NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- For a Northwestern State soccer program attempting to reach its first Southland Conference tournament since 2008, Friday's night result can be taken as a positive omen.

The Lady Demons tied Stephen F. Austin 1-1 in double overtime, traveling to an opponent that has won three straight SLC regular season crowns.

The last time NSU (3-4-2, 0-0-1 SLC) scored a point in the standings against the Ladyjacks (1-6-1, 0-0-1 SLC) was in 2008, ending a streak of six straight SFA wins and five straight shutouts in the series.
 

Coach George Van Linder said his team had their chances for victory, but he recognizes the progress that a tie represents on the road.
 

"We told our team that playing in conference is a different level, and the intensity is jacked up," said Van Linder, who coached at SFA for two seasons. "Only time will tell as we all play in the conference, but we're excited about coming away with points.
 

"The last couple of years, we've been a just a point or two from getting to the conference tournament. So we're happy coming away with a point even when we were looking for three points with a win."

SFA hadn't lost a conference game since late September of 2013, coming against former SLC member Oral Roberts. SFA is now 38-1-2 in conference play since 2011.
 

Sophomore Esdeina Gonzalez set the tone early with a goal in the ninth minute. Gonzalez, who has two goals this season, finished a ball from sophomore midfielder Shelby Drope to the top center of the net.
 

Gonzalez, the team's leading scorer in 2014 with seven goals, said her nerves of playing on the conference stage helped her to focus.
 

"We connected really well on that play, and Shelby gave me a great look," Gonzalez said. "We've been working on connecting like that in practice.
 

"I was very nervous tonight, and I had a lot of people coming to watch me. We all wanted to win this one, but we are happy with (a point)."
 

The Ladyjacks responded with immense pressure for much of the first half, and SFA found the equalizer in the 24th minute. Amanda Doyle took an Ashton Norman past and finished from the fringes of the penalty box for a 1-1 tie.
 

SFA outshot NSU 9-3 in the first half and 22-17 for the match, but a determined defense didn't allow another goal.
 

Senior Brooke Bourbonais made four saves in the first half, including on a penalty kick in which she dove to the left to keep the tie. The penalty-kick save is Bourbonais' second this season after making one against LSU to preserve a tie.
 

"It was crazy, and I just go with my gut feeling," Bourbonais said. "When she lined up straight on for the kick, I just knew she would go to the left.
 

"I got it right, and I tried to act a little bit cooler about a (penalty-kick save) than the first time."
 

Sophomore keeper Alex Latham entered the second half and shut out the Ladyjacks for the last 65 minutes, including the two overtimes.
 

Latham's eight saves included several breakaway situations in which she rushed forward to deflect or jump on an attempt. On one volley late in the second half, Latham deflected a close-range attempt for diving to tip a rebound wide.
 

"I've been working on breakaways a lot lately, trying to clean that area up," Latham said. "It's helped a lot, and I feel like I wasn't hesitating as much.
 

"It just helps being fully confident and expecting to save the ball."
 

NSU had its own near-misses. The Lady Demons' best chance came from junior Camila Ardila, who rocketed a shot that SFA keeper Lillie Ehert tipped just over the cross bar.
 

The Lady Demons return to action Friday when they host Lamar at 7 p.m.