MISSOULA, Mont. (November 13, 2026) – The No. 3 Northern Arizona soccer team fell 2-0 in the Big Sky Semifinals to No. 2 Northern Colorado on Friday afternoon at South Campus Stadium.

NAU sees its season come to an end, finishing with an 8-7-6 record. Northern Colorado moves on to the final match on Sunday, improving to 10-6-4 on the season.

The Lumberjacks were outshot 19-13 and managed just five shots on target. Northern Colorado pressured NAU in its attacking third throughout the day, drawing eight corners in the match.

Micala Boex took first shot of the contest in the fifth minute, testing the UNC keeper early. Lexi Saveski made her first of seven saves in the 15th minute as both sides fought to establish possession.

Everyone on the pitch had to adapt to a muddy and damp field, and it worked against NAU first. A defender slipping inside the box allowed UNC to sneak the ball just inside the post in the 16th minute, giving the Bears a 1-0 lead.

Although the Bears outshot NAU 6-3 in the first 45, the 'Jacks saw multiple chances for goals and were able to hold possession in their attacking third, posing threats on several occasions.

In the opening minute of the second half, Northern Colorado got another opportunity to score when it was awarded a free kick just outside the left corner of the 18. Paige Hill sent it into the box and was able to connect with Lexi Tuite for her second goal on the day, making it 2-0 Bears in the 46th minute.

On their heels, the 'Jacks looked for more shots on target while weathering a relentless UNC attack. Valerie Llamas tested the keeper in the 60th minute, and Ava Hinske followed with another shot on goal in the 64th minute as the 'Jacks worked against a tough defense and the clock. Unfortunately, NAU took just one more shot on target from Maya Wells in the 85th minute before UNC ran out the clock for the win.

Both Micala Boex and Lexi Saveski place themselves in the Lumberjack soccer record book in single-season categories for 2026. Boex records 21 points on the year, ranked tied for 10th, while Saveski finishes with a 0.96 goals-allowed average and eight shutouts, both ranked for sixth in program history. Boex also joins Holly Jones and Haley Wingender as the only Lumberjack soccer players to record back-to-back 20-plus point seasons.

NAU as a team also wrote some of its best single-season statistics this year. The 'Jacks 0.844 save percentage is fifth-best, 0.96 GAA is ranked sixth, nine shutouts overall is tied for fifth, and 333 shots is third-most in program history.

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