NATCHITOCHES—Southland Conference Tournament seeding is on the line, as Northwestern State welcomes UTRGV to the Demon Soccer Complex on Thursday for the final game of the regular season.

It is an early kickoff, as it starts at 11 a.m.

NSU (8-9, 5-4) aims to rebound from a loss to McNeese when it faces the last place Vaqueros (4-11-2, 0-7-2), which aim to play the role of spoiler as they will not be a part of next week's SLC Tournament.

The Demons are currently in fifth place but could finish as high as the No. 3 seed. NSU has been a No. 4 seed or higher in each of the past seven seasons, a streak that dates back to 2019.

It is the final game of the season for UTRGV as the Vaqueros aren't making the conference tournament. But Brophy knows teams like that can be dangerous.

"They are playing with house money," he said. "If there is any pressure, it is on us. Obviously, we want to win the game and get further up the table and get the best seeding possible for the conference tournament.

"The hope is that we will go out and perform well. We know they are going to be dangerous because they can play care-free and just play their game. We know it's not going to be an easy match and if we take it lightly, we'll be in for a real tough afternoon."

Against McNeese, defender Rhiley Potteiger scored her first career goal in just her third game back from an injury that forced her to miss 10 games.

Junior defender Emma Pethel says her teammates are digging deep, as the Demons prepare to fight in the conference tournament.

"It's been a long season," defender Emma Pethel said. "We've been going strong since July 15, and we haven't really stopped at all. We just need to find it in us to finish the season strong. We have at least a week left, and hopefully longer and get to the NCAA Tournament.

"I was disappointed with the way I played against McNeese, but this is a really good opportunity to show what we're made of mentally and play for one another, this team and this school, we'll go into this conference tournament strong."

The Demons aim to right the ship at home, where NSU has been nearly unbeatable. In the last 15 contests in front of friendly crowd, the Demons are 14-1-2, dating back to mid-October 2024. NSU has scored 38 of its 51 goals at the Demon Soccer Complex.

The goal gives NSU 152 points this season, which is the second-best mark in school history.

The Demons lead the league in both overall goals (51) and goals in league play (16). In SLC play, no player for NSU has scored more than three goals, led by Tiana Cruz.

Cruz and Emily Gundin each lead the team with seven points during SLC play.

Gundin knows that one win could spark a Demons run to a possible tournament championship.

"Confidence is a huge part of the conversation and being able to lean on each other and build confidence, not just within ourselves, but also within our teammates," Gundin said. "Hopefully we can win to get a better seed in the tournament. I feel like once we win one game, we can get into a roll, and this is the time to start that momentum."

It is the final game at the Demon Soccer Complex for a pair of NSU standouts, forward Paige Baumgartner and midfielder Riley Stern.

Stern has recorded 17 assists in her career, which is fourth in program history, and just a single assist out of third.

Baumgartner has been a strong offensive force for three seasons with NSU and is just five points out of the top 10 for career points with 47.

Isabella Burtini is the leading goal scorer with seven and no other UTRGV player has more than two. She also leads them in assists with three. Her 17 points are tied for sixth in the conference and her seven goals are tied for seventh.

Following the game, NSU heads to the SLC Tournament, which begins Tuesday. The seeding, opponent and game time will be announced Friday.