COMMERCE, Texas — No. 3 seed Northwestern State advanced to the semifinal round of the 2026 Southland Women’s Soccer Championships with a 1-0 shutout victory over No. 6 seed McNeese in the opening round this afternoon hosted by East Texas A&M.

The first half was a defensive battle, with each team combining for 15 shots, 12 of them coming from Northwestern State. The Demons' offense was able to put five of the 12 shots on net, while their defense did not allow McNeese to place a shot on goal.

With both teams scoreless to start the second half, Northwestern State’s Emily Gundin found the top-left corner in the 51^st minute off a pass from Maliya Maldonado to put the Demons up 1-0 to end the scoreless drought.

The Northwestern State defense kept up its strong performance in the second half, allowing only three shots on goal.

Demons’ goalie Saki Tsuchiya tallied three saves while McNeese goalie Shannon Dempsey recorded seven saves.

Northwestern State awaits the winner of No. 2 HCU/No.7 East Texas A&M in the Southland Tournament semifinals at 7 p.m. on Thursday.