NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State soccer's Sunday opponent will be visiting the Lady Demon Soccer Complex with an elevated sense of determination.

Focusing its efforts toward a noon rematch with NSU (7-4-3, 7-1-1 SLC), Incarnate Word (4-9-1, 4-4-0 SLC) finds itself the winners of three of its last four, including a Friday 3-1 victory against a McNeese squad that had not lost a match at home in almost two months.

The Cardinals' successful upset in Lake Charles consequently put NSU in the driver seat, as the Lady Demons were simultaneously hosting Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. NSU's eventual shutout of the Islanders--coupled with the UIW upset—resulted in the Lady Demons taking sole possession of first place in the race for its first regular season title since 2000.

"(Sunday) is a massive game for us," head coach Stuart Gore said. "Fair play to (UIW head coach) Emma, she's got them rolling, scoring goals, and taking one against McNeese has got to offer them a big confidence boost. I don't think McNeese has lost many games at home this year, so they'll be coming here full of energy."  

The first match of league play between NSU and UIW resulted in a 2-0 shutout victory for the Lady Demons, off of successful scoring efforts from sophomore midfielder Delaney Wells and junior forward Olivia Draguicevich.

In Friday's outing against the Islanders, Draguicevich scored her eleventh goal of the season, tying her for sixth in the record books for goals in a single season—a mark which is just five-short of the all-time record. Possessing a comfortable lead as the Southland Conference's top scorer, Draguicevich has been the focal point of NSU's attack since league play began.

Posting her third consecutive shutout and eighth on the season, senior goalkeeper Acelya Aydogmus has anchored a defensive effort from the Lady Demons that borders on the best in program history. With four matches remaining in league play, eight shutouts in a single season falls one short of tying the all-time record, a mark set by Aydogmus and the current Lady Demon cast just a year before.

NSU aims to build upon a 6-2-1 edge in the all-time series with UIW, its last loss at the hands of the Cardinals occurring in the Lady Demons final home match of the 2020 season. Then-freshman forward Sierra Wannamaker scored the game winner off of a wild 88^th minute goal, ultimately sealing the Lady Demons' fate late in the affair.