FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 9, 2018) – Northern Arizona University will be traveling state-to-state this weekend. The Lumberjacks will take on Northern Colorado on Friday at 6 p.m. MST in Greeley, Colorado. On Sunday, the 'Jacks will travel to Missoula, Montana to play against the University of Montana at 11 a.m. MST.
After playing against in-conference opponents Portland State and Sacramento State this past weekend, NAU stands second in the Big Sky Conference with an overall record of 8-3-2 and a conference record of 4-0-1. The Lumberjacks are currently a half game back of Weber State, who stand at 5-0-1 in the conference.
"The way that we are trying to approach this year is that after we play a game, it is over," NAU head coach
Andre Luciano said. "So the fact that we went 2-0 last weekend doesn't mean anything as it is time to get dialed into our next opponents Northern Colorado and Montana."
The team was able to pull out a 2-0 win against Portland State in the Lumberjack Stadium. NAU's offense truly shined in the second half of the game.
Ana Rivera scored in the 7th minutes of the second half giving NAU a leg up.
Kayla Terhune added an insurance goal in the 70th minute of the game. Both Rivera and Terhune scored their second goal of the season during the match against the Vikings.
The 'Jacks also won 2-0 against Sacramento State on Sunday. Both of the goals were within the first eight minutes of the game. Terhune scored for the second time this weekend against Sacramento in the 7th minute. Just 30 seconds later,
Haleigh Van Allen made her second goal of the season for NAU.
Following the weekend performances.
Carly Gamble was able to take home the Defensive Big Sky Conference player of the week. Gamble and the Lumberjack defense were able to hold both opponents to zero goals on a combined 15 shots.
"I think that the award is a reflection on the team and how the team is doing," Luciano said. "It is good that she got recognition, but it's more important that we continue to focus on team defending."
Northern Colorado is coming into the weekend at 8-6-0 on the season while going 4-1-0 in the conference. The Bears are currently third in the Big Sky, just one place behind the 'Jacks.
University of Montana is entering the weekend with a record of 2-7-4 on the season and 1-2-2 in the Big Sky Conference. The Grizzlies are currently 7
th in the conference standings.
2018 Notables
The Scout
Northern Colorado
Day: Friday, Oct. 12
Time: 6 p.m. MST
Location: Greeley, Colo.
Coverage: Live Stats |
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Northern Colorado is heading into Friday night with an overall season record of 8-6-0. Last week, they were able to get their 8th win of the season against Idaho State with a score of 5-0. This season, the Bears have an away record of 3-4 and a home record of 4-2. UNC is scoring an average of 1.93 goals per game.
"They are a very well coached team that has had a very similar system since I have been here. They are going to be very aggressive in their attack and very good in their isolations."
The Bears offense is led by a three-headed monster of Maddie Roberts, Lexi Pulley and Mariel Gutierrez. The combined three make up 16 of the 27 goals for UNC. Roberts leads the Bears in goals, shots, assists and points with a total of 16 on the season.
"Gutierrez is a fantastic player and in my opinion one of the top offensive players in the last four years," Luciano said.
Northern Colorado's defense has given up 20 goals on the season, which is the sixth most given up in the conference. The Bears goalkeeper is Taylor Washington who has picked up 53 saves with a save percentage of 0.746.
The Scout
University of Montana
Day: Sunday, Oct. 14
Time: 11 p.m. MST
Location: Missoula, Mont.
Coverage: Live Stats |
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Sunday, Montana will be walking onto the field with a record of 2-7-4 on the season, while going 1-2-2 in the Big Sky Conference. Their home record is 1-3-3 with a non-conference win against Vermont while their away record is 1-4-1. Montana's lone conference win was against Idaho State on Oct. 5.
The Grizzlies have struggled offensively on the season as they have only scored a total of seven goals on 168 shot attempts. The seven goals puts Montana in last place for goals scored in the Big Sky. Kennedy Yost and Alexa Coyle have each scored a pair of goals for the Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies have found more success on the defensive side of the ball, as the team has totaled five shutouts through the 13 games. The goalkeeper, Claire Howard has recorded 58 saves with a save percentage of 0.748. In week four, Howard was awarded the Defensive Big Sky Conference Player of the Week for making 13 saves in one weekend.
"Montana doesn't give up much as far as shots and goals," Luciano said. "If they can get into a good rhythm they can be very dangerous. So we are going to do what we do best and disrupt their play."
Looking Ahead
Northern Arizona will be back at Lumberjack Stadium to finish off the conference season. They will be playing against Eastern Washington on Friday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. MST and University of Idaho on Sunday, Oct. 21 at 12 p.m. MST. These will be the last two games before the Big Sky Championships.
