By CONNOR GRAY, Assistant Editor
The Northwestern soccer team went 2-2 in the last two weeks, putting the team at 9-4-1 on the season with the final stretch coming up.
In the last two weeks, the Rangers faced a variety of foes from the GAC.
The Rangers lost to Oklahoma Baptist, 2-1, at home after giving up two goals in the first period.
The team bounced back to get a win over Southern Nazarene with a 3-2 victory, with Tiara Campbell and Lily Anderson getting goals in the first half and Abby McLaughlin scoring in the second half.
The Rangers dropped the next game with a 3-2 loss to rival Southwestern as the teams traded goals in the first 22 minutes. Northwestern was unable to answer the Bulldogs’ third goal.
Northwestern got a win over East Central, 2-0, with Campbell getting two goals.
Campbell, despite being a freshman, has been a spark for Northwestern’s offense.
Her ability to make goals when needed makes her a valued player.
She leads the team in goals scored, with 17 and averages near 50% on her goals-to-shot ratio. She has played all 14 games.
“Tiara has been fantastic for us,” said head coach Alex Piekarski. “She scores in a variety of ways for us using her right and left foot and head to score.”
Campbell is not letting this get the better of her, as she knows the team is more important than she is, she said.
“It’s crazy. I didn’t expect it,” Campbell said. “I’m very grateful for the time I’ve gotten and the things I’ve been able to do with it, just working hard as I can.”
Four games are left on the schedule, and they could be challenging: Harding, Ouachita Baptist, Southern Nazarene and Oklahoma Baptist University.
Caitlyn Bidart, a senior defender, said the team is looking forward to these last few games.
“We’re focusing on the simple things, like simple passes,” Bidart said. “If we set a bigger picture, it’s harder to establish that than small, specific things to reach what we want.”
The next game is Harding, which defeated the Rangers by a score of 5-2 on Oct. 7.
The Rangers have an aggressive mindset going into the game, team members say. They believe they were not aggressive enough in their first game.
“We’ve talked about how defending is a team concept. It’s something we need to continue to do,” Piekarski said.
Bidart reiterated Piekarski’s point about stopping Harding, as it was the most goals the team has given up this season.
“Coming out with intensity and not start slow like we did against them the first time and start with what we should do,” Bidart said.
The Rangers will have three home games in a row starting Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. against Harding. The Rangers will play Ouachita Baptist Oct. 30 at 11 a.m. and will play on Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. against Southern Nazarene.
The final regular season game will be on Nov. 6 in Shawnee versus Oklahoma Baptist.