FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 6, 2022) - Northern Arizona soccer shutout the Eastern Washington Eagles tonight 2-0.
The Lumberjacks improved their Big Sky record to 2-1, while knocking down the Eagles to 2-1-2 and giving them their first conference loss of the season. Ahead of tonight's match, the Lumberjacks were No. 6 in the conference standings while EWU sat at No. 2.
"It was nice to see the team develop within the game, we had come in with two really good training sessions so we talked about just staying focused and playing our game," Associate Head Coach Alan Berrios said.
The 'Jacks made their return to Lumberjack stadium for the first time since Sept. 15, as the team went on the road for two weeks straight, making their return home just as memorable as when they left it.
NAU held their composure early on, settling into the match well as they regained confidence on their home field. In the 17th minute of the match, Maddie Shafer took a free kick from right outside the box, giving the 'Jacks one of their first chances of the night. Shafer curled the kick into the top left corner of the goal, just hitting the crossbar to keep the match scoreless.
Eagles forward Chloe Pattison picked up a pass from midfield in the 24th minute, speeding up the middle of the field, as the Eagles looked for some offensive momentum. Pattison tipped the ball up into the box and NAU goalkeeper Trinity Corcoran challenged the forward as she raced out to pick up the ball, sending a goal kick up the field for NAU.
Allison Veloz saw her chance as she battled with a few Eagles defenders on the right side of their box. Veloz got in front of one EWU defender, sending a quick pass right in front of the net to find Shafer for the goal. With just seven minutes left in the first half, NAU got the 1-0 lead.
Kayla Shebar checked into the match for NAU, taking advantage of her minutes early on, Shebar raced up the left side to take a quick shot. Shebar's shot was deflected by an Eastern Washington header, going straight into the goal for an EWU own goal. The Lumberjacks headed into the half with the 2-0 lead.
With just two minutes left in the match, the Eagles just about broke up the shutout as Pattison got past Corcoran in the box. NAU defender Grace Quinn flew in to make the sliding stop from the right corner to save the Eagles last shot on goal.
"You see the rhythm that they have now, they're playing well together which is exciting because we were looking for that from day one and hadn't really seen that yet, but we knew it was there and that it was coming at some point so kudos to them, they did a great job at executing that," Berrios said.
The Jacks outshot the Eagles 29-12, as Corcoran earned her fifth shutout while recording six saves. Corcoran now holds a save percentage of 0.848, making 28 saves total throughout the season and holds five shutouts in nine games. Corcoran's five shutouts this season puts her into No. 7 all time for NAU in single season shutouts.
Shafer's goal gives her 12 points total this season, as she leads the Big Sky in total points as well as points per game. Shafer also leads the conference in assists per game, while sitting at No. 3 in total assists.
NAU will host the Idaho Vandals at 12 p.m. MST in Lumberjack Stadium to wrap up family weekend in Flagstaff.
