By Oaklee Fielder, Sports Editor
Coming off two wins against Newman University and New Mexico Highlands University, the Lady Rangers went on the road twice to face Oklahoma Baptist University on September 24 and Southern Nazarene University on Saturday.
The Lady Rangers went into these two games undefeated.
Game One, NWOSU 2-OBU 1
Taylor Annen was in goal for Northwestern.
There was not a lot of action in the first 10 minutes of the game, that is, until Luana San Miguel scored in the 10th minute, giving the Lady Rangers the early lead. Annen then saved two shots in the twelfth minute, keeping that NWOSU lead alive.
The Lady Rangers and Lady Bison fought hard as the two teams charged down the field in hopes of getting a goal. The first half was eventful for the Northwestern defense, as OBU recorded seven shots and had six corner kicks.
The Northwestern offense was only able to record two shots in the first half.
The second half started with lots of substitutions for Oklahoma Baptist, having six in the first five minutes of the half. The two teams continued to fight into the second half, one hoping to keep, or even better, extend their lead. The other, hoping to equalize the scoring sheet.
Oklahoma Baptist continued to lay on the shots, but Annen wouldn’t budge. The shots kept coming until a goal from Eryn Warren allowed NWOSU to practically seal the win in the 67th minute. OBU continued their assault on Annen, hoping for a mistake from the NWOSU goalkeeper.
Eventually, their time came. A goal for OBU came in the 80th minute of the game with just 10 minutes left. After a yellow card on the Rangers, Oklahoma Baptist started another barrage of shots on the goal, hoping that they might be able to tie the game and at least get a tie, but their attempts all failed. The game ended with a NWOSU win 2-1 over the Oklahoma Baptist Lady Bison.
Game Two, NWOSU 3-SNU 2
Annen was in goal for NWOSU again.
Just like the game before, San Miguel scored early, in the 6th minute to be exact. This seemed to give Northwestern lots of momentum. The Lady Rangers defended well and turned away every chance that SNU had for a goal. In the 35th minute, Jenna Mills was given a penalty kick. Penalty kicks are amazing chances for a goal for the team that is shooting. Mills executed and scored the second goal for Northwestern early in the game. The first half continued on without any more goals.
The start of the second half mirrored the start of the first. San Miguel scored just under two minutes into the half, giving NWOSU a 3-0 lead. Just one minute later, Southern Nazarene scored a goal of their own, bringing Northwestern’s lead from three back down to two. SNU fired shot after shot, all going wide, until they were awarded a corner kick in the 68th minute. Southern Nazarene got the job done and scored again, making it a 3-2 game with 20 minutes left.
The two teams fought hard, hoping that the game would go in their favor. In the 88th minute, there was a corner kick for Southern Nazarene, just like their last goal. This time, the Lady Rangers did well and stopped any attempt at a goal. The game ended, NWOSU’s winning streak continues and they remain undefeated.
The Lady Rangers’ next game is on Wednesday against East Central University. It will be away in Ada. This is also their only game for the week.
The Lady Rangers currently top the GAC standings, the only undefeated team. SWOSU is the closest team, with a record of 6-2. NWOSU faces the third-place team, Harding University, after the game against ECU.
On Tuesday, San Miguel was announced as the Great American Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Her three goals and four shots on goal were credited to her award.