The NAU soccer team won its second Big Sky Championship in two years. The team now looks to face Stanford in the NCAA Women's National Soccer Tournament. Courtesy photo / nauathletics.com

The Big Sky soccer champions reside in Flagstaff once again. For the second straight year, the NAU soccer team are conference champions, something they had not achieved in the program’s first 11 seasons. At this year’s Big Sky Tournament in Portland, Ore., the Jacks first defeated Portland State 4-3 in penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie through two overtimes on Nov. 6, then shut out Idaho State in the title game 4-0 on Nov. 8.

“It feels incredible,” said senior forward Sarah Neatherton. “It’s a different feeling from last year because this year we knew we could do it, and I’m just really proud of the team. We played amazing, and it was absolutely incredible.”

In the semifinal round of the tournament, the fourth-seeded Jacks took on the host and top-seed Portland State, whom they defeated 1-0 on Oct. 11 in Flagstaff.

After giving up a Viking goal in the fifth minute, the Jacks would even the score with a Neatherton-led pass to sophomore forward Jenna Samora for a breakaway goal in the 33rd minute.

Neither team would score again, despite several narrowly missed opportunities by both teams; so after two overtime periods, the game would be decided in a best-of-five penalty kick shootout.
With the score tied at 3-3 in the shootout, the game was left on the foot of Neatherton for the final kick of the game. But Neatherton did not disappoint as she connected on the game-winner, sending the Jacks into the championship game.

“I just had to focus in and have confidence [during the shootout],” said sophomore goalkeeper Tori Rocke. “I knew I had to make at least one save to keep us in the game. Then I just had to believe in my teammates to make their shots, and they did.”

Gianara Compasano, a senior defender on the NAU Women's soccer team, signs a group picture of the team for 6-year-old Kendall Marquez. The team and a few fans gathered Nov. 9 in the DuBois Center to watch the unveiling of the NCAA soccer tournament brackets. NAU received a top seed and will be facing off against Stanford University for the first game. Matt Beaty / The Lumberjack

Both teams attempted 14 shots in the game with Samora, tallying a team-high four shots, while Rocke made five saves, including two in the shootout.

“It’s always good to advance,” said head coach Andre Luciano. “Getting past the first game in a four-team tournament is the hardest, especially since the conference was so tight this year, with every team deserving a one- or two-seed, I believe.”

After a day of rest, the Jacks returned to the field for a rematch with Idaho State, a team they lost to 4-2 in Pocatello, Idaho on Oct. 15.

Unlike in their first matchup, in which the Jacks allowed three first half Bengal goals, the Jacks struck first in the 19th minute. Neatherton and Samora would hook up again for the goal with Samora scoring her second goal in as many matches and Neatherton recording her 18th career assist, putting her in a tie for most career assists in NAU history.

Despite a relentless Bengal attack, the Jacks took a 1-0 lead into halftim, extending that lead to 4-0 in the second half with goals by junior defender Kristi Andreassen, sophomore midfielder Ashley Marrapode and junior forward Sam Monahan.

“I think we were overlooked a little bit, and they didn’t expect us to be as good as we were,” Luciano said. “I told the team, ‘Someone is going to have to take [the championship] away from us because we were the reigning champions,’ and they responded.”

The Jacks also dominated the second half defensively, allowing only one Bengal shot attempt after the Bengals outshot the Jacks 11-6 in the first half. Rocke earned her fourth shutout of the season while 11 different Jacks attempted at least one shot in the Big Sky clincher.

“We pressured them every time they got the ball,” Monahan said. “It was a team effort and a great team win. Everyone was ready, and that’s what made the difference this time.”

With her two goals for the weekend, Samora was named the MVP of the tournament. She was joined on the all-tournament team by Andreassen, Monahan, Rocke, and junior defenders Tori Howe and Rebekah Schmidt.

“The team feels great right now,” Samora said. “With everything we’ve been through this year, it shows how much the team has grown since two years ago.”

Next, the Jacks head to Palo Alto, Calif. for the opening round of the 2009 NCAA Women’s College Cup. There, they will face the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed Stanford on Nov. 12. Stanford, the Pac-10 champion, outscored their opponents 70-12 while going undefeated in the regular season at 20-0-0.

“We had a hunch it might be Stanford,” Luciano said. “They had a great year but we’re in the tournament and anything can happen. They deserve to be the number one team in the country and it’s going to be a really hard game but we’re going to do the best we can and go from there.”