SENATOBIA - Two quick goals within the first 10 minutes of regulation helped set the tone for sixth-ranked Northwest, as the Lady Rangers delivered a 4-0 victory against Itawamba on Friday afternoon.
Northwest improved to 11-1-2 on the season and concluded the regular season with a 7-1-2 mark in conference play. Additionally, the Lady Rangers also picked up their 10th shutout of the year, the most recorded in a single-season since 2004, when Northwest won 11 of its 12 matches by shutouts.
Additionally, the Lady Rangers are going to the playoffs for the third straight season since coach
James Beattie took over prior to the Spring 2021 campaign. That ties the longest playoff streak ever recorded for the Northwest women's soccer program, matching the postseason streak from 2002-04 under Northwest Sports Hall of Fame coach Peter Jarjoura.
It took Northwest less than two minutes to get on the board, as
Avery Hooker connected with
Jennifer Enriquez, providing the sophomore with her eighth goal of the season. Less than 10 minutes later,
Evie Crawford fed
Hadleigh Watson for her third goal of the season and a 2-0 lead for the Lady Rangers.
Just before halftime,
Jada Jelks earned her first goal of the year off a pass from Enriquez to make it a solid 3-0 lead at the break for Northwest.
Northwest would only score once more over the final 45 minutes, but the Lady Rangers allowed very few shots from Itawamba, outshooting the Lady Indians 26-6 for the match. The final goal would come in the 71st minute, as Crawford earned her team-leading 10th goal of the season off an assist from
Jadyn Duran.
With the regular season now in the rearview mirror, Northwest will now turn its attention to the upcoming MACCC Playoffs. The Lady Rangers will host a quarterfinal matchup for the second straight season, with this year's matchup scheduled for Saturday, October 29. Start time and the opponent is still to be determined, but will be confirmed on nwccrangers.com when finalized.
