ELLISVILLE - For the second year in a row, coach James Beattie and the Northwest Lady Rangers will face a daunting task in the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament.

This year's semifinal challenger is once again Jones College, a team that put an end to the Lady Rangers' hopeful national tournament bid last season with a 6-0 defeat. Adding to the pressure is that Jones is also the host of this year's semifinal and championship matches by earning the top seed in the men's soccer standings.

However, things are a bit different for Northwest this season. The Lady Rangers have been a mainstay in the top 10 of the NJCAA Division II Women's Soccer rankings and in recent weeks, Northwest has been on the cusp of cracking the top five, currently sitting at No. 6 in the nation. Northwest (12-1-2) is also riding a six-match winning streak, in which the Lady Rangers have outscored their opponents 20-0.

For the season, Northwest has been impressive on defense, allowing just four goals all season and no more than one in a single match. Led by two-time MACCC Goalkeeper of the Week Addy McCann, the Lady Rangers have outscored their opponents by a 66-4 margin on the season, with McCann earning 58 saves on the season and an 11-1-2 record.

Although defense has been the strong point all season long, Northwest has also proven its capability of scoring early and often. Nine of the Lady Rangers' 12 victories have come by three goals or more, including a 4-0 victory in the regular season finale against Itawamba and a pair of 3-0 wins against Meridian and in last weekend's quarterfinal match against East Central.

For Northwest, the matchup with Jones College also serves as a chance to seek revenge. With the Lady Rangers already correcting one of its two draws from the regular season, Northwest can also turn the tables on the Lady Bobcats, which handed Beattie's club its only loss of the season in mid-September by a narrow 1-0 margin.

Doing so will be no easy task, however. Ranked No. 4 in the nation, Jones College has sported a similar 11-1-2 regular season mark and the Lady Bobcats have also suffocated opposing offenses, outscoring opponents 52-5 on the season. Jones also has not one, but two goalkeepers to turn to in Makenna Yarrow and Danae Fowler. Yarrow (6-1-1) earned the start in the Lady Bobcats' 6-0 quarterfinal rout of Meridian last weekend, and went untested against the Lady Eagles, while Fowler has gone 5-0-1 in the net with 12 saves and only two goals allowed.

Offensively, Jones College has three primary scorers, led by Poppy Binding's 13 goals. The East London, England native also has eight assists on the season to lead the team in that category as well. Leahmae Keogh and Izzie Scott have also added 19 combined goals for Jones, with each contributing five assists apiece.

All-time, Jones College leads the series at 11-5-1, with the Lady Rangers losing the last 11 matchups. The last victory in the series for Northwest came in the form of a 4-1 home win on September 8, 2007.

Kickoff for tonight's showdown is at 5 P.M. in Ellisville. Tickets are available online here, with live broadcast coverage provided at jcbobcats.com/watch.