FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (September 21, 2018) – Northern Arizona soccer fell down early to Idaho State 1-0 on the road but was able to overcome it and come back with a 3-2 win on the road.
With the win this afternoon, NAU climbs to 5-3-1 on the season with a 1-0-0 record in the Big Sky. Whereas, ISU falls to 1-7 on the season and 0-1-0 in the conference.
Idaho State came out of the gate very strong, scoring in just the second minute by way of Makena Bambei. This is the second straight game that the Lumberjacks have allowed a goal within the first five minutes of the game.
"Early on in the game there was a mismatch in the midfields," NAU head coach Andre Luciano said. "They had a very aggressive group and were able to slip a player in on the goal and caught us sleeping."
It was soon after the Bengals' goal that the 'Jacks were able to get a goal for themselves. Senior Ari Gonzalez was able to put the ball into the back of the net in the 11th minute off of an assist from Mei-Te Coco and Ana Rivera. This marked the first goal of the season for Gonzalez.
The scoring didn't stop here as the Bengals were able to attack the Lumberjack defense one more time before the half ended. In the 37th minute, Bambei was able to score her second goal of the match. The goal came off of NAU's goalkeeper Taryn Benham being out of the box, and the ISU player was able to have an open net.
Although trailing at the half, NAU was outshooting Idaho State 14-7.
Entering the second half the 'Jacks kept the offensive pressure on and it paid off in the 49th minute when Paige Maling was able to connect on her second goal of the season after beating a defender one-on-one.
The score remained tied until Haleigh Van Allen was able to connect off of a cross from Rivera in the 83rd minute for her first goal of her senior season.
"The seniors came up big today," Luciano said. "I had a talk with them before the game that they had use their experience, be willing to sacrifice and battle all afternoon and they did just that."
The offense was a huge part of the win for NAU as they outshot the Bengals 27-18 on the afternoon, with Van Allen having seven of those shots.
The Lumberjacks will be back in action on Sunday as they continue their conference schedule on the road against Weber State at 11 a.m. MST.
