WSU can't finish in Big Sky title match

In a game that lived up to its championship billing, the Weber State University Soccer Team lost a heartbreaker to Northern Arizona University in the Big Sky Conference Championship match on Saturday. The game had a championship-caliber feel from the beginning with both teams coming out fired up and aggressive. NAU opened the scoring in the 10th minute when forward Brenna Boies fired a long arching shot that WSU goalkeeper Rebecca Ritchie jumped to block. After Ritchie hit the ball once it bounced in play and rolled into the goal. The 'Cats were continually tested throughout the first half on defense with the Lumberjacks getting two more shots on goal and pinning Weber State on its side of the field for the majority of the first 25 minutes. WSU senior defenders Ashtyn Webster and Shaylee Hyde came up with several big stops and helped to fend off the speedy NAU forwards. "Defensively I thought we played good," Webster said. "The defense of the whole team played well, it just didn't kick our way." The 'Cats started picking things up on offense in the middle of the second half and generated several quality opportunities at the goal, but Northern Arizona's defensive speed was a huge factor as they quelled every one of the Wildcat attacks. Weber State came out strong in the second half looking for the equalizer and found it from an unlikely source when a Molli Neilson penalty kick was misplayed by an NAU defender and put into her own goal to tie the game. "We outplayed them by far," Neilson said. "We had so many more shots, and I think we physically matched them well. Soccer is really just a game of luck." On the back of the score the Wildcat offense ignited, and continually pounded the NAU defense logging 16 shots throughout the match. WSU senior Haley McCoy had a near miss in the 67th when she fired a shot from outside the box that bounced off the top of the crossbar. NAU fought right back and had a near miss of their own when Cee Cee Odorfer fired a shot from 15 feet out catching Ritchie off guard and glancing off the left goal post. The remainder of the second half was evenly matched up until the 83rd minute when NAU sent a corner kick into a tight group of players in front of the goal. Ritchie came out and tried to catch the ball in the air but couldn't hold on. The ball rolled out to Odorfer and she fired a shot over the head of several Wildcats congregated in front of the goal. It proved to be the game-winner. "We wanted it," said WSU senior midfielder Shaylee Hyde. "We played well but sometimes it doesn't go your way. We outshot them, but we just couldn't finish today." The win gave Northern Arizona the Big Sky Conference title and secures their spot in the NCAA tournament. It ends the Wildcats' season. "It was a classic NAU, Weber State match," said NAU Head Coach Andre Luciano. "Give Weber State, their coaching staff, and Tim Crompton a ton of credit for how hard they worked and not giving up. Today it was just our turn." The loss was tough for the entire team and especially for the seniors who knew it would be their last game in purple and white. But even in defeat, they were able to look back at the things that mattered most during their last season. "We all got along so well," said WSU senior midfielder Haley McCoy. "We had a lot of fun, did a lot of good things, got a regular season championship and hopefully the freshman and the younger classmen can come back next year and pick up where we left off."