NATCHITOCHES—SLC x2.

That is the Northwestern State soccer team's mantra this season after grinding its way to a Southland Conference regular season championship before being tripped up in the conference tournament semifinals by Houston Christian last season.

This season, the Demons are greedy, as they want both the regular season and tournament titles, a goal that is on the minds of the team as they begin full practice in preparation for another grueling season.

"Our mantra is SLC x2 this year," fifth-year senior Riley Stern said. "Our main goal is to finish strong in that tournament. Obviously, we won the regular season championship last year, but the tournament title is what we're really gunning for and we're excited."

Stern, who is the longest-tenured Demon and is in her second season as a team captain, is one of four All-Conference performers returning, as she is joined by Paige Baumgartner and Hosane Soukou, who both joined Stern on the first team, and Emma Pethel comes back after a second team selection.

The team officially reported July 14, but was in a transition period for two weeks, where hours of practice were restricted. But now, the team can go full steam ahead, as it prepares for an exhibition match at UL Monroe on Aug. 5.

"I think it has been a great first few weeks with the camaraderie and relationships that we are building," head coach Ian Brophy said. "How that has progressed over the last two weeks has been really exciting to watch."

While the team has plenty of returning faces, NSU has incorporated five transfers and three freshmen, as it aims for another conference title.

"The new players have adjusted and are coming along well to the new environment and the team," Baumgartner said. "There is still learning to be done, but everything has been going well, and training has been going really well and we have accomplished a lot."

With a new season, there is definite excitement at the Demon Soccer Field, as they aim to finish the job they started last year, and advance to the school's first NCAA Tournament since 2021.

"The team is really excited and really looking forward to the start of the season," Brophy said. "They are counting down the days until the first exhibition game. There has been a lot of excitement from them and are definitely looking forward to action, and so are we as a coaching staff. We are excited to see them play against someone else."

NSU heads to UL Monroe for the first exhibition on Aug. 5 before hosting LSU-Eunice for its home exhibition on Aug. 8 prior to the regular season opener on the road against Oklahoma on Aug. 12.