NATCHITOCHES—The last time Northwestern State met Lamar was an instant classic in another chapter in the rivalry.

That game, the Southland Conference Tournament semifinal contest ended in a tie 1-1, but Lamar moved onto the tournament finals with a 5-4 victory in penalty kicks.

This time around, there isn't as much at stake, but it is still a big contest as the Demons (8-6-2) welcome Lamar (5-6-5, 3-2-3) to the Demon Soccer Complex as the regular season winds down.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. on Friday to begin the string of home contests during Homecoming weekend.

"We know Lamar is a very good team coming off a very impressive win," head coach Ian Brophy said. "I think they are just starting to find their form, so we know this will be a very tough game for us.

"We had a really fun game in the semifinal last year and know that it should be another great game. We are going to have to play our best soccer and be clinical to get three points."

In that last meeting, former Cardinal Sabrina Lopez scored a goal in the 89^th minute to tie the score at 1-1 and send it into overtime.

Lopez is excited to be back on the field playing against her friends who are still on the team at Lamar.

"Obviously I still have a lot of friends over there since I transferred from there," Lopez said. "I think my emotions will be high, but I will go into it like I do any other game. I don't want to put pressure on myself that I need to play better because I think that will mess up my game.

"Off the field, we're friends, but once we step onto the field Friday, they're just the enemy."

The rivalry re-news in this game, as Northwestern State aims to clinch a spot in the SLC Tournament, while Lamar tries to put itself in good position to make a repeat to Corpus Christi, Texas, for the conference tournament.

Since 2019, the teams have met in the conference tournament twice in the four years and both matches in 2023 were decided by either one or zero goals.

In addition to the intrigue of the game, Northwestern State is honoring former Demons Olivia Draguicevich and Hillarie Marshall Coleman at halftime.

Draguicevich is the leading goal scorer in Northwestern State soccer history with 37, leading the Demons to the NCAA Tournament in 2021, earning both the SLC and All-Louisiana Player of the Year that season as well.

Marshall Coleman is being inducted into the N-Club Hall of Fame on Saturday, the fifth former member of the soccer program to be inducted.

A four-time All-Southland First Team selection, she helped lead the Demons to their first two NCAA Tournament berths in 2000 and 2002.

In addition to being first team all-conference in 2001, she was also first team All-Louisiana. She led the 2000 NCAA Tournament team with 10 goals, including four game-winners.

Both teams come in following impressive road victories in their last games.

Northwestern State controlled its match at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, scoring in the seventh minute and the lead grew from there, as the Demons won 3-1.

Lamar, on the other hand, jumped out on Texas A&M-Commerce, scoring the first four goals en route to a 5-2 road win.

The Cardinals scored 45 seconds into the game in a dominant performance against the team that came into the day as the top team in the SLC.

Offensively, the Demons have found the back of the net in 11 consecutive games, the most consecutive in-season games with a goal since also scoring in 11 straight in 2003. The most in school history is 17 in a row, set in 2002.

Both Emily Senatore and Taylor Spitzer found the back of the net in Corpus Christi, as the duo is tied for third in the SLC in goals in conference games.

"We always knew Emily had the potential for a season like this, but she has really taken her moments well," Brophy said. "She has the ability to take over games and make teams pay for small mistakes.


"Taylor is certainly finding her form as well and has the ability to bury chances. Her and Bella (Ruggiano), as well as the rest of the attacking players have all been dangerous and there is great competition for places in those attacking positions."

In addition to each team coming off big road wins, both teams also took home a SLC weekly award.

For Northwestern State, Jessica Spitzer earned the SLC Defensive Player of the Week. She scored her second career goal in the win at AMCC last time out, which turned out to be the game winner. She also helped slow down the Islanders offense in the big victory.

Taylor Howard went 1-0-1 last week, including the dominant triumph at TAMUC. The tie came in a shutout against Houston Christian, making seven saves in the two games, helping Lamar fight back to the middle of the pack in the conference standings.

After allowing five goals in three games, the Demons rebounded by only surrendering one goal in Corpus Christi.

Three of the defenders are veterans—Caroline Hilliard, Alina Graf and Spitzer—while one of them is a freshman, Emma Pethel.

The unit played really well as a whole, which helped lead Spitzer to the SLC award.

Coming off the bench, the newcomers are ready to step in when called upon, including freshman Sophia Minnillo.

"The first few months here have been really good," Minnillo said. "The level of play is super high compared to high school. I have really enjoyed my first semester here so far and I am having a lot of fun."

Following the match, the Demons wrap up the home portion of the regular season Sunday against SLC newcomer UTRGV before concluding the regular season at Stephen F. Austin on Nov. 1.