HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - After holding on to the No. 1 national ranking throughout the entire 2024 season, Northwest earned the top overall seed in the upcoming NJCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship Tournament.

Northwest won both the MACCC and NJCAA Region 23 titles, while finishing the regular season with an 18-0 overall record. As the tournament's No. 1 seed, the Lady Rangers will be grouped into Pool A against eighth-seed Scottsdale (Ariz.) and 12th-seed St. Charles (Mo.).

Advancing to the national tournament for the third straight year, Northwest is hoping to avoid an early elimination similar to last season. The Lady Rangers were the No. 2 overall seed in last year's tournament and defeated Rock Valley College, before falling to Johnson County Community College (Kan.), a team that went on to finish as the national runners-up.

Northwest enters the national tournament with one of the nation's best defenses. The Lady Rangers have allowed just 12 goals in 18 total matches, ranking sixth nationally for least goals allowed and fifth among teams remaining in the postseason.

Sophomore goalkeeper Anna Kathryn Harrell is a large reason for that, as the Tupelo native and reigning NJCAA All-American has 52 saves on the season with just eight goals allowed. Harrell also has an .867 save percentage for the year.

Northwest also boasts one of the nation's top scoring offenses, as the Lady Rangers are tied for 10th with Rock Valley for 83 goals scored. NWCC also has 221 total points, good for 12th nationally.

Freshman Emma Jensen has led the charge for Northwest, scoring a team-best 19 goals with nine assists. Fellow freshman teammate Caroline Hamm also has 12 goals on the season, followed by 11 from Penny Warner.

Mari Julia Delgado leads the team in assists (10), followed by Jensen's nine and six more from Allie Sifford. Jensen, a native of Gammelby, Germany, also leads the Lady Rangers with 47 total points, followed by 25 from Hamm and 24 each from Delgado and Warner.

As for the Lady Rangers' opponents, Scottsdale enters with an overall record of 12-3-1 and received an at-large bid after falling 2-1 to Pima in the NJCAA Region I Semifinals. The Fighting Artichokes average 5.25 goals per match and are led in scoring by Elizabeth Wheeler's 15 goals.

Shayla Hunt and Mia Loher are also notable scorers for Scottsdale, with the duo adding 11 and 10 goals, respectively. Samantha Battles leads the team with 10 assists, followed by eight from Hunt. Wheeler holds the Fighting Artichokes' lead in points (37).

Kaydence Manning has been Scottsdale's starting goalkeeper, racking up 34 saves against 13 goals. Her record sits at 10-3-1 overall with a .723 save percentage.

Though the two teams haven't played this season, St. Charles is a familiar opponent for Northwest historically. The Lady Cougars hold a 3-1 all-time record against the Lady Rangers, though NWCC won the last meeting with a 6-0 victory on September 6, 2021.

This season, St. Charles holds a record of 15-1-2 and enters the tournament after defeating St. Louis in double overtime for the NJCAA Region 16 title and National Park College for the NJCAA Central District Championship. The Lady Cougars average 3.67 goals per game, led by 11 from Gabby Starman.

Emma Long is second on the team in scoring with nine goals, followed by seven from Bella Slusser. Sandra Swartz leads the Lady Cougars with eight assists, while Starman leads the team with 29 total points.

Charlize Williams has started all 18 matches this season for St. Charles, earning 69 saves against nine goals allowed. She holds a record of 15-1-2 with 11 shutouts and an .885 save percentage.

All championship information, including tickets and broadcast links, can be found here.