OXFORD, Mississippi – It's like you just know.
 
Those were the words NSU coach George Van Linder said when he saw Mississippi freshmen Shelby Drope and Payton Roney play together in the midfield.
 
Drope and Roney played club ball together in their home state since age 12, using their familiarity to connect on the field.
 
The saying could also describe that 2014 freshman class' sentiment after a three-win Southland Conference season in which six freshmen received significant playing time.
 
That class, now seniors, aimed to turn the program around, making the Southland Conference Tournament in 2016 as juniors for the first time since 2008.
 
Now these seniors want to compete for an NCAA Tournament spot, and the next step is a trip to Southeastern Conference member Ole Miss on Sunday at 7 p.m.
 
Fans can watch the internet broadcast on SEC Network Plus or on their phones with the WatchESPN app. The link is http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3144195/northwestern-state-vs-ole-miss-w-soccer
 
Drope, who lives about 20 minutes outside of Oxford in Pontotoc, said she's looking forward to seeing NSU purple in the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.
 
"Since it's so close to me, I'll have a lot of family who will be there not just for the game but after the game to visit," Drope said. "That's huge considering I don't live close anymore."
 
Drope and Roney will play in their home state two more times at Jackson State (Sept. 8) and Mississippi Valley State (Sept. 10), but Roney said another chance to play under the Ole Miss lights will be special.
 
"It's awesome because I have friends and relatives who want to see me play, and it'll be special to see them in the crowd at an SEC venue," said Roney, a Laurel native. "It's special for Shelby and I to go back because we started this journey together, and we've seen each other grow up and grow together."
 
NSU showcased that growth in 2016 at Ole Miss, playing the Rebels to 1-0 through 60 minutes before two late goals pushed the final decision to 3-0 in a loss.
 
Roney said that team fused together to post a 6-3 mark in one-goal games in the regular season, a reversal from the 2015 team's struggles in close matches.
 
"This journey has been pretty awesome," Roney said. "Our freshman year, we didn't have a good season, and that freshman class who play a lot of minutes came together and said we wanted to be the class to change NSU soccer, to have a significant effect on the program.
 
"We couldn't get the results as sophomores even though we were more competitive, but to get those results last year was really cool. Hopefully we can finish strong."
 
The pair's strong connection in the midfield has been a key to the program's turnaround.
 
"Playing club soccer together even though we lived on opposite ends of the state does help us now," said Drope, who has been Roney's roommate in three of the pair's four NSU years. "I don't think we even realize it, but I'll play a ball, and she'll just be there.
 
"We were like that when we got to NSU. I never expected to play with Payton in college, but now it's awesome to end your career with someone you're really close with."
 
Roney, who admits the duo does have typical Mississippi accents, said it's nice to have support when NSU head coach George Van Linder, a renowned jokester, makes fun of his players.
 
"It's nice to have that backup and to have some teamwork when we go after Coach," said Roney, who added that the pair made their own decisions to come to NSU but did have a few discussions through the recruiting process. "We've been together so long that we know each other's movement on the field.
 
"We've went through every hard struggle and always experienced it together. We created a bond through these four years of college."
 
Both Roney and Drope scored a goal in NSU's 12-0 win against NAIA startup LSU Shreveport to open the season Friday. Roney also added an assist.
 
Junior forward Brittany Caserma produced a first-half hat trick while freshman Gabriella Gamboa added a second-half hat trick in her first collegiate game.
 
NSU's only non-losing result in program history against an SEC opponent came in 2015 with the Lady Demons tied LSU 1-1.