FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – After two wins last weekend at the 8th Annual Hilton Garden Inn Mountain Classic, NAU soccer opens its second fall tournament on Friday at Lumberjack Stadium with the 4th Annual High Altitude Tournament. The Lumberjacks are set to play Central Arkansas on Friday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. and Utah Valley State on Sunday, Sept. 28 at 2 p.m. New Mexico will play Utah Valley State and Central Arkansas in opening matches on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

“Our main focus is to win the game on Friday night and win three in a row,” said head coach Andre Luciano. “It would be a huge emotional win for us. Obviously we want to win our tournament outright but as young as we are we need to focus on one game at a time.”

NAU (4-5-1) has already incurred a tumultuous season playing an intimidating non-conference schedule with five of its first eight matches on the road. With some slight modifications over the last two weeks in terms of style of play, the Lumberjacks may find this weekend to be the turning point of the season.

“We are simplifying things for our team,” Luciano said. “Having them understand their roles on the field and patterns of play is what we are looking for from them. I thought we did a much better job of it last weekend. I thought the first eight games of the season we were very direct. We wanted to change that up and be more possession oriented. That has been our focus this week.”

NAU's first test this weekend will be Central Arkansas, out of the Southland Conference. The Bears are 2-3-0 this fall under eighth-year head coach Tina Banham.

“I assume they are going to be very hard working and excited to come out west for the first time to play,” Luciano said. “On the stats, they have a tendency to out-shoot their opponents which is something we have to be aware of. So we are not caught off guard we always have to keep an eye on teams that like to be direct and go to goal on a frequent basis.”

On Sunday, NAU plays Utah Valley State, a member of the United Soccer League. Utah Valley State is 4-2-1 this fall under third-year head coach Brent Anderson. The Lumberjacks bested the Wolverines 2-0 in Orem, Utah last year.

“Utah Valley State is a much improved team from when we played them last year,” Luciano said. “Coach Anderson has done a very good job with this team and their maturity level has paid off significantly. It is a team that is streaky in terms of going on four-game win streaks. We have to be aware of that. They possess some athleticism and have good players.”

In addition to a full day of soccer, Friday is Lumberjack Day and fans are encouraged to dress up in their favorite Lumberjack gear. All participating fans in Lumberjack or True Blue NAU gear will receive FREE admission to the game and be entered to receive great prizes during a half-time contest.