GAME NOTES (PDF)

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The Northern Arizona women's soccer team will host Weber State and Idaho State Friday, Oct. 13 and Sunday Oct. 15. The Lumberjacks are currently sitting in the middle of the Big Sky pack in standings at 3-3 and 8-7 overall after falling to Portland State and Montana last weekend.

"The game plan is to come at Weber State and Idaho State and not sit back, knowing that both teams have to win games going forward," Head Coach Andre Luciano said.

Weber State is 1-3-1 in conference with four points and Idaho State is 2-3 with six points. Across the conference, this weekend can make or break seasons as they fight for their spot in the top six before the final two games.

The Lumberjacks started off the season leading 3-1 in the Big Sky and are fighting for a few more wins and their own spot in the postseason tournament.

"Any good team that comes out with the mentality that they are going to win the game, and they play that way, is successful," said Luciano. "We have to focus on being more attacking oriented from the beginning because when we do that, when we press and push the tempo, we are a very good team. We need to get back to doing that and finishing our opportunities that we have in front of us."

Northern Arizona will first host the Weber State Wildcats Friday at 7 p.m. for the team's pink game before taking on the Idaho State Bengals Sunday at noon. Both games will be televised on Suddenlink Channel 4 and live streamed on Pluto TV Channel 239.  Sunday's action will also be televised on Phoenix's CW6.

The Wildcats are coming off of a 2-1 overtime loss to Southern Utah and are currently sitting in the bottom half of the standings with one win over Portland State. Weber State was picked to finish seventh, just barely missing the conference tournament, in the preseason poll. The Lumberjacks will go into the weekend 7-14-2 against the Wildcats winning the 2-1 in overtime the last time they played in Lumberjack Stadium.

"We know Weber State is going to be a possession-oriented team, in terms of their buildup," said Luciano. "They have an impact forward in Morgan Quarnberg who has been a great player in conference."

Quarnberg, a junior from Pleasant Grove, Utah, is leading the Wildcats in points with eight, goals with four and shot attempts with 20. She is the only athlete of the 30-women roster who has scored more than one goal so far this season and one of two who have had more than 10 shots on goal. Defensively, the Wildcats have recorded two shutouts against North Dakota State and Portland State in their lone wins of the season. Weber State is led by Head Coach Tim Crompton.
 

Idaho State is currently 3-10-0 overall and sitting right behind the Lumberjacks and Southern Utah in the conference standings at 2-3. The Bengals are coming off of a 2-1 loss to Southern Utah and need to win this weekend for a spot in the Big Sky Conference tournament. Idaho State will compete against Sacramento State Friday before traveling to Flagstaff to face the 'Jacks.
 
The Bengals have scored just nine goals so far this season, averaging nearly 15 shots a game. Leading the Idaho State squad are sophomore forwards Makena Bambei with four goals and Michaela Didericksen with two goals. The Lumberjacks are 12-8-2 against the Bengals, winning the last five matchups by a one-goal lead. The 28-women roster is led by Head Coach Allison Gibson.

The 'Jacks graduated a wealth of knowledge from the roster, including two All-Big Sky selections from 2016 in Lindsay Doyle and Missy Kettelkamp. But with seniors like top-scorer Adrian Nixt and forward Anna Goebel for the front line and Riley Porter a force to be reckoned with in the back line, the Lumberjacks bring back a number of veterans.

Nixt competed and started in all but one game last season picking up a season-high nine goals, five of which were game-winning goals. An All-Conference first team selection Nixt finished tied for third in game-winning goals in a season, tied for sixth in shots in a season and tied for eighth in points in a season. Goebel left her mark coming off the bench competing in all but one game. With only one goal in the regular season, Goebel came alive in the conference tournament scoring three goals, two of which were game-winners.
 

NAU's 34-women roster is comprised of 21 underclassmen including nine incoming freshmen. The Lumberjack squad is young, but they are a formidable bunch returning 15 letterwinners, three of which earned All-Conference nods. With 11 different goal-scorers last season, there is not any one star the blue and gold will rely on this year.