NATCHITOCHES – In with the new.

The Jess and Anna Jobe era begins officially Friday as the Northwestern women's soccer team begins regular season competition against Texas-San Antonio at the Lady Demon Soccer Complex at 7 p.m.

NSU hasn't started a season at home against a Division I opponent since 2013, and junior Jayden Wheeler can feel the electricity among her teammates.

"It's really exciting that the first game gets to be on our home turf, in our atmosphere, with our fans cheering us on," Wheeler said. "All of the new players are getting more comfortable with the returners and our style of play, and we're getting more comfortable and building more chemistry each day.

"We'd love to see a lot of students out there, so come out if you're bored. We need help with anything that gets us going, whether we're down and we need a pick-me-up or to help create energy around one of our goals."

Students are encouraged to put down their boxes on move-in weekend and enjoy free food off the grill as they watch NSU's first athletics contest of the season in any sport. Admission is free to all fans, and fans not attending the game can watch via a paid video stream on nsudemons.com.

Jess Jobe has been a veteran as an assistant on the Dallas Baptist sidelines for seven years with wife Anna gracing the Baylor sidelines before joining DBU's staff.

But the Jobes didn't talk about any of the nerves they might have as they coach their first regular season match as head coaches.

"I'd start by saying I hope the atmosphere around here is something really special," Jess Jobe said. "I think we'll have a good crowd, and we're hoping the house is packed with loud fans to create an atmosphere for the players to be excited about.

"Any time we play at home is exciting, but this is our season opener, our home opener – the first time Anna and I get to coach a countable and meaningful game (as head coaches). The girls have been working hard, and we can't wait to see what we can do."

The "new" doesn't stop with the Jobes.

Thirteen of NSU's players are freshmen, with as many as six in the possible starting lineup on opening day.

Freshman defender Kalee Williams played all 90 minutes in Saturday's exhibition at Little Rock, saying that experience helped her shake off nerves of NSU's regular season opener Friday.

"I still think I'll be a little nervous, but playing this past weekend helped," said Williams, who was part of a quartet of freshmen starting on the backline Saturday. "In the beginning, you get your first pass, and you're like, 'Oh my.'

"As the game went on, I got more comfortable, and my teammates are always there for me. Having as many freshmen as we do does make it a little easier to transition to college soccer because there a lot of people going through the same experience."

Senior defender Olivia Marazzo is expected to return from a preseason injury, adding some experience to the back line.

Marazzo and Wheeler are part of seven NSU players who helped the Lady Demons to the 2016 Southland Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed.

Other experienced players include All-Louisian forward Brittany Caserma, senior April Trowbridge (2016 SLC Newcomer of the Year), three-year starter Ysmina Smith and Wheeler, a two-year starter in the midfielder.

​​​​​​​Redshirt sophomore Kayla Bomben is in her third season at NSU and is battling with freshman Sydney Normand for the starting spot, one of numerous position battles in preseason.

In Bomben's lone career start, she shut out Nicholls in regulation before the Colonels struck in overtime.

​​​​​​​UTSA brings their own level of newness to Friday's match as head coach Derek Pittman starts his stint with the Roadrunners.

Pittman is in his second head coaching tenure after leading Idaho to two regular season titles in his four years.

He takes over a Roadrunners' squad that won just three games in 2017. UTSA has won the program's only meeting (2016) since leaving the Southland Conference and hold a 7-0-1 edge all-time.

​​​​​​​Jobe said it's been a little tough to prepare for a new coaching staff, but he knows that it's also difficult to prepare for NSU's unknowns as well.

"Knowing about (UTSA) historically, we expect them to be big, fast and physical," Jobe said. "We have to be ready to match that, especially at home.

"It's hard to know much about either side with first-year head coaches, but we have to make sure we do what we need to do and concentrate on our side of the game. We have to play NSU soccer to the best of our ability."