SENATOBIA - Northwest women's soccer took a step in the right direction last season.

After missing out on the MACCC Playoffs for two consecutive years, first year head coach James Beattie guided the Lady Rangers to a 6-6 record and a third place finish in the MACCC North Division. That was good enough to grant Northwest its first playoff berth since 2017, which ended in a tight 1-0 loss to Mississippi Gulf Coast in the first round.

While Beattie agrees that his team made a lot of progress, he also said that more is to be expected in the seasons to come - starting now.

"Last season was a start," Beattie said. "We were proud of what we did last season but we don't want to rest on it and get too comfortable there. We want to build on what we did, push ourselves further and make this season even better."

That start came at a time where the Lady Rangers played through the most unusual season yet, pushing everything from 2020 back to the spring, thanks to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the unusual setup and quick turnaround for the "real" 2021 season, one positive is the return of a solid core of rare third-year sophomores.

Leading that core is forward Ally Bailey, who was named Second Team All-MACCC last season and led the Lady Rangers in both goals and assists with seven apiece. The Olive Branch native will enter her final season with 13 career goals and 10 assists, placing her ninth and tied for sixth in both career categories.

"She has been one of our best players up front for the last two years," Beattie said, on Bailey. "Going forward, I think this is going to be her best season yet. She will also have Miranda (Loeffel) up there and she's so talented. I think she will have a lot to offer this year as well."

Goalkeeper Maggie Olive also returns for a third season, looking to build off her 99-save campaign as a freshman and her 89 saves last season. Both rank within the top 10 in the Northwest record books for single-season saves, while her 188 total saves has her ranked third all-time, trailing only Angel Hailey (2017-18; 255 saves) and Ashley Nelson (2014-15; 252 saves).

Other third-year veterans include defensive trio Cody Dowell, Hayley White and Second Team All-MACCC selection Logan Tomlinson.

"The main thing you see on our roster this season is maturity," Beattie said. "We can rely on a lot of different players at a lot of different positions. At times last season, we were isolated in who we could or couldn't use, but we have a roster this year that I still don't know who my starters are. I think that when you have so many quality options, that's a good problem to have as a coach."

Northwest also has a lot to look forward to in its true sophomore class, as First Team All-MACCC selections Eliza Olive and Molly Rose return, as well as second team members Loeffel and Sarah Kate Burns. Rose developed into another scoring threat for the Lady Rangers, tallying six goals and four assists, while Loeffel also added four goals and three assists of her own.

Burns is expected to be another constant factor on the defensive side of things, while Olive joins fellow sophomores Jessica Jaimes and Kristina Medford against a crowded stack of midfielders.

Speaking of newcomers, plenty new faces will be battling for starting positions throughout the season. One of those newcomers, Southwest Mississippi transfer Tori Dronet, is expected to provide more strength up front, while others such as Lewisburg's Katie Archer, will also see ample playing time.

More depth will also be added to every other position unit, including the midfield, where sophomores Jessica Jaimes and Kristina Medford are expected to contend with Jennifer Enriquez, Melinda Hernandez and Miriam Groscost.

Freshman Malaesha Liddell will also help the Lady Rangers on defense, while Maggie Olive will look to battle against freshman Addy McCann for the rights to the starting role.

According to Beattie, each and every one of them will be expected to contribute throughout the season.

"Tori's previous experience at Southwest will certainly help us from a maturity aspect," Beattie said. "There's so much competition in that midfield and there are roughly eight players that could find themselves playing at center at any given time. All of those midfielders, including our returners, have done really well in the preseason. Specifically, Jennifer and Melinda give us a lot of options and both are top-notch players."

Through all of that, perhaps one of the biggest additions for Northwest wasn't a roster signing, but instead a new volunteer assistant coach. Matt Ross joins the program and has a deep connection with Beattie, as the two played together at Mississippi Gulf Coast from 2015-17. Following his career with the Bulldogs, Ross played in the semi-pro ranks for two seasons with Memphis City FC and currently serves as the assistant director of the Memphis-based Lobos Rush Soccer Club.

"He's someone that I have known for six years and he has a big future in this game," Beattie said, on his new assistant. "He's someone that I trust and I think he brings another valuable set of eyes that will help bring this program to the next level. I'm looking to bring people in here that are go-getters and high achievers and he falls into that category.

As for the schedule, Northwest will face off against a slew of solid non-division competition, beginning first with next week's season opener against Blue Mountain College. From there, the Lady Rangers have an exhibition date at Christian Brothers University and regular season matches against St. Charles, Dyersburg State, Southwest Tennessee, as well as matches against Meridian and Copiah-Lincoln.

Among all of that lies a stout MACCC North Division slate, featuring the powerhouse Holmes, which advanced once again to the NJCAA Division II Semifinals in June, followed by a strong East Central program and much-improved teams in Hinds and Itawamba.

Overall, Beattie is aiming to re-write the record books and take the Lady Rangers to new heights. With such a stacked roster, Northwest has the potential to make a huge jump and put the rest of the conference on notice.

"We want to create our own history," Beattie said. "In order to do that, we have to win as many games as possible and have a better year in the postseason. Our goal is to win."

Kickoff for the Lady Rangers' August 19th opener against Blue Mountain is slated for 1 P.M. at the Senatobia Sports Park. Both men's and women's programs will continue to play all home contests at the Sports Park this season, as construction continues on a new state-of-the-art facility on campus.