Under first-year head coach Levi Nunnally, the Northwest women's soccer team bought in immediately to new leadership and took a big step forward for the program in 2013.

The Lady Rangers finished the season with an 8-4-2 overall record, the third-best win percentage in single-season school history at .607. The team placed third in the MACJC North Division and qualified for the state tournament for the first time since 2006 before falling to Pearl River in the first round.

Now, the Lady Rangers are looking to build off last season's success and make an even deeper postseason run. To achieve this goal, however, the team will be relying on a lot of new faces with seven starters lost from a year ago. Nine sophomores return which should provide a lot of leadership. 

Offensively, Northwest returns its top offensive weapon from last season in forward/midfielder Holly Newman. An MACJC All-State selection, Newman started in all 14 games and led the team in assists (eight), points (24) and shot-on-goal percentage (.824) and tied for the team lead with eight goals. She will need to be as efficient this season if Northwest wants to make a return trip to the playoffs.

Another offensive option is sophomore Taylor Renth, who played in 12 of 14 games last year, seven starts, and scored three goals and added an assist for seven points.

As for the remainder of the offense, Nunnally expects to see several freshmen step up in starting roles, especially up front. Three particular freshmen that could lead the front attack are Abigail Morales, Tristan Kitchens and Jameka Barr.

"We don't have a lot of returners that I think will play up top," Nunnally said. "But, I think each of those three players bring a different aspect to the game, as far as speed and skill-wise. They're tenacious to get after it and work hard. I'm looking forward to seeing these three players in a combination of different areas on the field."

Defensively, the Rangers return starters Sidney Bond, Breanna Kitchens and Jessica Thompson who helped Northwest to a pair of shutouts and opponents to a .129 shot percentage for the season.

After losing both goalkeepers in Ashlee Rogers and Morgan Wilson, Northwest finds itself with only one keeper on the roster in Horn Lake High product Ashley Nelson. Although she will be starting as a true freshman, Nunnally is expecting big things for her.

"She moves well," Nunnally said. "I think she judges the ball well and she has good hands. A key for her in the keeper position is that she takes her own goal kicks and can put them out there at a pretty good distance. I'm extremely pleased with her and I think she will do a great job for us."

As for how the rest of the team looks, at this point, Nunnally says he will have to get a better look at his incoming freshman class during preseason before he can gauge who else will start and what positions they will be in.

"There are some freshmen that are going to come in and do very well," Nunnally said. "At the same time, I believe that the entire freshman class is a solid group. It's going to be difficult for me to choose who is going to start or where the minutes are going to come from. I'd like to think that we will be fairly deep, and I think it will be a contribution from everybody across the board. The girls are going to have to really battle for their positions and they're going to have to work hard in order to get their minutes and break into the starting roster."

Looking to the 2014 slate, the Lady Rangers will split their first four division matches at home and on the road, with Northwest hosting Hinds and East Central, while traveling to Itawamba and Holmes. The team will then break from division play to host St. Charles and Eastern Oklahoma State in the NWCC Tournament on Sept. 27-28. From there, the Lady Rangers will face their four division opponents again, while also hosting non-division opponent Jones County and traveling to Gulf Coast to close the season.

"We have gotten better as a team," Nunnally said. "At the same time, I expect that everyone in our division has gotten better as well. Every team has added players, and I think that the north division as a whole will be a tough few games. I think the division is up for grabs for anybody, and I want our players to look at each game as an opportunity to showcase what Northwest soccer is about."

The Lady Rangers open the season with a pair of road matches at Co-Lin and Southwest on Aug. 22-23.

To stay in touch with Lady Ranger soccer throughout the season, follow the team on Twitter/Instagram (@NWCC_Rangers), Facebook (NorthwestMSCC) and YouTube (NorthwestCC).