ST. GEORGE, Utah (September 19, 2021) – Two games, two shutouts. The Northern Arizona soccer team could not have asked for a better weekend to close out non-conference play. The Lumberjacks (2-7) completed a perfect weekend on Sunday at Greater Zion Stadium with a 2-0 victory over Dixie State behind goals from sophomore
Maddie Shafer and senior
Madison Montgomery.
"It was a great win for us, a deserved win," said head coach
Kylie Louw. "Going on the road and coming off a win on Friday, it was an awesome way for us to respond and keep the momentum going. What I liked most was getting the shutout. That's two shutouts in a row and we've been working on that piece and we're getting better and better every week. I'm really proud of them and we're looking forward to conference.
After navigating a gauntlet of a schedule through the first month of the 2021 season, NAU broke through Friday night with a 6-0 blanking of Arizona Christian Friday night at home. Two days later, the Lumberjacks notched their second consecutive shutout to head next Friday's conference opener versus Montana with positive results.
"We've been telling the team we believe in them and everything is going to be fine, but it's hard to believe it when you don't feel it," Louw said. "They needed to feel that the work they've been putting in has reward, and that reward is winning games. It's huge because if we do the right things, we can win games."
Shafer, coming off her first two career goals versus the Firestorm on Friday, finally broke the seal on Sunday's scoring in the 61st minute. Off a free kick following a Dixie State foul, the Lumberjacks got the ball on the foot of sophomore
Grace Quinn, who found Shafer for the game's first goal.
Like Shafer, who is now tied for the team-lead with Montgomery with three goals, Quinn also had a spectacular weekend notching her second assist to go with her own first career goal in the two matches.
NAU's defense continued to lock Dixie State down until Montgomery added an insurance goal in the 84th minute. Montgomery's shot to the lower 90 past the Trailblazers' keeper made it a 2-0 game with six and a half minutes remaining. The Trailblazers desperately tried to get on the board with four shots, including two on frame, before the final whistle, but came up empty.
Dixie State's final flurry gave the home team the 18-15 advantage in shots, but it was the Lumberjacks who were the aggressors for much of the morning. In particular, despite going into the half tied at 0-0, NAU attempted 11 shots in the 45 minutes before breaking through in the second half.
"At halftime we made some tactical adjustments to get the type of shots that we like and put us in position to score goals," Louw said. "Maddie is finding herself in really great positions and she's confident right now. Monte went through a little bit of a dry spell, so her getting it into the back of the net is a boost to her confidence. We want them to keep creating opportunities and one will go in."
Senior
Sam Larberg fired a team-high four shots, landing two on frame. She was one of five players with multiple shot attempts and one of three, along with Shafer and Montgomery, with two shots on goal.
In goal, freshman
Natalie Manzo started and recorded four saves in the winning effort. Fellow freshman
Trinity Corcoran played the final 24 minutes, totaling two saves, and kept the Trailblazers off the scoreboard.
The back-to-back shutouts comes almost two years to the date since NAU posted consecutive shutouts in victories over New Mexico State and Houston on Sept. 22 and 27 during the 2019 season.
NAU will look to carry its momentum into next weekend's conference openers at Lumberjack Stadium. On Friday, NAU will host Montana, the defending Big Sky champions, at 7 p.m. before welcoming in Northern Colorado a week from Sunday at 1 p.m.
The three teams – NAU, Montana and Northern Colorado – represent the top three in the preseason Big Sky Coaches Poll.
Gallery: (9-19-2021) NAU at Dixie State - 9/19/21
