FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (August 24, 2018) – Sophomore
Kayla Terhune was able to come up big for the Northern Arizona women's soccer team, as she scored the gaming winning goal in the fifth minute of overtime to push NAU over New Mexico State 3-2
on Friday night before an overflow crowd of 2,117 fans in the home opener at Lumberjack Stadium.
The decisive goal was set up by a shot by
Tatum Heeres that deflected off of the goal post and was able to find the foot of Terhune as she pressed the box.
The win marked the second straight for the Lumberjacks and improved their record on the season to 2-1-0. The loss dropped New Mexico State to 0-3-0.
"I saw Tatum pressuring the goalie and knew that if it came out I needed to be there," Terhune said. "I knew we needed to win this game so I took my chance and moved forward to score."
The winning goal capped a comeback that saw the Lumberjacks rally from a 2-0 deficit with three unanswered goals and outshoot the Aggies 8-1 in the second half and overtime.
"The crowd gave us a lift for the comeback," NAU head coach
Andre Luciano said. "That was a real 12th man win."
The Lumberjacks fell down early as they gave up two goals in the first 16 minutes of the game to the Aggies as Samantha Alfonso punched one in at the 12
th minute to make the score 1-0 before Aileen Galicia upped the margin to 2-0 with a goal at
16:45.
"We came out a little bit flat, as they (New Mexico State) decided to condense the field, which made it harder for us to play and get behind their defensive line," Luciano said. "They did a good job of trapping us in an offside trap."
The 'Jacks countered back as
Paige Maling was able to put NAU on the board in the 21
st minute off of an assist from
Victoria Cooper. The Lumberjacks continued to trail until in the 62
nd minute when
Kylie Kapustka was able to even the score up at 2-2 off an assist from
Amanda Bennett on a rebound put back inside of the goalie box.
"It's all about the bounce and how we are able to respond to adverse situations," Luciano said. "It really shows are player's ability to step up and players that usually don play huge roles and they are stepping up and doing a great job applying pressure."
It was in overtime where Terhune was able to give NAU the win as she scored the golden goal just five minutes into the extra period.
The Lumberjacks will get back in action in Phoenix, Ariz.,
on Sunday, August 26 at 7 p.m. MST against Grand Canyon University. The 'Jacks will be looking to extend their current winning streak to three consecutive games when they battle the 'Lopes.
