GREELEY, Colo. (November 4, 2022) - The Lumberjacks are championship bound in the Big Sky tournament after a 1-1 (4-2) win against the Weber State Wildcats in the semifinal match.
"We are super happy and excited for this team. They have worked so hard for so long and to finally see it pay off means the world, It really is a good group. They believed in each other and they worked hard and connected that with their talent," Associate Head Coach Alan Berrios said.
The Lumberjacks saw their best chance through the first half in the 31st minute of the match. Kayla Shebar ripped up the left side of the field, connecting with Allison Veloz inside the box, Veloz tipped a shot on goal which was picked up by WSU keeper Mekell Moss for the Wildcats first save of the game.
Weber State created their own big chance just five minutes later, as Grace Kirby sent a shot in from out left in the box. Corcoran made the diving save for her first of the day.
The Lumberjacks put up seven shots through the first half while holding Weber State to four, leaving the match scoreless at halftime.
The Jacks did not hesitate to get rolling offensively to start the second half, with NAU picking up the 1-0 lead just 55 seconds after kickoff. Josie Novak picked up the deflection from a WSU defender, sending the goal right into the bottom left corner of the goal.
NAU was able to hold the match scoreless until the 81st minute of the match when the Wildcats tied it all up. Yira Yoggerst sent the match to overtime with a tipped ball into the bottom of the net, tying everything up with nine minutes left.
The match went into overtime, which is two 10 minute periods, with no golden goal any longer in the NCAA rules. NAU put up a few shots in the two overtime periods, unable to find the back of the net, while holding the Wildcats back to force penalty kicks.
The Lumberjacks won the penalty kick shootout with Mikhail Johnson, Maddie Shafer, Jaylin Borden, and Rylie Curran all four making their shots. Morgan Furmaniak and Brynlee Meyerhoffer made their shots for NAU while Trinity Corcoran saved two from Alexis Simpson and Rachel Twede.
"We always say talent alone does not win games. Hard work and belief wins games. I am super thankful for this team and what they have accomplished. Our work is not done. We have a huge game on Sunday against a very good team in Idaho," Berrios said.
Corcoran finished the game with 10 saves total for the Lumberjacks, as NAU put up 18 shots to WSU's 20. The Lumberjacks will now move on to the championship match, set to face the Idaho Vandals on Sunday.
The last time the Vandals and Lumberjacks met was in Flagstaff on Oct. 9, where the Lumberjacks secured the 1-0 shutout victory with a goal from Shafer, and four saves from Corcoran.
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