FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (September 15, 2021) – The Lumberjacks will face Arizona Christian and Dixie State this weekend, in their last two non-conference matches of the season.
NAU hosts the Arizona Christian Firestorm on Friday night at 7 p.m. MST in the Lumberjack Stadium, you can watch the match here. The Lumberjacks will then travel to St. George, Utah for a match against Dixie State on Sunday. The match is set to start at 12 p.m. MST, you can watch it here.
Northern Arizona has nine goals through seven games, with a team SOG% of .536. Preparing for conference matches to start next week, the Lumberjacks have a new approach while focusing on confidence building and chemistry between the returners and newcomers.
"There's no excuses, we have to find a way to win the games and we train harder. It's our job to come back and make sure that the mistakes aren't happening consistently," Head Coach Kylie Louw said.
The Lumberjacks have only faced Arizona Christian one other time, which was labeled an exhibition match. The Lumberjacks won 8-1, with now senior Sam Larberg, scoring two goals as a freshman. As an exhibition match, nothing was counted towards records.
Arizona Christian holds a record of 2-3 through the season. Leading the team in goals and shots on goal is senior Irene Ledezma. Ledezma is also the team's leading returner from last season where she recorded seven goals and three assists. In her fifth season with the Firestorm, she has put up game-winners in both of the team's recorded wins.
Goalkeepers Jennifer Sanchez, and Raelene Reyes have split time in the box, with Sanchez holding a save percentage of .857, and Reyes with .815.
Dixie State will head into the match against Northern Arizona with a 3-5 record. The Trailblazers return redshirt senior Whitley Griffiths who had no SOG% lower than .500 in the team's first five games of the season. Through the last three matches, she has put up one assist against Pacific with a shots on goal percentage of .333.
With 662 minutes, Kayla Gonzalez has started in goal for the Trailblazers in all ten matches of the season. Gonzalez has allowed 15 goals, with a save percentage of 0.831.
To stay up to date with the NAU soccer team, follow the Lumberjacks on Twitter and Facebook.
