LAFAYETTE – Despite a Northwestern State edge in overall shots and offensive opportunities, a lone UL Lafayette goal in the 82^nd minute was the difference in a 1-0 NSU loss on Sunday.

ULL's Ashleigh Cade took an Annika Smith pass into the right side of the box and finished the goal, Cade's first of the season for the Ragin' Cajuns (4-2).

Northwestern State (2-3-1) attempted 18 shots (seven on goal) to ULL's 12 shots (five on goal), and the Lady Demons had a 6-2 edge in corner kicks.

NSU coach George Van Linder said plenty of positives can be taken from Sunday's loss, including the edge in possession and shots.

"We battled in tough conditions with the heat, and it's a positive that we had lots of chances," Van Linder said. "We didn't get (our chances) in and ran out of time, but hopefully we'll regroup from this.
"These are painful experiences, but we'll be better in the Southland Conference because of it."

NSU sophomore midfielder Shelby Drope led the offensive attack with all three of her shots on goal, while freshman forward Brittany Caserma landed one of her three shots on goal.

Other Lady Demons taking two shots with one on goal include senior midfielder Cassandra Briscoe, sophomore forward Esdeina Gonzalez and sophomore defender Amy Renteria.

"We're confident and felt good about the amount of possession we had, and for long stretches, we felt in control," Van Linder said. "Credit ULL's defense and their goalkeeper for coming up big.

"For us defensively, overall our team is doing well. We had a mental breakdown as a team defensively for just a second. Sometimes you get away with it, but ULL made us pay. It's the curse of having a young team, and hopefully we'll learn from these mistakes right now instead of during the conference season."

Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Latham (0-2-1) took the loss with one goal allowed in the second half. Latham made three saves.

Senior goalkeeper Brooke Bourbonais posted a scoreless first half, her fifth scoreless half of the season. Bourbonais saved one shot Sunday.

ULL extended its winning streak to three matches this season and to four matches against the Lady Demons.

NSU ends its five-match road trip with a 1-3-1 record, which includes a 1-1 tie against LSU. The Tigers (4-0-2) are 3-0-1 in the four matches since the NSU tie.

The Lady Demons return to the Lady Demon Soccer Complex on Tuesday when they host Alcorn State at 7 p.m.