KIRKLAND – Northwest heads south for the NAIA Opening Rounds–Prescott Bracket–with the goal of winning two games in Arizona against the highest-ranked teams they've faced this season. The No. 25 Eagles take on sixteenth-ranked Embry-Riddle at 5:30 p.m., Pacific, on Thursday.
The Eagles (17-1-2) and host Embry-Riddle (16-2-1) are joined by No. 10 Missouri Valley (14-3-2) and Reinhardt (14-5).
Northwest arrives in Prescott after winning both the Cascade Collegiate Conference regular season and postseason championships. Embry-Riddle comes in as Cal Pac regular season champions. Reinhardt got an AQ from being the runner-up in the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament, and Missouri Valley, ironically, is the only at-large entrant in Prescott.
Despite the distance, NU has a 1-1-1 record against the field. The Eagles are 0-1-1 against Embry-Riddle. Both games against ERAU were played in Kirkland, with the 1-1 tie coming in 2008 and ERAU's 2-1 win in 2010. The Eagles scored a 4-1 win over Reinhardt in the quarterfinals of the 2016 NAIA Tournament in Orange Beach, Alabama.
The Eagles are 17-1-2 on the season, which represents a new school record for wins by NU. Northwest also will eventually end the season with the fewest losses and the best overall record in school history.
The Eagles have 13 shutouts in their 20 contests this season and haven't allowed more than one goal in a game this season.
The Eagles have played four neutral field games with a 3-0-1 record. The three wins came in the Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament, and the other was a 1-1 tie against Jamestown.
Freshman goalkeeper
Hanne Breur leads the NAIA and the Cascade Collegiate Conference with 13 shutouts this season. She also leads the CCC and is third in the NAIA in save percentage at .910. She is fifth nationally in goals-against average at 0.34. Her 13 shutouts give her the school record.
Through 20 games, Northwest has outscored opponents 47-7. Eight Eagles have three or more goals, led by
Claire Jo Diede and
Gracie VanAssche with seven each.
Anna Lau and
Elizabeth Moretti have six,
Maya Lewis has five, and
Sarah Hansen,
Liv Lagerquist, and
Kayla Soderstrom have converted three apiece.
Kayla Soderstrom leads the Eagles and the Cascade Collegiate Conference and is 16th in the NAIA with 12 assists this season, breaking the school single-season record of 11 by teammate
Olivia Morris (11 in 2019) and Jaclyn Metz (11 in 2018).
Trinity Mischel is tied for third in the league with five.
Embry-Riddle is 16-2-1 on the season and went 2-0 against the Cascade Collegiate Conference this season, scoring wins over Rocky Mountain and the College of Idaho on Varsity Field in Prescott. The ERAU offense has been explosive with 70 goals in 19 games. Rae Yoshioka leads with 17 goals and nine assists for 43 points, while Aubrie Labno has 10 goals and eight assists. ERAU averages 22 shots per game. Annabelle Ruckle has 11 shutouts in goal with 41 saves. Her GAA is 0.37.
