NATCHITOCHES—Season two is upon us.

The Northwestern State (4-4-1) soccer team rides a four-match winning streak as it begins Southland Conference play when it hosts Nicholls (2-3-1) on Sunday at the Demon Soccer Complex.

Kickoff is at 1 p.m. and it is both Kids Day and Bark at the Park.

Kids can grab a free popsicle, while fans can bring their canine pals and watch the game.

"We're really excited," head coach Ian Brophy said. "Going into conference, the games mean more and our team knows that and we as a coaching staff knows that. We're excited about what we can accomplish this year."

The Demons could not have asked for a better finish to non-conference play. After losing four straight to open the season, all on the road and three against power conference schools, they tied Abilene Christian and won the last four.

In those four contests, Northwestern State outscored opponents 14-0. In 2023, it didn't score its 14^th goal until the final game of the regular season, which came at Nicholls.

That meeting was the last time these teams played each other. Overall, the Demons have dominated the series, posting a record of 29-2-3 mark against the Colonels, including a record of 16-0-2 in Natchitoches.

The winning streak coincided with a trip home following four straight on the road to begin the season. Four of the past five have been at home, going 3-0-1 in those home games.

Overall, the Demons are 5-0-1 in their last six home games, dating back to last season.

The Demons are showing their depth, as the 14 goals the Demons have scored have come via eight different players and 15 players have recorded points.

Last season, only seven Northwestern State players found the back of the net and had 15 point scorers, so the Demons have already matched the point scorers and surpassed the goal scorers from a season ago.

"A lot of players have been stepping up recently," Taylor Spitzer said. "Kassi (Schoen) got two goals, Sara (Fernandez) got two goals and Isabella (Ruggiano) and Emily (Senatore) scored this past weekend. I know how talented they are, it is good to see them get the points they deserve."

For the third straight week, the Demons won the SLC Goalkeeper of the Week.

For the second time in three weeks, it was Libe Banuelos.

Banuelos posted a solo shutout against Tarleton State and combined one against Mississippi Valley State.

Overall, the Demons have recorded five consecutive shutouts and are aiming to match the six straight the 2021 team had.

"We've all been working hard for one another," Emma Pethel said. "We've been buying into all the tactics and the coaches have put together strong game plans for us. We have some older plays who are really strong players and have really built that strong defense, which helps us going forward."

The Colonels have won two games in a row, shutting out Mississippi Valley State and Jackson State, like the Demons did.

Nicholls is coming off a 1-0 victory over Jackson State in which the Colonels attempted just one shot in the game and recorded an own goal in Friday's victory.

The Colonels are searching for win No. 3, which hasn't happened since 2019.

"It's a different Nicholls team, that's for sure," Brophy said. "This isn't even last year's team and last year was a really competitive 2-2 draw. If we are able to play our brand of futbol, we'll hopefully come out with a win, but we know it won't be easy."

In SLC openers, Northwestern State is 13-9-5 overall, but has won five in a row, including a 1-0 win in 2023 against Southeastern Louisiana.

Following the match, Northwestern State embarks on a three-game road trip, starting with a game at UIW on Sept. 29. The Demons aren't at home again until Oct. 11 against Houston Christian.