NATCHITOCHES -- When Northwestern State soccer opens its regular season Friday against LSU Shreveport, coach George Van Linder will be familiar and unfamiliar with the opponent.
 
Van Linder faced LSUS in his first season in 2012, but the Lady Pilots disbanded the program following that season only to bring it back in 2017.
 
NSU will be LSUS' first opponent since restarting the program.
 
"We've made some adjustments since our two exhibition games (losses to Texas A&M and Little Rock), and we're really excited to face another opponent and kick our season off at home," Van Linder said. "At this point in the season, we're usually focused on ourselves and what we need to do.
 
"But it is a little strange not to have any film or scouting reports on an opponent."
 
Van Linder and the Lady Demons won 3-0 in 2012, and NSU holds a 3-1 all-time edge in the series. LSUS, an NAIA member, will count the match as an exhibition.
 
But nine NSU seniors are focused on a different kind of history as the Lady Demons attempt to return to the Southland Conference Tournament.
 
The senior class believes the program turned a corner as NSU qualified for postseason play for the first time since 2008 by earning the No. 3 seed with a 7-3-1 conference mark.
 
"We're not satisfied with just a conference tournament berth," senior Payton Roney told a Media Day crowd on Wednesday. "We want to compete for championships, and I'm super excited for this season because we have a ton of experienced players who are putting in the work."
 
"We were more calm (in Saturday's exhibition), and we played more of the game we can play as we prepare for the season  "We've brought in a lot of people who are scrappy, so it's elevated the energy of the team and keeps us going at it hard."
 
NSU enters the season with reigning SLC Goalkeeper of the Year Alex Latham and three other preseason conference selections in forwards Esdeina Gonzalez and April Trowbridge and defender Sage Leffew.
 
Opportunities to see the Lady Demons at home early in the season are scarce with Sept. 1 at Texas State being the only other home game before NSU starts its SLC home slate Sept. 22.
 
"We want to encourage everyone to come out and see an experienced group that's really hungry to improve on a successful season," Van Linder said. "We have a lot of talented players who play an exciting brand of soccer."
 
Admission is free to every home soccer match thanks to sponsorship from Red River Mill Credit Union.