2020 women's soccer
nwccrangers.com
4
Winner Northwest NWCCW (6-4, 4-3)
0
Itawamba ICCW (3-8, 2-6)
Winner
Northwest NWCCW
(6-4, 4-3)
4
Final
0
Itawamba ICCW
(3-8, 2-6)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Northwest NWCCW 1 3 4
Itawamba ICCW 0 0 0

Game Recap: Women's Soccer | | Brian Lentz

Lady Rangers Shutout Itawamba; Clinch Playoff Berth

First Playoff Berth Since 2017; First Sweep vs. ICC since 2006

FULTON - Behind a pair of goals and an assist from freshman Miranda Loeffel, Northwest picked up a 4-0 victory against Itawamba on Tuesday afternoon, earning the program's first regular season sweep against the Lady Indians since 2006.

With the victory, the Lady Rangers also officially clinched their first MACCC playoff berth since the 2017 season, locking up the third and final seed from the MACCC North Division. Northwest also delivered back-to-back shutout wins for the first time since October 2017, when the Lady Rangers blanked Southwest Tennessee 7-0 and defeated Pearl River 1-0 in an overtime playoff upset.

Northwest struck first less than three minutes into the match, as Loeffel connected with sophomore striker Ally Bailey for her seventh goal of the season. Bailey's score also marked her 13th career goal, placing her ninth in program history to surpass Cheyenne Smith's 12 goals (2018-19).

Bailey's goal was the only shot attempt for Northwest until the final 13 minutes of the first half, when the Lady Rangers turned up the pressure on Itawamba. Despite seven additional shots, Northwest was unable to stretch its advantage, as the Lady Indians remained within striking distance at halftime.

Five minutes into the second half, the Lady Rangers finally connected once again, this time on a free kick from Loeffel. In the 55th minute, Molly Rose got in on the action, scoring off a corner kick from Kristina Medford, pushing Northwest to a comfortable 3-0 advantage.

In the 67th minute, Loeffel helped put the match away with her second goal of the match, aided by an assist from Bailey.

Maggie Olive collected seven saves in 67 minutes of action, while Trinity Baynham added five saves in the final 24 minutes.

Itawamba outshot Northwest 18-14 despite the loss, with the Lady Indians also holding a 12-10 on-goal advantage.

Northwest improved to 6-4 overall and 4-3 in division competition, while Itawamba fell to 3-8 on the season and 2-6 in the MACCC North. The Lady Rangers will close out the regular season against second-ranked Holmes on Friday, May 14 at 1 P.M.