struggle that next game or two, so we tried to make practice as game-like as possible, and hopefully we'll be ready to go."
Briscoe's two goals against Southeastern doubled her season total, and her four goals rank second on the team behind
Esdeina Gonzalez' seven.
Van Linder did see some benefits in the long break, most notably in an area where NSU has seen more than its share of adversity.
"Some of our people with injuries got more time to rest, so I can't complain too much," Van Linder said. "You get people healthy, but at the same time, we hope we keep our mojo going."
NSU returns to action against an Incarnate Word squad that is 2-1-3 in its last six matches, a run that comes after starting the season 0-10. The Cardinals' success has aligned with the insertion of goalkeeper Heather Kowalik, who did not allow a goal as UIW (2-11-3, 2-4-3) went 1-0-1 against McNeese State and Lamar.
UIW defender Ashley Crabbe nabbed Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors for her play last week, as the Cardinals allowed just five shots on goal in two games.
Friday's match, which is the middle game of a season-ending, three-game homestand for NSU, is the second meeting between the teams and marks UIW's first visit to Natchitoches. A season ago, UIW scored a 5-0 victory in San Antonio.
"The phrase we keep hearing in conference is, 'Their record isn't good, but their team is,'" Van Linder said. "We know it's going to be a tough game. We underestimated them last year, and they came out and thumped us pretty good down at their place. For us, we're certainly not going to take them lightly. It's Senior Weekend for our seniors, and I think we're going to be ready to go."
