ITTA BENA, Mississippi—For the first four games, the Northwestern State soccer team showed its scoring prowess from Emily Senatore, Paige Baumgartner and Hosane Soukou.

In Sunday afternoon's 7-0 victory at Mississippi Valley State, the Demons (3-1-1) showed their scoring depth, as six different players found the back of the net to score their seven goals in the rout.

"It's always good to get a win," head coach Ian Brophy said. "It was a good non-conference game and we escaped without any major injuries, so I am really happy with the end result."

NSU scored in the second minute on a goal from Baumgartner and never looked back, as she scored lower right corner past MVSU (0-1) goalkeeper Genesis Austin on a clean look off a header pass from Ravina Sandhu to put the Demons in front.

The usual suspects—Baumgartner, Soukou and Senatore—all scored in the first half, recording three of the team's first four goals, as Baumgartner's goal was followed by goals by Soukou in the 16^th minute and Emily Senatore in the 27^th minute.

The trio has combined for nine goals in the first five games, with Senatore leading the way with four.

The third goal came off the foot of Emily Gundin, who found the back of the net twice for her first collegiate multi-goal game.

"It felt amazing to score those two goals," Gundin said. "While I didn't start, I was just waiting for the opportunity, and I feel like I took advantage of it. It wasn't just me, it was a team effort. I thought we played well all around. We had beautiful assists from a number of different players, so it was really awesome to see."

The assist on that third goal came from Riley Stern, who posted a career-high three assists, one shy of tying the school record.

"It was really good to get my teammates on the board," Stern said. "When we all came on, it was 2-0 and we knew we needed to get the ball rolling with goals, so I found the open player, and they put it away and made me look good."

Gundin recorded career highs in both shots (6) and shots on goal (4).

Her first goal opened the floodgates for NSU, as the Demons scored five goals in a span of 6:03 to blow the contest wide open.       

All seven goals were assisted, with Gundin recording the assist on Senatore's goal for five total points.

In addition to Gundin's and Stern's big days, a pair of other Demons—Kate Bouck and Kendall Hemperley—found the back of the net for their first collegiate goals.

"It feels really good," Bouck said. "It's a long-time coming. Being here, I've been given an opportunity from Coach Ian and all my teammates have given me confidence to play my best. I wasn't really looking for a goal, but I am very happy that I got it."

The tally was a relief for Hemperley, who hit the corner of the crossbar and post on a shot minutes before scoring.

"It feels amazing scoring my first goal," Hemperley said. "It was a long-time coming. I've hit the post like four or five times, so it was great having that goal.".

The seven goals in a half are the most in either half since scoring eight in the second half of a 12-0 victory over Alcorn State in 2005.

NSU not only dominated on the scoreboard, but also in shots, recording an 18-0 edge in the first half and 25-0 for the game.

It was the first time without surrendering a shot since 2018 against LSU-Alexandria.

NSU has 13 goals this season and didn't score goal number 13 last season until game nine.

The teams played a 25-minute second half, with Audrey Marfia playing her first career minutes in goal and she and her teammates finished off the shutout.

"The defense was great again today," Brophy said. "Jess (Spitzer) and Soph (Minnillo) and the outside backs, who we had three of them kind of rotating in and out, and I was happy with how they were able to keep a clean sheet. Our goalkeepers didn't have to do much today because the defense was fantastic today.

"The whole team, pressing from the front, was fantastic. We were able to keep possession and denied them chances."

The Demons next turn their attention to a two-match week with both at home, against Grambling on Thursday and UL Lafayette on Sept. 7.