Main Story: Third-seeded Northwestern State opens the Southland Conference women’s soccer tournament Tuesday against No. 6 McNeese, seeking a rebound from a 4-1 loss to the Cowgirls earlier this month. NSU has recent tournament success against McNeese, including a 1-0 overtime win last year, but will need a sharper performance to advance.

By the Numbers
  • Northwestern State: 9-9 overall; seeded No. 3.
  • McNeese: 9-7-3 overall; seeded No. 6.
  • Kickoff is Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
  • NSU has reached the tournament semifinals in each of the past 5 seasons and 6 of the past 7.
Yes, But

NSU led the Southland in goals during conference play and has spread its scoring across the roster. But McNeese beat the Demons 4-1 in their latest meeting, has four all-conference selections to NSU’s one, and forward Sumayah Brown scored twice in that game.

What’s Next

The winner advances to Thursday’s semifinal against either No. 2 Houston Christian or No. 7 East Texas A&M.

Bottom Line

NSU’s path to another semifinal starts with correcting the execution that cost it the first meeting. Its balanced attack and tournament experience offer a reason for confidence—but McNeese has already shown it can punish mistakes.