CEDAR CITY, Utah (September 12th, 2025) – A late first-half goal and early second-half goal powered Northern Arizona women's soccer to a 2-0 victory over Southern Utah on Friday afternoon for their second consecutive shutout.
Micala Boex recorded her fourth multi-point contest of the season as she led the Lumberjack (3-1-3) offense with one goal and one assist.
Lily Nesland recorded the other score for NAU, with helpers provided by Boex and
Avery Ott.
Erin O'Connor and Kristin Puels provided a helper on Boex's goal for their first assists of the season, respectively. NAU drew even with Southern Utah (0-5-2) on shots (eight), with the Thunderbirds holding a slim 6-5 edge in shots on goal.
Reece Reichwald made her sixth start between the posts and played 81 minutes, making five saves. Lexi Savesky checked in to finish the last nine and make one save.
Both sides created opportunities in the opening minutes, with SUU forcing a save from Reichwald in the fourth minute. The first 25 minutes saw seven total fouls whistled, as each team took chippy turns with possession trying to find their rhythm.
NAU's first opportunity came in the 22nd minute as the 'Jacks got deep into their attacking zone, where Boex fired a shot from inside the box that went wide left.
In the 36th minute, O'Connor capped a defensive stand with a great pass to the midfield to Puels, who played it ahead to a sprinting Boex who then bested the Thunderbird defender and goalie for the match's first score. Southern Utah drew a corner in the final ticks of the first half but were unable to score as NAU took a 1-0 lead into halftime.
In the 50th minute, Nesland took advantage of Ott and Boex advancing the ball against the sideline to sneak behind the Thunderbird defensive line and find herself in the box with a near point-blank shot to make it 2-0 NAU.
The defensive line shined the rest of the way for the 'Jacks, as Reichwald and Saveski answered four questions from Southern Utah and solidify the win.
With today's result, NAU improves its record to an unbeaten 2-0-3 in contests away from Flagstaff and picks up its first win when scoring first.
The Lumberjacks stay in Utah as they travel to St. George for a meeting with Utah Tech on Sunday. Kickoff is slated for noon MST and will be streamed on ESPN+.
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