NATCHITOCHES—Step one accomplished.

The Northwestern State (9-6-2, 5-2-1) soccer team accomplished its first of many goals this season—reaching the Southland Conference Tournament.

The Demons received goals from Madison Murphy and Taylor Spitzer to down preseason conference favorite Lamar 2-0 on Friday evening at the Demon Soccer Complex.

"As a staff, we all kind of talked about this," head coach Ian Brophy said. "Winning tonight and clinching to get in the tournament is the first step for us. It is really important. It is a great win and I am really pleased with the performance to earn the win."

In the jumbled standings, Northwestern State clinched a top seven seed and has surpassed its point total from last year (13) and clinched a winning league mark.

Once again, the Demons started fast, scoring the first goal in seven of their eight SLC matches and have held a lead in all eight.

After having close misses during the season, Murphy finally found the back of the net to open the scoring in the 30^th minute following a corner kick from freshman Emma Pethel and header from Spitzer.

"I saw the ball and I slid like I always do and it happened to go in," Murphy said. "It was a great feeling to score my first goal and then to get a second one after that and punch our ticket to Corpus. But the job is not done and we have another game this weekend."

Spitzer, who originally was credited with the first goal, left no doubt on the second one. She made a one-on-one move around her defender in the middle of the box and fired a shot low left of the net past reigning SLC Goalkeeper of the Week Taylor Howard in the 49^th minute to double the advantage.

"I knew they were going for that cutback," Spitzer said. "I just had to time my run and the ball was a little behind me and I knew I could use my body to turn around the defender and out it in the net."

Spitzer, who earned an assist along with Pethel on Murphy's goal, is second in the SLC in points during league games with 13 and has recorded at least one point in six of the eight conference matches.

After scoring exactly four goals in each of her first two seasons, she is excited to see the fifth one go into the back of the net.

"It was great to get that fifth one," Spitzer said. "My dad kept bugging me about it, so to score that, it was a nice 'In your face' from me to get one more than my last two years."

While the offense was making some noise, the defense earned a clean sheet, highlighted by a sensational performance from goalkeeper Libe Banuelos.

Banuelos recorded five saves, including four in the second half, to shut the door on a Cardinals comeback attempt to post her fourth solo shutout of the season and eighth of her career, which ties her with Chloe DeShazer (2022) for seventh in program history.

The senior goalkeeper made mammoth saves in the second half to keep it a two-goal difference.

A loose ball was gathered by Lamar's Kamryn Harvey, but Banuelos dove to her right to smother the ball in the 63^rd minute.

Minutes later, Trinity Clark attempted a shot that was blocked by Alina Graf, but the ball caromed back to Clark, who passed it to Taylor Conway.

Conway attempted to score top left of the goal but was denied by a leaping Banuelos.

For good measure, the defense chipped in with a block on a free kick with seven minutes to play and the Demons defense shut the door from there.

"The defense got back to not allowing too many dangerous chances," Brophy said. "The ones we did allow, Libe is incredible the way she is able to pull out some of those saves and keep a clean sheet. She deserves a lot of credit; she is a heck of a goalkeeper."

Lamar won the shots battle overall 18-7, but 12 of them came in the second half when the team was frantically trying to come back.

Cena Carlson attempted five shots to lead the way, followed by Rafiatu Alhassan's four and Harvey and Conway each with three.

No Demons player recorded more than one shot attempt.

The Demons wrap up the home portion of their schedule Sunday afternoon against SLC newcomer UTRGV before finishing the regular season on the road against Stephen F. Austin.