FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 1, 2024) – Heading into the final week of the lone-game Big Sky play, the Lumberjacks (0-5-4) will head to Greely, Colorado for a chance to pick up a win over the Northern Colorado Bears (3-10) on Thursday night. Thursday night's match will kick off at 6 p.m. MST on
ESPN+ and live stats can be followed
here.
NAU is coming off a loss at Montana, who leads the Big Sky with a .727-win percentage through 11 matches, while Northern Colorado is also coming off a conference loss as they fell to Idaho State in a 1-0 final. Prior to the Bears loss at ISU, Northern Colorado grabbed the first league win of the season with a 3-1 victory over the Weber State Wildcats.
Prior to the Jacks conference loss, NAU picked up back-to-back shutout draws facing New Mexico and Southern Utah as
Trinity Corcoran tabbed 14 total saves between the two 90-minute matches to earn her first Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Natalie Manzo made her first appearance on the pitch in seven games against the Griz, starting the second half against Montana to go on and record three saves in her 45 minutes in the box.
Deniah Wells,
Joey Lujan, and
McKenzie Coleman all lead the Jacks in points with a goal and an assist each, as
Avery Ott trails with an assist. The Lumberjacks as a team are currently shooting .404 percent on goal and holding opponents to 14.4 shots per game. The Jacks have only received one yellow cards through nine contests while picking up 64 fouls, ranking third amongst Big Sky opponents.
Northern Colorado remains the lone Big Sky opponent yet to finish a match in a draw result this season. The Bears are seeking a return to the Big Sky Tournament following two-straight seasons of falling out of the top six conference teams in play. The Bears are allowing, on average, two goals a match, while score 0.61 goals per game. As a team, Northern Colorado is shooting .477 percent on goal, allowing opponents a .503 shots on goal percentage.
The Bears senior forward Lauren Woodhull has converted on her only two shots on goal this season, leading with two goals while six of her teammates each hold one goal apiece. Woodhull's last goal came against Weber State, where she recorded a goal and finished with five minutes total on the pitch.
In goal, veteran Kaya Lindberg leads the Bears with ten starts out of 13 matchups. Lindberg ranks eighth in the conference in goals against average (1.674). Lindberg has allowed four goals in the last four matchups.
Northern Arizona leads the series at 12-10-1 all-time, coming off a 3-0 victory in last season's Flagstaff matchup, where Corcoran picked up five saves. The Jacks will be seeking their fourth win over the Bears in Greeley and their third-straight victory of the series.
Following Thursday night's matchup, the Jacks will begin a four-match home stretch, hosting Eastern Washington, Idaho, Portland State, and Sacramento State to close out the 2024 home slate. To stay up to date with NAU Soccer, follow the Jacks on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
