Chris Reich/Northwestern State
Northwestern State soccer player Riley Stern
There aren’t many soccer games that end with a team recording a double-digit number in the goal column. However, the women’s squad at Northwestern State University in Louisiana firmly checked that box and almost tied an NCAA record after treating Arkansas Pine-Pluff to one of the most brutal beatdowns you’ll ever see.
We were treated to the latest round of “This Is The Year Soccer Will Finally Take America By Storm” discourse when the United States served as a host of the World Cup, but there isn’t much evidence to suggest the event actually served as the tipping point evangelists of the Beautiful Game have been anticipating for decades.
The generally low-scoring nature of soccer is frequently cited as one of the biggest reasons many Americans tend to be fairly averse to the sport. Seasoned fans of the game might be able to appreciate the gamesmanship that can be on display in a 1-0 game or a 0-0 draw, but it serves as a major barrier to entry for casuals who want to be treated to a slew of goals.
It’s hard to imagine anyone who falls into that second category went out of their way to catch a game between two largely unheralded women’s programs on Thursday night, but they certainly would have gotten their goal fix if they had.
Northwestern State’s women’s soccer team came one goal away from tying a DI record with a 24-1 rout of Arkansas Pine-Pluff
Neither of the women’s soccer teams at Arkansas Pine-Bluff nor Northwestern State (the public university located in Natchitoches, Louisiana) saw the 2026 season get off to the start they were looking for.
The Golden Lions were sitting at 1-3 when they headed to the latter’s stadium for a showdown on Friday, and the Demons were hoping to get their second win of the year on Senior Day after starting at 1-5.
Northwestern State was not only able to achieve that goal but do so in laughably decisive fashion, as the team ended up notching a 24-1 victory at the expense of an opponent that was decidedly outmatched.
2️⃣4️⃣ GOALS⁉️ 🤯
Northwestern State women’s soccer scored 24 GOALS vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, one shy of the all-time Division I record 😳 pic.twitter.com/tw38Oqbn5c
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) September 11, 2026
11 different Northwestern State players posted at least one goal in the contest. Paige Baumgartner broke a school record with five goals, Emily Gundin had four, and Iesha Rollins was the third Demon with a hat trick after coming off the bench.
The winning team had a 16-1 lead at the half and ultimately ended up outshooting Arkansas-Pine Bluff by a total of 54-4. Golden Lions goalkeeper Arie Parker was forced to remain in net for the entire ordeal, and while she did save 12 shots, she also let 24 more get past her.
Northwestern State set the record for the most goals scored by a team hailing from the Southland Conference (Sam Houston was the former holder with a 23-0 win over Texas Southern in 2004). They also only needed one more to tie Mississippi Valley State for the DI record, which was set when they secured a 25-goal shutout against Alcorn State in 2006.