FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 16, 2018) – Northern Arizona Women's Soccer team is ranked tenth in the United Soccer Western Region Poll. This is the fifth straight week that the Lumberjacks are ranked in this poll. Last week the 'Jacks were ranked eighth in the region before going 1-0-1 on the weekend, with a win over Northern Colorado and a tie against Montana.
"The ranking is a reflection of the success over the last month and a half that we have had as a team," NAU head coach
Andre Luciano. "Although rankings don't mean anything till the last few games of the year."
NAU has gotten to this ranking with a 9-3-3 record on the season and a 5-0-2 record in Big Sky play. Over the last month, Northern Arizona has gone 5-0-2, while only giving up three goals.
The Lumberjacks have found their success on the season through their defensive play. The 'Jacks are first in the Big Sky and tied for fourth in the country in shutouts with nine. They are currently on a streak of 614 minutes without allowing a goal, marking this the longest duration in NAU history.
Since its last loss, NAU has been able to increase their offensive production as they have scored 11 goals over the seven games. Some of the crucial components to the offensive success are
Ana Rivera and
Paige Maling. Rivera has totaled three goals and two assists while Maling has scored two goals and one assist throughout the seven games.
Fellow Big Sky opponent Weber State is in the top ten, being notched in at ninth. The Wildcats had moved up one spot over the weekend as they went 1-1-0, with a win over Eastern Washington and a loss against Idaho. This is the highest ranking for WSU on the year. Northern Arizona and Weber faced off on Sep. 23 where the two teams ended the match in a 0-0 draw.
"I am happy that the conference is getting some recognition this year with having both us and Weber in the top ten," Luciano said
