NAU Loses 2-1 on Last Minute Overtime Game-winner by UVU

OREM, Utah - (August 23, 2021) Northern Arizona soccer fell to Utah Valley with a 2-1 loss in overtime on Monday night at Clyde Field. The Lumberjacks showed defensive strength with Natalie Manzo highlighting the Northern Arizona success on the night, which ultimately was not enough to hold on to the lead and get the win. 

In the 15th minute of the match, Sam Larberg picked the ball up from a Wolverine defender and sent it to Madison Montgomery whose pass was broken up by Utah Valley's Jenna Shepard. Shepard was challenged by Emilie Bennett and sent the ball into her team's goal, resulting in an own goal, and putting the Lumberjacks on top by one early on. 

Manzo started in goal for the Lumberjacks and went on to play all 90 minutes of the match, bringing in seven impressive saves, two of which were on penalty kicks. Manzo faced a number of high shots from the Wolverines and was able to get great reads to hold strong in the air for the saves. 

"We ask everybody to give value to the game and contribute to the game and as a freshman I think she (Manzo) came in and got the start and kept her team in it. It's very impressive and I think everyone who stepped on the field wanted to contribute," Head Coach Kylie Louw said.

NAU switched up formations heading into the second half to be able to hold up it's energy and absorb the pressure a bit. The offense continued to control the ball, but the defense saw some more time fighting off UVU's offense and working on clearing the ball more. 

In the 71st minute, Utah Valley turned the offensive speed up as Heather Stainbrook showcased her footwork and fought off three NAU defenders to find the net on the equalizer goal. 

The Lumberjacks and Wolverines kept the action up for the next 20 minutes of the match, but didn't add any goals to the board, sending the game into overtime. 

Trying to avoid heading into a second overtime, NAU unfortunately received a yellow card while applying pressure with 16 seconds left in the first extra period. Nicole Olanda took the throw-in for Utah Valley and sent it perfectly to Jenna Shepard who headed in the game-winning goal that went right over Manzo's hands.

"This is a long season and our players want to fight to win every game and I thought we did that today. We didn't get the win but our team showed so much character and it just showed that we're going to keep taking the next step forward and keep getting better and better every week,"  Louw said. "Our players wanted to win. We put our bodies on the line, and Utah Valley is a great team, but I thought our team came out wanting the win so it's difficult to take."

The Lumberjacks head back to their home state to take on the University of Arizona on Friday in Tucson. The match is set to start at 7 p.m. MST.