NATCHITOCHES — While it's not something Northwestern State's soccer team has had to deal with all that much this season, it isn't foreign to prospect of needing to bounce back. NSU dropped a 1-0 decision to Abilene Christian on Thursday, and will look to rediscover its winning form Saturday against Incarnate Word at 12 p.m. at the Lady Demon Soccer Complex. 

"The players have been there before. This feeling is not new to us," said co-head coach Jess Jobe. "We've dropped a couple and felt the hurt. We'll look to use that and look to get refocused very quickly. We've got UIW, and we are going to take that one very seriously, and that's going to be our opportunity to bounce back."

There's no debating the Lady Demons ability to bounce back. NSU — boasting an 8-2-1 overall record and a 6-2-1 Southland Conference mark — hasn't dropped back-to-back matches since the non-conference portion of last season. 

"We've been resilient in a lot of different situations this season," Jobe said. "It's something we talked about. It's OK to be upset. We've got some players that are really let down by (Thursday's) result and appropriately so. That's the game, and that's playing at this level in a competitive conference."

The conference is showing just how competitive it is down the stretch. With just two games left in the regular season, Lamar sits atop the standings with a 7-2-0 (21 points) record in league. 

NSU owns 19 points, and it's trailed closely by Stephen F. Austin who's 6-3-0 (18 points). Abilene Christian possesses a 5-3-1 (16 points) record, while Southeastern Louisiana and UIW sit at 4-2-3 (15 points). 

The Cardinals are fresh off a 1-1 tie at Central Arkansas. UIW hasn't dropped a match since March 7 at Lamar. 

The Cardinals have a balanced offensive attack. Hannah Walsh paces the team with four scores, and five other players have at least two goals. 

That balance is similar to NSU where junior Kalee Williams leads the way with four scores. Sophomore Olivia Draguicevich has logged three goals, while six different players have scored one goal this season.

NSU junior goaltender Acelya Aydogmus has allowed five scores this season, and her six shutouts is one shy of the single-season program record. She's made 33 saves and her GAA of 0.44 is currently shattering the school's best mark.

Margaret Kofron has registered 10 starts in net for the Cardinals. She's recorded 16 saves and owns a 0.73 GAA. 

NSU is 5-1-1 all-time against UIW, having won the last four matchups. All those games have been closely contested with only one being decided by more than one score. 

Saturday is a special day for a couple NSU players. Senior Alexis Weaver and junior Kiara Padilla will both be honored following Saturday's match, as it marks their final time playing the Lady Demon Soccer Complex. 

"Both Kiara and Weaver have been tremendous parts and tremendous contributors to this program," Jobe said. "Being able to celebrate what they've done, it's really special to us."

Following the match against UIW, Northwestern State will wrap up the regular season at Central Arkansas. That game is set for Friday at 7 p.m.