KIRKLAND, Wash. – The Northwest University women's soccer team opened the home portion of its 2026 season Saturday morning, holding off Park-Gilbert University, 3-2. The Eagles built a 3-0 lead before Park-Gilbert scored twice late, but Northwest held on for the victory.
Northwest got on the board in the 21st minute when Megan Hurley scored her first goal of the season off an assist from Lily McMullen, giving the Eagles an early 1-0 advantage.
The Eagles added to their lead just over 10 minutes later. Laura Rice found the back of the net in the 31st minute, with Madison Coulter providing the assist. Northwest took a 2-0 lead into halftime after outshooting Park-Gilbert 8-3 in the opening half.
Northwest continued to apply pressure in the second half, and Jersey Walker extended the lead to 3-0 in the 73rd minute. Walker's goal was assisted by Neveah Howerton and Hailey Deese.
Park-Gilbert answered late, scoring twice in the final eight minutes. Yadira Bernal cut the deficit to 3-1 in the 83rd minute before Sarai Mizzell added another goal in the 87th minute. The Eagles' defense held firm during the final minutes, including a save by goalkeeper Ali Tiechner in the final seconds, to secure the 3-2 victory.
"I am very excited that we got to kick off our season officially today! We had a lot of great team success in our attack and strong defense for the majority of the game. We had some big-time plays by a lot of players, which was really fun to see. Looking forward to all that's ahead this season!" said Northwest head coach April VanAssche.
Tiechner finished the match with six saves, helping Northwest hold on to the win. The Eagles finished with 18 shots, including 12 on goal, while Park-Gilbert recorded 17 shots and eight shots on goal.
Rice, Hurley, and Walker each scored for Northwest, while McMullen, Coulter, Howerton, and Deese each recorded an assist.
Northwest will continue its 2026 season on Wednesday, Aug. 26, against the University of Puget Sound at 11:00 a.m. at home. The Eagles look to build on their 1-0 start.
