Lumberjack SOCCER

Ladies open Big Sky play in friendly confines

 

The Northern Arizona women's soccer team (4-6-0) opens Big Sky Conference play this weekend with matches against Cal State Sacramento Friday at 3 p.m. and Portland State at 1 p.m. Sunday. Both matches will be in Lumberjack Stadium. The Jacks come off a 4-0 loss to Utah Friday night. NAU was 1-4 in Big Sky play in 1997, defeating Cal State Northridge 7-6 in a double-overtime match in Flagstaff.

Last Time We Met

The Jacks were shut out by both Portland State and Cal State Sacramento in 1997 by identical 2-0 scores. NAU played both teams on the road.

On Deck

NAU continues Big Sky competition on the road over the next two weeks. The team faces off against Eastern Washington Friday, Oct. 16 in Cheney before traveling to Missoula for a match against defending league champion Montana Sunday, Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. The team stays on the road for matches against Idaho State Oct. 22 and Weber State Oct. 24.

About the Hornets

Cal State Sacramento brings its 6-4-0 record to Flagstaff, coming off a 1-0 loss to Loyola Marymount Sunday. The squad's top player is junior forward Jessica Maskiewicz, who leads the team with seven goals and two assists (16 points). Mackiewicz and NAU's Raegin Eyre are tied for the league lead in goals and points. The Hornets' defense is anchored by junior goalkeeper Kristy Milanese with a 1.000 goals-against average, which is second best in the league. The team is led by fifth-year head coach Sandra Asimos. The Hornets were 3-2 in conference play in 1997.

About the Vikings

Portland State (4-6-1) comes to the Mountain Campus after a match with Western Washington Wednesday and Cal State Northridge Friday. The team is led by freshman forward/defender Joanna Bows with six goals and two assists (14 points) in 11 matches. The Vikings are under the direction of first-year head coach Monty Hawkins. PSU was 2-3 in conference competition in 1997.

A Little More Rare

Last weekend's Utah match marked the first time in 1998 the Jacks have been shut out. The team was shut out seven times during the 1997 campaign. After 10 matches last season, NAU had been shut out three times compared to only once after 10 matches this season. Coincidentally, the Jacks were dealt their first shutout by Utah in 1997.

To the Rescue

Freshman goalkeeper Erin Beckman set team records for saves in a match (15) and a half (12) against Utah. The previous match record of 12 was tied by Beckman Sept. 1 against Arizona State, and the previous single-half mark of nine saves was set by Autumn Cummins against Cal State Northridge last year.

Coach's Corner

Quoting head coach Tracy Custer

Regarding league play

"We're looking foward to this weekend. Doing well in the first half of the season is a self-pride kind of thing, but conference play is what really matters. The team really wants to earn the right to play in the conference tournament in November. That's one of our goals. It also helps that we start conference play at home which allows the team to be more relaxed."

Regarding this week's opponents

"We played both teams very evenly last season and I'm expecting two very competitive matches. The team is happy that we playing both of these teams on our turf."

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