SAN ANTONIO -- Playing on the road isn't typically where teams thrive, but the Northwestern State soccer team is hoping to channel its 2016 road success into this weekend's trip.
 
The Lady Demons (4-6, 0-3 Southland Conference) are the only team without a Southland Conference win through the first two weekends, and NSU needs points in games at Incarnate Word (2-6, 1-2 SLC) on Friday and Abilene Christian (4-6, 2-1 SLC) on Sunday.
 
NSU plays UIW on Friday at 7 p.m. and ACU on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both games will be streamed on the opposing team's website.
 
Coach George Van Linder isn't pressing the panic button for a team that's largely intact from earning a No. 3 seed in the Southland Conference Tournament, including tallying four of its seven league wins on the road.
 
"We certainly hope we can tap into our past experiences, but UIW and Abilene are two of the toughest places to play," Van Linder said. "It's a steep test, but we have older players who know what to do.
 
"Being 0-3 is certainly something we're not happy about, but we're not pressing the panic button. We've played tough opponents so far, and we've gotten better after every one of those games. We're hoping that we've done enough learning and that we continue to gel."
 
For the Lady Demons to make consecutive SLC Tournaments for the first time since 2007-08, NSU will need to finish in the top eight in the expanded bracket of the 12-team league. The tournament consisted of just six teams but was expanded with the postseason eligibility of Abilene Christian and UIW.
 
NSU's losses have come to first-place McNeese (7-2-1, 3-0 SLC) in overtime and a pair of 2-1 SLC teams in Stephen F. Austin and Lamar.
 
The Lady Demons dropped one-goal games at home this past weekend to McNeese and Lamar.
 
Winning close matches was a hallmark of a 2016 team that went 6-2 in league games decided by one goal. Those tallies included wins against UIW and ACU, the latter in overtime.
 
Senior forward Esdeina Gonzalez is one of 16 returning upperclassmen from that squad.
 
"We were hoping we wouldn't have to rely on close matches again this year … but we've got to play hard all 90 minutes," said Gonzalez, who's 18 career goals are just six shy of reaching the top five in program history. "We've learned lessons, now we have to get scores and get results.
 
"We need to play faster and quicker early on to win these games."
 
Senior defender Amy Renteria said the team is still searching for the consistency it developed this past season.
 
"We worked hard and played our butts off (last year), and I feel like we need to get our head back in the game and just do what we did last year," Renteria said. "We're there every game -- we just have to finish.
 
"We've had a little trouble on defense, but we're managing to work for each other and be there when someone gets beaten."
 
NSU's defense excelled in 2016, allowing just 0.83 goals per game in SLC contests. The Lady Demons have allowed two goals in each of the first three league contests this season, albeit against opponents near the top of the standings.
 
Van Linder said this year's team has put the necessary work in, now it's about finishing chances and games.
 
"We won a lot of close games last year, and anybody is capable of beating anybody in this conference," Van Linder said. "We know the ball goes the wrong way sometimes even when you feel like you've done everything right.
 
"We've gone through those hard moments, now it's time for things to pay off."