ABILENE, Texas—During non-conference play, coaches want to improve game-by-game so that the team is performing its best come conference play.

Judging by Northwestern State's (4-1-2) five-game unbeaten streak, including three wins, the Demons are preparing themselves quite well for Southland Conference play.

The final tune-up prior to league play is a trip to Abilene Christian (3-4) on Thursday, a team that sports a terrific defense and played NSU to a scoreless draw in the meeting last season in Natchitoches.
Kickoff is at 5 p.m. and can be viewed on ESPN+.

The Demons nearly won their fourth in a row last time out but settled for a draw as UL Lafayette scored a late goal to salvage a 1-1 tie in Natchitoches.

"We've been playing really well," head coach Ian Brophy said. "We're still moving upwards and still growing and learning every day. We saw that in the ULL game, and we saw that we still have an area to grow and improve, so we'll look at that and it is good that we are still finding areas for growth and finding ways to improve. We're excited how the team is looking at how we are continuing to play better every week."

Senatore is coming off a weekend in which she had a three-point performance in the victory over Grambling this past Thursday.

That showing earned her a second Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week award of the season.

She also did so the first week of the season after scoring two goals in the upset at Texas.

Senatore and freshman Hosane Soukou have been a stellar 1-2 punch for the Demons this season, and the pairing have scored in the same game four times this year, starting with that win over Texas.

They also did it against Alcorn State, Mississippi Valley State and Grambling.

This past weekend, both Riley Stern and Jessica Spitzer found the back of the net for the first time this season, as Stern did so against Grambling and Spitzer against UL Lafayette.

"This year, we have more natural goal scorers," Stern said. "Also, the chemistry on this team has been so good to allow more people to get some more looks at goal. Everybody works together so well, and I think that is the main reason we've been so good offensively."

At goalkeeper, Audrey Marfia had a sensational first two collegiate starts, stopping 12 shots, earning her first career win and shutout in the triumph against Grambling.

Marfia was always prepared in case her number was called.

"I always stay ready through practice," Marfia said. "No matter what, even on the sidelines during games, I have to stay mentally prepared. Thankfully, Coach (Clifford) Jordan makes sure all the goalkeepers are ready, just in case."

A low-scoring game shouldn't be out of the question, as the Wildcats boast a terrific defense having only surrendered six goals in seven games and have scored four.

ACU has played a pair of SLC teams so far during non-conference play, winning 1-0 against Houston Christian and falling 1-0 at East Texas A&M.

"They are really disciplined and work really hard," Brophy said. "They play with a lot of energy and intensity, similar to ULL. If we can control the midfield and control possession and get a little more grasp on the game than we did against ULL, we should be able to create some chances, but we know that will be tough.

"They are used to being in tight games. For us, it's about getting control of the game and taking the chances we do get because that is going to be really important."

Abby Smith, a transfer from LSU, leads ACU in both goals (2) and points (4) and is coming off a goal in the 2-1 loss at North Texas. It was just the second game where the Wildcats allowed more than one goal in a contest.

Following the match, NSU heads on the road to face UTRGV on Sept. 18 to begin SLC play before coming to Natchitoches for the conference home opener against the reigning conference champion Stephen F. Austin on Sept. 21.