FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The Northern Arizona women's soccer team finished the non-conference season last weekend leaving behind a nine-game stretch and 5-4 record. Now, Head Coach Andre Luciano and the Lumberjacks are ready for Big Sky action. The 'Jacks will kick off their conference opener on the road against reigning regular season champions the Idaho Vandals Friday, Sept. 22 and reigning conference champions the Eastern Washington Eagles Sunday, Sept. 24.

"I think our conference is going to be extremely competitive and knowing that we have to open at Idaho and Eastern Washington is a good thing, because we can measure ourselves against those two teams immediately and make necessary adjustments if we have to," Luciano explained. "We also want a little bit of redemption."

Last year, the Lumberjacks came in third place after taking Idaho to a 2-2 tie during the regular season and beating Eastern Washington 3-1 at home. In the conference tournament, the 'Jacks and Eagles faced off again for the title of Big Sky champions and after 110 minutes of soccer at a 1-1 tie, the Lumberjacks fell 4-3 in penalty kicks.

This season, the Lumberjacks have added nine to the total 34-woman roster and are looking to give it their all this season.

"We've had nine games already and I think we've had a pretty good look in terms of our personal in terms of what's working and what's not working," Luciano said. "Conference is really about a couple of things, it's about winning your home games, stealing points on the road and playing all the way through to the end of the conference season."

The reigning Big Sky regular season champions return 13 letterwinners and four starters this season. The Vandals wrapped up its non-conference season at home against RV Memphis and Nevada winning both and scoring 11 goals combined between the two games. The Vandals were picked to finish No. 4 this season in the preseason poll and are currently 4-4-1 overall heading into their conference home opener against the Lumberjacks.
 
"We are going to come in with a full 90-minute focus and go from there," Luciano said. "Idaho is going to be a very good opponent and they play well at home, but luckily we've been able to train in our dome and get used to it."

Idaho is led by Head Coach Derek Pittman who is in his fourth season with the Vandals. The Idaho squad has already garnered quite a start scoring 17 goals and 145 shots, 60 of which have landed on goal. Of the 26-woman squad, nine have scored goals for the Vandals.

Eastern Washington is currently 6-4 overall heading into the first weekend of conference action. The Eagles are coming off of two wins over Nevada and Fairleigh Dickinson scoring seven goals between the two games. Eastern Washington will compete against Sacramento State Friday before hosting the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. The Eagles have scored 19 goals so far this season averaging nearly two per game.
 
 "Eastern Washington, they are the defending conference champions, NCAA participant and they have a fantastic player in Chloe Williams who I feel is one of the top players in the conference, no questions asked," Luciano said. "They're an extremely dynamic attacking-oriented team and we know that they are going to play really well at home; we just have to come out, play our best and make things happen."

Last season, Eastern Washington beat the Lumberjacks in the conference final 4-3 in penalty kicks after ending regulation tied. The Eagles' squad will return 19 letterwinners and nine starters. Led by Head Coach Chad Bodnar, Eastern Washington welcomed nine newcomers to the roster.

The Lumberjacks will compete in their conference home opener Sept. 29 and Oct. 1 against Northern Colorado and North Dakota, respectively, for the second week of Big Sky play. Northern Arizona will host the UNC Bears during their alumni game in which the program will be celebrating 20 years of soccer at NAU and welcoming former athletes back to Lumberjack Stadium. Kick off against the Bears is set for 7 p.m. Friday and at noon Sunday against the Fighting Hawks of North Dakota.

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.