PALM DESERT, Ariz. (Feb. 12, 2025) – The Northern Arizona women's golf team battled against tournament hosts Boise State in the final of the Mountain Classic Matchplay, narrowly losing 3-0-2.
"Overall it was a great experience. We had three tough matches and were able to pull out wins in the end of the first two matches," head coach Brad Bedortha said. "Today we just couldn't pull out the win. We had great effort and I saw a lot of great things happening. I am looking forward to a great semester with the tournaments we've got scheduled!"
First out was Ellena Slater, competing against Teal Matsueda. Slater took the advantage on the second hole, going 1-up, before her opponent responded to square the match. They halved the fourth hole with birdies and remained all square until the 10th hole. Boise State pulled ahead to 3-up by the 12th hole. Back-to-back birdies from Slater cut the deficit to one, but Boise State answered with a birdie to go 2-up and held the lead to secure a 2-up victory.
Second off for the 'Jacks was Amy Hodgkins, who faced Hannah Lim. Hodgkins took the lead early, going 1-up after two holes. She extended her lead to 2-up after three and made a birdie on the next hole to go 3-up after four. A string of four pars followed, giving her a commanding 6-up lead after eight holes. Another birdie on the ninth hole put her 7-up. The next three holes were halved, securing a dominant 7&5 win for NAU.
Ava Bates teed off third against Brooke Patterson. The match remained tied until the fifth hole, where her opponent made a birdie to go 1-up. Bates was 2-down at the turn but birdied the 10th to cut the deficit. Boise State won the 13th with a birdie, but Bates responded with one of her own on the 14th. Ultimately, the match ended in Boise State's favor, 3&2.
Sumin Kang faced Jillian Hui in the fourth pairing. Kang took an early 1-up lead through the first two holes before a dropped shot squared the match. Hui made two birdies in three holes to take a 2-up lead by the sixth. Kang found herself 3-down at the turn but made birdies on the 10th and 14th holes to get within one. However, she ultimately fell 2&1.
Rounding out the lineup, Lizzie Neale took on Annie Buffolino. The front nine was closely contested, with Neale briefly going 1-up after three holes before her opponent made a birdie on the fourth to tie it up. The match remained even, with both players halving the eighth hole with birdies. Boise State then took a 1-up lead with a birdie, but Neale immediately responded with a birdie on the 10th to square the match. Two more birdies from Neale, on holes 13 and 17, secured a 2&1 victory.
Playing as an individual, Nina Lukyanenko faced South Dakota State's Lily Vincelli. Lukyanenko briefly went 1-down after four holes but won the next with a par. She then made three consecutive birdies, one of which her opponent matched. At the turn, Lukyanenko was 3-up. Her opponent fought back, bringing the match back to all-square by the 16th. After halving the 17th, Lukyanenko clinched a 1-up victory with a final birdie on the 18th.
Also competing as an individual, Frankie Dezis took on Wyoming's Lucia Morelli. Dezis got off to a hot start, winning the first five holes. Birdies on holes 7, 10, and 11 helped her extend to a 7-up lead. A dropped shot on the 12th brought it back to 6-up, but a steady par on the 13th was enough to seal a commanding 7&5 victory.
The Northern Arizona women's golf team will head to Phoenix on Feb. 25-26 for the Grand Canyon Invitational.
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