ITTA BENA, Mississippi – Northwestern State ended its Mississippi road trip much the way it started as the Lady Demons secured a 4-0 win at Mississippi Valley State.
 
NSU (4-3) swept the road trip after a 4-0 win at Jackson State on Friday, but the Lady Demons needed a late offensive flurry to top a Devilettes (1-5) squad that beat Nicholls earlier this season.
 
The Lady Demons scored all four goals in the second half, starting in the 55^th minute.
 
"MVSU was a very smart team, and they did a lot to take us out of our game plan," said NSU coach George Van Linder. "We told our team at halftime to stay patient, and once we got the first goal, the rest would come."
 
April Trowbridge beat three defenders to put in NSU's first goal as she supplied two goals in the win. The junior forward set a career high with five points after she assisted on NSU's second goal (Cache' Haley). Her previous high was four points (two goals) in a 2016 win at Jackson State.
 
Trowbridge worked a give-and-go which resulted in a Haley goal from the right side for a 2-0 edge in the 75^th minute.
 
"We sometimes would rush our attack and always look for the killer pass, but (Trowbridge and Haley) helped us slow it down and stay within ourselves," Van Linder said.
 
Trowbridge scored her second goal from the left side after senior midfielder Chandler Monk fed her from the middle of the field in the 82^nd minute.
 
The assist was Monk's second of her career after contributing an assist this past season against Southeastern.
 
"Today was about having fun and making sure the forwards connected ourselves to the offense," Trowbridge said. "It's good to know that we have the drive at the end of the game to produce, and that's something that served us well last year.
 
"We can always get better, but we're finally connecting and knowing each other on offense. There's a bit of chemistry developing, and it's perfect timing with Southland Conference play starting next week."
 
Senior forward Esdeina Gonzalez capped the scoring with a goal from the right side on a long Shelby Drope assist in the 84^th minute.
 
The goal is Gonzalez's first of the season after being NSU's active scoring leader with 17 goals entering this season. Her 18 career goals are just six shy of NSU's top five all-time and just 10 points shy of NSU's top five all-time in career points. Gonzalez has 48 points.
 
NSU's defense stood tall for its fourth shutout in seven matches this season.
 
Senior goalkeeper Alex Latham made a couple of blood-pumping saves to keep the Devilettes scoreless. Latham had seven saves on 11 MVSU shots. NSU managed 24 shots (14 on goal).
 
MVSU had a breakaway opportunity in the middle of the first half after an NSU turnover, and Latham dove at an attacker to knock the ball away before putting up a hand to deflect a rebound attempt.