HOUSTON, Texas — The proverbial weather wrench was tossed into the fray this week for much of the Southland Conference region. As a result, the Northwestern State women's soccer team will only play one conference foe this week, a Sunday afternoon affair at Houston Baptist. 

The game is slated to begin at 1 p.m. at Sorrels Field. The Lady Demons enter the match with an unblemished 3-0 overall record, which includes a 1-0 mark in conference play. 

As mentioned, NSU was scheduled to travel to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday. However, colder-than-normal temperatures made the roads in Louisiana unpassable, and the match against the Islanders will be rescheduled for a later date.  

The winter weather closed down NSU's campus for a few days, and this made it difficult for the women's soccer team to practice. But Northwestern State embraced the chaotic nature the week entailed.

"Our team has done a great job, when something like this comes up, to shift their mentality, and put their head down, and put in the work," said co-head coach Jess Jobe. "That's what a lot of this success has been built on. No matter the circumstances, we are going to continue to work hard."

NSU is backed by a strong defense that has only allowed one goal during the 2021 season. More specifically, it hasn't surrendered a goal in 241 minutes. 

Junior goaltender Acelya Aydogmus has earned multiple well-deserving recognitions for her play, reeling in back-to-back Southland Conference Goalkeeper of the Week honors. She has registered eight saves this season, laying claim to a .33 GAA, which is best in the conference. 

Fellow junior Kalee Williams has made that strong play in goal stand up. She has three goals in 2021, and that matches her offensive output through the first two years of her career. 

Williams has peppered opposing goaltenders with six shots, and the one tallied at Louisiana Tech ended up being the difference in the game. Freshman Delany Wells was the difference in Northwestern State's most recent game, a 1-0 win at Sam Houston. 

On a cold night in Huntsville, Texas, Wells provided the match's lone goal in the 80th minute. The match was dominated offensively by NSU, however, it took it nearly 80 minutes to find the breakthrough. 

It's that stick-to-itiveness in which Northwestern State has a great deal of pride. 

"I think that's something we really have been really proud of as we've been building this program," Jobe said. "That goes back to our 2019 team and their resilience. That's become something that we talk to recruits about, being a program that wants to have that resiliency as part of our identity."

Wells represents one of two freshmen that have found the back of the net this season, as Kyle Nolen also has a score. Sophomore Olivia Draguicevich owns the other goal on the season. 

Houston Baptist stands at 0-2-1 this season, which includes an 0-1 mark in Southland Conference play. The Huskies' tie occurred in the fall against Texas State, while they've also dropped 3-1 and 4-0 decisions at Houston and at Incarnate Word, respectively. 

Kat Lazor and Evelyn Slaughter have recorded the two goals for HBU. Karla Ramirez has started and finished each of the three games this season in net, logging five saves. 

NSU defeated the Huskies 3-1 last season in Natchitoches behind three first-half goals. HBU, however, has gotten the better of NSU all-time, boasting a record of 5-3-1.  
"We are a team in this league that has a target on our back, no doubt," Jobe said. "(HBU) will be seeing an opportunity to shift their season with some great momentum if they were to get a result. We've got to stay focused, and we've got to continue to play the way we want to play, and be prepared and have the right mindset."

Following Sunday's match, Northwestern State will host Nicholls in its home opener. That game is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. at the Lady Demon Soccer Complex.