GRAMBLING—A late scoring onslaught by Northwestern State turned a tie game into a 5-1 victory over Grambling on Sunday afternoon at the Grambling Soccer Complex.

Five different players scored, as the Lady Demons scored their most goals since also pouring in five in a 5-0 victory against LSU-Alexandria in 2018.

"Grambling was coming off a game in which it led 1-0 at LSU before losing 3-1," NSU women's soccer coach Stuart Gore said. "So to be able to put five on them from multiple people just shows that we aren't reliant on one or two people to put the ball in the back of the net."

NSU (2-1-1) scored four times in the second half, including three in the final 11 minutes to blow a tight game wide open.

NSU finishes its four-game road swing to start the season on a high note, rebounding from a close defeat last time out at SMU.

Jalen Donaldson broke a tie game in the 58^th minute off a corner kick from Natalee Henry.  Donaldson collected the shot at the top of the box and sent it in top shelf of the goal to put the visitors in front 2-1.

"I just saw the ball coming in from the corner," Donaldson said. "When it was in the air, I saw it and just hit it and it felt good and the last thing I know it was in the back of the net."

Henry drew the corner following a chance in which her shot hit the post and was deflected out past the back line.

The graduate student was wreaking havoc all afternoon for NSU. Henry scored her team-high second goal of the season to give the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 27^th minute. Her three shots were tied for the most on the team with Delaney Wells.

"On the free kick, I just saw an opening in the goal and I worked on placing in in the bottom corner of the net," Henry said.

NSU went to the break with the narrow 1-0 edge.

Even with the narrow lead, Northwestern State controlled the entire half, maintaining much of the possession and attempting 10 of its 18 shots in the opening 45 minutes.

Grambling attempted four of its nine in the first half, but none of the shots were dangerous for the NSU defense.

NSU has attempted at least 18 shots in three of its four contests.

The most dangerous non-scoring opportunity for NSU came in the 30^th minute when Donaldson chipped it over the goalkeeper at the edge of the box, but the Lady Tigers defense came and booted it just before the ball crossed the line for a goal.

Armstrong and Henry each also had high-quality chances that could not find the back of the net in the first half.

"We dominated the game in the first half," Stuart Gore said. "We continued that play until they scored. Grambling was dominating for that period shortly after its goal.

"After Jalen's great finish to put us back up, the tide changed again and dominated from then on, which was great to see."

The game did not stay that way long into the second half, as Grambling (2-4) scored the game-tying goal in the 51st minute.

Karlyn Judge took the ball and drove to the middle of the box and sent a shot in on goal, which was stopped on a diving save by Chloe DeShazer. The rebound came to Beatriz Kretteis of Grambling, who passed it to Samantha Diaz and Diaz cashed in on the scoring opportunity going bottom right corner.

Grambling controlled play for the next five minutes, which included a shot by Aria Whitney that sailed just high on a clean look.

That all changed when Donaldson connected on her goal in the 58^th minute, which turned the tide of the contest.

In the 80^th minute, the flood gates opened. Draguicevich scored her second goal of the season and 26^th of her illustrious NSU career off an assist from freshman Madison Murphy, which was the freshman's first career point.

Three minutes later, Paige Armstrong found the score sheet with an unassisted goal. The ball bounced around in the box before finding the foot of the freshman, who booted it to the back of the net.

Wells finished off the scoring with a goal in the 85^th minute off an assist from Jayme Haynes to make final 5-1.

NSU returns to Natchitoches for the first time in the regular season when it hosts Jackson State on Friday. The game is the first of three consecutive matches on the home field, the final two of which are Southland Conference contests against UIW and Lamar.

"It's always exciting to get to play in front of the home crowd," Donaldson said. "We're going to have a big crowd for the games after having such a good season last year."