SENATOBIA – Ever since Levi Nunnally took over the reins of the Northwest women's soccer program two years ago, the Lady Rangers have been trending up.

In his two seasons at the helm, Nunnally has compiled an 18-9-6 overall record with back-to-back postseason appearances. Last year's team set a school-record with 11 shutouts, posted its most wins since the 2006 season at 10-5-4 overall, advanced to the MACJC Semifinals and earned an NJCAA national ranking (No. 19) for the first time ever on Sept. 24, 2014.

This year, Northwest will look to take another step forward with a total of 12 returning sophomores and a slew of incoming freshmen looking to make an instant impact.

Leading the class of returning Lady Rangers is MACJC All-State sophomore forward Abigail Morales, who led the team in goals (15) and points (34) and tied for second in assists (four).

"Abby had a fantastic season last year," Nunnally said. "She scored a lot of goals and tallied a lot of assists and I expect her to come back and do the same thing this year. She's been working hard over the offseason, so I'm expecting a lot from her."

In addition to Morales, Northwest will also welcome the return of sophomore forwards Tristan Kitchens and Jameka Barr. Both players saw significant playing time last season, with Kitchens and Barr combining for nine goals, four assists and 22 points. Kitchens also started all 19 contests for the Lady Rangers in 2014.

"We're going to need to see a lot from them," Nunnally said, on his additional two forwards. "I expect Tristan to really step up her intensity and nose for the goal. She has the capability and drive to take players on one-on-one and get to the goal. Jameka is a fast player and I expect her to do a lot of work up top."

Nunnally will also keep his eye on the midfielders, as the Lady Rangers return seven from that unit. Leading the way is Brooke Lester, who finished fourth on the team in scoring with three goals, two assists and eight points. Along with Lester, Northwest also returns Lydia Cross, Taylor Selby and Sarah Jo Murphy, to name a few.

"I feel like (Lester) had a really good spring," Nunnally said. "She came a long way and I expect to see her step up in the midfield this year. Sarah Jo is a player who didn't see the field a whole lot last year, but we were hoping to see her team up with Breanna Kitchens and we only played three in the back. Breanna is a tough player to replace back there, so we didn't get to see a lot of Sarah Jo, but I expect to see her step up and make some plays in the back this season."

Defensively, Kayla Boutwell and Kayleigh Sims, who both started all 19 matches as freshmen, return to man a backline that contributed to a school-record 11 clean sheets last year.

In addition to the players returning, the Lady Rangers also welcome a solid group of freshmen. One area that Nunnally expects to see freshmen battle for playing time is in center, where new faces Sierra Lasher, Katherine Sanders and Mary Catherine Hutchens will look to make an impact.

Lasher, a native of Olive Branch, scored 12 goals as a senior last season at Olive Branch High School, while Hutchens scored 19 goals with a pair of hat-tricks during her senior campaign at Marshall Academy.

"Sierra is a really good player," Nunnally said. "She's a strong, technical player that works really hard. Sanders has good size, good work ethic and is a skilled player. M.C. is another one that can play there in the center-mid spot. She could find herself on the wing as well."

Between the nets, the Lady Rangers will feature two goalkeepers on the roster for the first time in two seasons. After recording 135 saves last season, all-state sophomore Ashley Nelson will be expected to do much of the same this season. The four-time MACJC Goalkeeper of the Week compiled a school-record 11 shutouts, a 0.58 goals-against-average and a .925 save percentage (fourth in the NJCAA). Northwest will have another option in freshman Breanna Crite of Horn Lake.

Overall, Nunnally believes that this group of freshmen has the potential to earn some significant playing time.

"I feel confident that all of the girls coming in are going to battle against the sophomores for starting spots," Nunnally said. "I feel like our midfield is going to be one of our strongest areas. We have a lot of girls coming in and returning that are very technical players and they understand the game. Our backfield lost a good player last year in Breanna Kitchens. Someone is going to have to step up and fill that spot and that's something that we will have to figure out once we get into training camp."

As for the 2015 slate, the Lady Rangers open the season with a weekend road trip to Copiah-Lincoln and Southwest Mississippi on Aug. 21-22. From there, Northwest will return to split its next six contests at home and on the road, before finishing up the season with seven of its last nine contests at home.

While it's safe to say the Lady Rangers are setting their sights on the MACJC State Championship, Nunnally believes in taking things one game at a time.

"I feel really confident about the upcoming season and I'm happy with the girls that we have coming in," Nunnally said. "Obviously, I think every coach's goal is to win a state championship, but I don't want to overlook and go that far ahead. I feel that sometimes when you look too far ahead, you get caught up in overlooking somebody." 

Northwest will unofficially kick off the 2015 season with an exhibition match Aug. 13 in Batesville, Ark. They'll play two 45-minute halves against Lyon College and the Arkansas Rush club team.

"We're going to look at each team as they come up on the schedule one-by-one and prepare for that team individually. I expect for us to be a good team again and to have a winning season, but I think we just need to take things one game at a time."