FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas—The Northwestern State soccer team has learned a lot about itself through the first two games of the season.

In the two games at SMU and Mississippi State, NSU (0-2) has proven it can hang around with some of the nation's best.

NSU has another difficult challenge in the form of No. 9 Arkansas (1-0-1) on Sunday at Razorback Field.

The 1 p.m. match can be watched on SEC Network +.

"I feel we are further along this year as opposed to last year," head coach Ian Brophy said. "Not looking too much at the scores, but just looking at the performance, I think there is a lot of confidence we can take away from these games.

"The players have gained a lot of experience playing these tough games to start and this experience is invaluable."

The teams have only met once before, in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, a 5-1 Arkansas win en route to an appearance in the Elite 8.

It is also the last time the Lady Demons played a top 10 team, as Arkansas entered the tournament as the No. 4 team in the country.

In the game, NSU recorded its first ever goal in the NCAA Tournament, scored by Natalee Henry.

This game marks the first time in NSU history that it plays three consecutive games against power conference teams.

This time around, NSU is aiming for its first victory of the season but has held its own against two power conference teams, SMU and Mississippi State.

Last time out, NSU held MSU to just one goal through the first 75 minutes and had a few chances to knot the score before the Bulldogs scored three goals in three minutes to finish the contest.

"Scores aside, I thought we played really well in the first two games," Brophy. "I was really proud of the second half, especially those first 35 minutes or so, against Mississippi State.

"Similarly, I thought we played really well in the second half against SMU. I think our challenge is just playing that well over 90 minutes. But I was really happy with our overall performance and what we were able to do in both games despite the scores."
 
Offensively, the Lady Demons have played better as games have gone along. Four of their six shot attempts this season have come after halftime. The NSU offense knows if it keeps attacking like it is, the goals will come.

"Now that we have two games under our belt, the chemistry is starting to show a little bit more with the ball movement and the scoring chances," Paige Baumgartner said. "We are finding each other's feet a lot better and the movement is good. It definitely is showing on the field."

The Razorbacks are coming off a clash of the titans, a 2-2 draw in a top 10 showdown with Michigan State on the road.

Prior to the game in East Lansing, in Arkansas' first regular season game and three exhibition games, the Razorbacks outscored opponents 27-3, including a season-opening 7-1 victory against John Brown.

Even against power conference schools, Arkansas rolled Kansas and Kansas State in exhibitions by a combined score of 11-2.

The NSU defense counters the strong Razorbacks attack with Libe Banuelos, who has stopped 18 shots in her first two games against SMU and Mississippi State, including 11 stops in the season opener at SMU.

"It's going to take a team effort to slow an offense like that down," Banuelos said. "Everyone has to give 100 percent and more, fighting for every ball and getting physical."

The senior from Deusto, Basque, held MSU to a single goal through 75 minutes before the Bulldogs scored three goals late to finish the game, led my bad bounces.

The nine saves per game through the first two contests leads the Southland Conference and her 18 total saves are the most total saves for a Lady Demon goalkeeper in the first two games since Alex Latham recorded 25 saves in the first two games in 2016.

NSU rounds out its string of four consecutive road matches to begin the season with a trip to UL Lafayette on Thursday before coming home for the first time in the regular season when it hosts Abilene Christian on Sept. 1.