By Oaklee Fielder, Sports Editor
The Lady Rangers had two away games against Ouachita Baptist University and Harding University, where the Lady Rangers lost both games and added losses to their record.
Northwestern now sits in fourth in the GAC standings. They have 16 points, just two behind SWOSU and three above Southern Nazarene. With just two games left in the season after the trip to Arkadelphia, the pressure is on the Lady Rangers to make the GAC Women’s Soccer Championships.
Taylor Annen started in goal for both games.
NWOSU 0-OUA 1
The game started full of action. A foul against Northwestern in the second minute, a shot from Luana San Miguel in the fourth minute, and another foul for NWOSU in the fifth minute. Then the field slipped, and the Tigers got some action. They gave three shots, two on goal, but Annen turned them away and kept the game even at zero.
The two teams battled hard through the first half, giving it their all to get the first tally on the board, but neither goalie let one in. In the 41st minute, Ouachita gave two quick shots, but neither entered the net.
The first half ended after both teams battled but saw no offensive success as they headed into halftime tied at zero.
The second half started with a lot of corner kicks and fouls. There were five fouls and four corner kicks in twelve minutes. The offensive pushing ramped up, as the corner kick count also ramped up. With all the action going on near the goals, there was bound to be an error from one of the goalies.
In the 83rd minute, the Ouachita Tigers were given a yellow card. Jordan Fawcett gave a kick towards the net, but it was saved by the Ouachita goalkeeper. Just minutes later, San Miguel also gave a shot, but it was also saved. In the 88th minute, only one perfect goalkeeper was left. Ouachita Baptist made a shot, and it went by Annen, giving the Tigers the lead with just two minutes left to play.
Unfortunately, the Lady Rangers failed to respond with the lack of time and lost for just the third time this season.
Fawcett recorded three shots, and two of them on goal against Ouachita. Jenna Mills and San Miguel both had two shots and one on goal. Annen recorded five saves. Ouachita had a jaw-dropping eight corner kicks in the second half. The two teams had a large number of fouls, eight for Northwestern and nine for Ouachita.
NWOSU 1-HAR 3
Going into the game, it was known that the battle against Harding would be a tough one. In the last meeting against the Bison, Harding defeated Northwestern 3-0 in Alva.
Although the box score says Harding scored three goals, they actually scored four. In the 15th minute, the Bison put the ball into their own net, handing the Lady Rangers the lead 1-0. The battles continued through the first half, with Harding showing their strength. The Bison had 13 shots in the first half, a large contrast to the Lady Rangers’ zero.
In the second half, the Bison showed just how strong their offense was. They scored twice just four minutes apart in the 52nd and 56th minutes. In the 71st minute, the Lady Rangers gave their first shot.
MacKenzie Hickman gave a shot towards the net, but it was saved by the Harding goalkeeper. The Bison scored another goal in the 73rd minute, making it a 1-3 game in the closing stages.
There were no more goals in the game, and the Lady Rangers were handed another loss to their record.
Although they lost the last two games, there are still high hopes for the Lady Rangers. They have been able to put together an amazing season, one that many did not expect. They showed that no matter what happened in the past, all you have to do is push forward, and you can make tomorrow better.
The Lady Rangers also have a great chance to make the GAC Championship. Their next games are against SWOSU and Southern Nazarene.
They tied SWOSU 0-0 in their last meeting and defeated Southern Nazarene 3-2 on September 27. All the Lady Rangers have to do is put their heads down and the future will be bright.
