FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 1, 2021) - The Northern Arizona Soccer team is heading to Greeley, Colorado this week to compete in the Big Sky Championships.
After ending the regular season on a six game win streak, the Lumberjacks will look to capitalize on their momentum in the conference tournament. NAU is seeded at No. 3, and will take on the No. 6 seed Sacramento State Hornets on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. MST in the quarterfinals.
NAU and Sacramento State last met on Oct. 22 in Sacramento for a double overtime thriller. The Lumberjacks held to a tight offense, and the Hornets played a scrappy match, pushing the teams into not one, but two overtimes. In overtime, the 'Jacks dominated, holding Sacramento to one shot in both ten-minute periods. Senior Rylee Mitchell brought the Lumberjacks to victory when she scored the game winning goal three minutes into the second overtime.
The series between the Lumberjacks and the Hornets stands at 14-8-5, and NAU has won both neutral site matches.
The Lumberjacks last postseason victory came in the Spring 2021 season, where they beat Idaho 1-0 to advance to the Big Sky Championship before it was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.
The Lumberjacks have not seen a championship since 2014, where they were crowned Big Sky Tournament Champions after taking the win against Idaho State. The 'Jacks were also seeded at No. 3 in the 2014 tournament, and it was the third time NAU soccer brought the title home to Flagstaff.
The semifinals match is set to take place on Friday at 10:00 a.m. MST, and the winner between the Lumberjacks and the Hornets will face No. 1 seed Montana.
The Championship match will be held on Sunday, with the match three and match four winners going head to head for a Big Sky Championship at 11:00 a.m. MST. All matches will be available for streaming on ESPN+ and you can watch the Lumberjacks take on the Hornets here.
