TUCSON, Ariz. - For the first time since its inception in 2002, the Northwest women's soccer program will make its first appearance in the NJCAA Division II Women's Soccer National Tournament.

Northwest was chosen for one of four at-large bids following a successful 13-1-3 season that saw the Lady Rangers consistently climb in the national rankings, capping at No. 6 overall. Coach James Beattie's squad also earned victories against three nationally-ranked opponents, suffering only one loss all season and tying three other ranked squads.

One of those wins came in a memorable Region 23 semifinal showdown last Friday, as the Lady Rangers upset No. 4 Jones College. Two of the three draws came to No. 3 Holmes, including a penalty kick shootout on Sunday evening to decide the Region 23 champion.

For the season, Northwest outscored its opponents 68-5 and went seven matches without yielding a single goal. The Lady Rangers' 68 goals scored are the most in a single season since 2006 (69) and the five goals surrendered are currently the lowest all-time in a single season, shattering the previous low of 11, which was also set in 2006.

"Sunday was a tough loss and this team deserves a second chance to compete," Beattie said. "No one wants to end a season losing in penalty kicks. You want to either win a championship or lose in regulation, so this gives us a second chance to win something. We have been in the rankings all season and I have no doubt that we can have a chance to win the whole thing."

Now in his third season, Beattie's career record stands at 34-10-4 and although only in his third season, the results are apparent. Northwest went to the Region 23 Quarterfinals in Beattie's first season, but finished the year at 6-6 overall. Last season, the Lady Rangers advanced to the Region 23 Semifinals and won a program-best 15 matches. 

Now comes the national tournament and a new milestone for Beattie and the Northwest women's soccer program.

"I think the biggest transformation has been our competitiveness," Beattie said. "When I first came in, the roster was not very big and the starting lineup was usually set from match to match. With our roster now, you can't really tell who's going to start from one match to the next. There's a competitive culture and a winning culture here. When we lose, it's more of a shock now than anything. Just being able to change the culture and make winning more of a normality has got us to this point."

Northwest is one of three MACCC/Region 23 teams in the national tournament field, joining overall top seed Holmes and sixth-seeded Jones College. The Lady Rangers nabbed the No. 4 overall seed and will be the top team in Pool D, joining No. 5 seed Pima (Ariz.) and ninth-seeded Northeast (Neb.). The winner of Pool D will match up against the winner of Pool B, which contains No. 2  Phoenix College, No. 7 Southwestern Illinois and 11th-seeded South Suburban.

While Beattie is preparing his team for business, he also wants the experience to be fun for his players, no matter the overall outcome.

"To get to this point, you have to have a great team and I know we are a great team," Beattie said. "We know we can compete and possibly win this, but no matter what, this is going to be the last time this team plays together. This is a special team that took this program to new heights, so they deserve to have fun and get all the credit. We're going to go out, compete, have fun and see where the chips fall."

The tournament will run from November 14-19 at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson. More details, including ticket information and broadcast links, will be provided in the coming days. Visit the tournament central page here for the most up-to-date information.