FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (September 20, 2018) – The Northern Arizona women's soccer team will be on the road to kickoff conference play this weekend against Idaho State on Friday, Sept. 21 at 3 p.m. MST. The Lumberjacks will continue their weekend road trip against conference foe Weber State on Sunday Sept. 23 at 11 a.m. MST.
The Lumberjacks currently have a record of 4-3-1 on the season after losing 1-0 against Arizona State this past Friday night. The Sun Devils were able to come out strong against NAU, as they were able to score a goal in the first five minutes of the game. Unfortunately, the 'Jacks were not able to breakthrough for a goal during the 90 minutes, with their best chance coming off of a shot by
Victoria Cooper in the fifth minute.
Heading into Big Sky Conference play, the Lumberjacks hold the best record within the conference. Eastern Washington just behind the 'Jacks with a record of 4-3-2. NAU was projected to finish fourth in the conference, as they received 51 votes in the Big Sky Conference preseason poll.
"I think the non-conference segment is to tell you where you are realistically, and I feel like we have done a good job defensively in terms of our organization and what we wanted to accomplish," NAU head coach
Andre Luciano said. "There were some things that we wanted to do offensively that we didn't quite do in non-conference play. Everything up to this point kind of gets thrown out the door at this time, it will come down to experience, people being hungry and manufacturing your own luck."
Coming into this weekend Idaho State is 1-6-0 on the season. The Bengals were projected to finish 10
th in the conference, as they received just 9 votes in the Big Sky Conference preseason poll.
The Lumberjacks opponent on Sunday is Weber state is entering the weekend at a record of 2-3-3. The Wildcats were projected to finish eighth in the conference with 31 point in the Big Sky Conference preseason poll.
2018 Notables
- Tatum Heeres leads the team in assists with four, which is currently tied for first in the Big Sky Conference
- Taryn Benham has three shutouts on the year, which is tied for second in the Big Sky Conference
- Five different players (Madeline Waszak, Paige Maling, Victoria Cooper, Kayla Terhune and Kylie Kapustka) have scored one goal each, while Sam Larberg leads the team with two
- Larberg and Heeres lead NAU with six shots on goal
- Carly Gamble has played in all but 65 minutes for the Lumberjacks defense on the season
- Northern Arizona has the highest attended matches in the conference, with 300 more on average than the next closes
The Scout
Idaho State
Day: Friday, Sept 21
Time: 3 p.m.
Location: Pocatello, Idaho
Coverage: Live Stats
https://bit.ly/2NWnBCN | Watch Live
https://bit.ly/1ppI4ji |
Idaho State is entering Friday's night matchup with a record of 1-6-0 on the season. The Bengals have lost their two most recent matches, with a 3-0 loss to Boise State and a 2-0 loss to South Dakota State. The Bengals lone win of the season came against Utah State, where they were able to outscore them 5-4.
"Don't let records fool you," Luciano said. "Idaho State is very good at home and very hungry. They are going to come out on fire, as everybody gets a second chance at this part in the season."
The Idaho State offense has been able to score seven goals on the year through their first seven games. Their offense comes from many different players as they have had six different goal scorers on the year. Delaney Johnston leads the way for ISU with two.
The Bengals defense has had some woes this year. As a unit they have allowed 28 goals throughout the seven games. In net Idaho State has switched off between goalkeepers Laule'a Phillips and Katie Hogarth throughout the season, with the two totaling 28 saves on the year, and combing for a .606 save percentage.
Weber State
Day: Sunday, Sept. 23
Time: 11 a.m.
Location: Ogden, Utah
Coverage: Live Stats
https://bit.ly/2oS8VXa | Watch Live
https://bit.ly/1ppI4ji |
Weber State will be entering the weekend with a record of 2-3-3. The Wildcats had not experienced a loss in a span of four matches, until they faced off with Arizona State on Sept. 16 in their latest match. The Wildcats lost to the Sun Devils 1-0. Weber State was able to notch its two victories on the year against UC Santa Barbara and Utah Valley.
The Weber State offense has struggled to get much going on that side of the pitch as they have scored just five goals in eight games. The top scorers for the Wildcats are Morgan Quarnberg and Kinsley Napoli, with two goals apiece. Another offensive weapon for Idaho State is Olivia Barton who has four assists on the season.
The strength of the Wildcats team comes from their defense. The WSU goalkeeper Nikki Pittman has three shutouts on the season, with 38 saves. As a whole the defense has allowed just 70 shots on the year, while holding opposing offenses to just under one goal a game.
"Weber State is a good team with many special plays," Luciano said. "They can play well defensively. I watched their game against Arizona State and they were extremely organized in terms of their defensive shape and they can also keep possession. They have a very good goalkeeper and back-line as it will be very difficult opponent to breakdown."
Looking Ahead
Northern Arizona will be continuing conference play next weekend as they stay on the road to take on Southern Utah on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 12 a.m. MST.
