SENATOBIA - Using a pair of goals from MJ Loeffel and another from Molly Rose, No. 13 Northwest returned to its home pitch in winning fashion, defeating Itawamba 3-1 in MACCC North Division action on Wednesday afternoon.

Northwest scored all three of its goals in the first half, while the Lady Rangers made the stops where it mattered on defense throughout the second half.

Loeffel got the scoring started in the seventh minute of action, tapping in a goal off an assist from Melinda Hernandez. After ICC tied the match on Kirsty McGregor's free kick in the 18th minute, Loeffel struck again off a feed from Ally Bailey in the 20th minute, putting the Lady Rangers back ahead 2-1.

Northwest would strike one more time before the end of the first half, as Jennifer Enriquez' corner kick found Molly Rose, who headed it in during the 37th minute, giving the Lady Rangers a strong 3-1 lead at the break.

Though Itawamba turned up the pressure in the second half, Northwest still led 9-4 in the shot column and finished with a 22-9 shot advantage throughout the match. 14 of the Lady Rangers' shots came on goal, while ICC finished with eight.

With Loeffel's two goals, the Eads, Tenn. native now has 11 scores on the season and is now tied for ninth with Justine Richens (2006) for single-season goals.

Defending MACCC Goalkeeper of the Week Maggie Olive totaled seven saves in the match, moving her saves percentage to .881 on the season. The Olive Branch native has 37 saves on the year, compared to just five goals allowed.

With the win, Northwest is now 8-0 on the season and 3-0 in division competition. The Lady Rangers will close out the first leg of division play on Friday, September 24 at 1 P.M. against sixth-ranked Holmes in Ridgeland.