FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (September 27, 2022) - Coming off a road trip and two ties, the Lumberjacks will open up Big Sky Conference play this week at Weber State on Thursday, followed by a trip to Idaho State on Sunday.
NAU is the only team to not have played a conference match yet, making this week all the more important as teams begin battling for spots in the Big Sky tournament.
While the 'Jacks have outshot every opponent faced this fall, they are heading into games this week with a record of 1-4-4. NAU is coming off of a 0-0 tie at Loyola Marymount and a 1-1 tie at San Diego, with NAU's lone goal of the weekend coming from Dai Williams.
Williams claimed her fourth goal of the season, to take the lead in points on the team with ten total. Williams' goal at San Diego came with just eight minutes left in the match to secure the tie. Williams is No. 3 in the Big Sky in points, with a 1.11 average per game.
Maddie Shafer leads the conference in points, averaging 1.29 per game through her seven matches of the season with three goals and three assists.
Trinity Corcoran played all 180 minutes in goal for NAU this weekend, earning her third shut out of the season through five starts. Corcoran ranks second in the conference in goals against average, only allowing four goals through nine games this season.
The Wildcats are in last place in the Big Sky, with an overall record of 1-9 and a 0-2 conference start. The Wildcats are led by sophomore Morgan Furmaniak who has one goal and one assist through 703 minutes of play. Furmaniak has a SOG% of .500
Goalkeeping has been split between three keepers for WSU, led by Mekell Moss who has seven starts for the Wildcats, recording 30 saves and a save percentage of 0.625. Hadley Whiting has made three starts in goal for Weber State, making seven saves with a save percentage of 0.700.
The Lumberjacks pulled off a 4-1 win in Flagstaff last season, where the teams last met on the pitch. Mikhail Johnson scored her first career goal for NAU in last season's match to the Wildcats, for NAU's second goal of the game. The 'Jacks have one the last two games versus the Wildcats.
On Sunday, NAU will take on Idaho State in Pocatello for the second match of the weekend. The Bengals hold a 1-7-2 record through the season, starting Big Sky play 0-2.
The Bengals' offense is led by Deborah Pond who has one goal and a SOG% of 0.500, behind Pond is Gabby Warta who has one goal and a SOG% of 0.385 through 693 minutes.
The Bengals' have had a lot of movement in the goalkeeping position, while Kelsey Jargstorf leads in minutes with 492. Jargstorf has made 27 saves through six starts and eight games played total, recording a save percentage of 0.794.
The Lumberjacks have an eleven game win streak against the Bengals, with the last four games being in Flagstaff. Sunday's game will be NAU's first trip to Pocatello since September of 2018.
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