Soccer to Host Montana Friday, Play at Eastern Washington Sunday
/ October 20, 2010
WEEKLY RELEASE (PDF)
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - Northern Arizona (8-3-3, 3-0-1 BSC) brings a
school-record eight game unbeaten streak into the final full
weekend of Big Sky play, hosting Montana (2-11-2, 1-3-0 BSC) on
Friday at 3 p.m. and playing at Eastern Washington (2-11-1, 2-2-0
BSC) on Sunday at 11 a.m. NAU has a slim one point lead over
Sacramento State for first place in the conference. Friday's game
at Lumberjack Stadium is a "Blizzard Match", as all fans are
encouraged to wear white to show their support for the Lumberjacks.
The SAAC (Student Athletic Advisory Committee) will be selling hot
dogs and warm beverages at the game, with all proceeds going back
to the student-athletes. Admission and parking for the match are
free of charge.
The Lumberjacks saw their Big Sky record six-game shutout streak
come to an end last Friday against Sacramento State but defeated
the Hornets, 3-2, and topped Portland State, 2-0, on Sunday to
remain undefeated in conference play. NAU's school-record shutout
streak ended at 569 minutes and 2 seconds, as the Lumberjacks
allowed a goal for the first time in over a month. NAU has
outscored its opponents 14-2 over the last eight games.
As a result of their recent strong play, Northern Arizona earned
its first ever NSCAA regional ranking on October 12. The
Lumberjacks earned a No. 10 ranking in the October 12
NSCAA/HendrickCars.com Pacific Region poll and remain at No. 10 in
this week's poll.
Junior forward Jenna Samora
received a pair of distinctions this week, as she earned Big Sky
Offensive Player of the Week honors and was named as a Primetime
Performer by CollegeSoccer360.com. She becomes the first Lumberjack
to win Offensive Player of the Week honors this season and is also
the first NAU player to make the national College Soccer 360
Primetime Performers Weekly Honor Roll as one of 12 nationwide
selections.
Despite the ongoing overhaul of Lumberjack Stadium, Northern
Arizona has continued to enjoy great success on its home field.
After falling to Arizona State, 4-3, in the season opener, the
Lumberjacks have won six straight home games and have allowed only
two goals. NAU is 6-1-0 at home and 1-2-3 on the road with one
neutral site game this year.
Live Stats will be available for Friday's game with a link on
the women's soccer schedule page on nauathletics.com. Postgame
recaps from both games will be provided on nauathletics.com and on
the NAU Athletics fan page on Facebook.
Montana earned its first conference win last Sunday
with a 1-0 victory over Idaho State, moving their record to 1-3-0
in the Big Sky. Montana had been out-scored 10-0 in its first-three
conference games. The team went 1-8-2 in non-conference play, with
their lone with coming at home against North Dakota. The Grizzlies
are 0-6-1 in road games this season.
Senior forward Kaitlyn Heinsohn leads the team with four goals
for eight points. Sophomore Erin Craig is second on the squad with
two goals, as Montana has been outscored 34-7 this season. The
Grizzlies have used three different goalies, with freshman Kendra
McMillen playing the most minutes and posting a 1.79 goals against
average. Montana is last in the Big Sky in goals per game (0.47)
and has the highest goals against average in the conference
(2.20).
Northern Arizona is just 4-11-1 all-time against Montana. Last
season, the Lumberjacks rallied for a 2-1 overtime win over the
Grizzlies in Flagstaff.
Eastern Washington started the season 0-11-1 before picking
up a pair of conference wins last weekend over Idaho State, 2-0,
and Weber State, 2-1. The team had been out-scored 31-9 for the
year before breaking out with two Big Sky wins. The Eagles are
second to last in every offensive category in the Big Sky, ahead of
only Montana, but do lead the conference with 112 total saves.
Despite the team's overall offensive struggles, junior forward
Whitney Brannan leads the Big Sky with eight goals and 18 points.
Senior forward Brittany Sparks, an All-Big Sky First Team selection
in 2009, has three goals and four assists for eight points on the
season. Sophomore Jamie Walker has taken over in goal for the
Eagles and has a 1.99 goals against average. She allowed just one
goal last week in earning Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week
honors.
The Lumberjacks are 8-4-0 all-time against the Eagles, who
finished second in the Big Sky regular season standings in 2009.
Northern Arizona has won its last-five meetings with Eastern
Washington, including a 4-2 home win last year.
DID YOU KNOW…Golden Eagle Distributors,
Inc., honored 167 Northern Arizona University student-athletes for
their scholastic and athletic accomplishments at the 32nd annual
Golden Eagle Awards on Thursday. The Golden Eagle Awards
recognize NAU student-athletes who have made significant
contributions to the Lumberjack athletics program while maintaining
a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average.