Midfielder Tias Sharp evades oppenents during the Cardinals' victory.
The NIC women’s soccer team has continued its dominance this season, earning a perfect 10-0 record and the No. 9 ranking in the nation.
The most recent game occurred on Sept. 28 against the Community Colleges of Spokane Sasquatch. They posted a 4-2 victory that weekend after trailing by two points at half time.
NIC had travelled to Rock Springs, Wyo. for two games on Sept. 23 and 24. The Cardinals destroyed their first opponent, Western Wyoming Community College with a 7-2 win.
That win was pivotal for the team because it qualified the women for the NJCAA District B playoffs. The playoff site has yet to be announced.
On the second away game, they had a narrow victory against Western Nebraska Community College, posting a 1-0 score. Freshman Anna Valentine punched the only goal into the net at 55 minutes.
“They were a really tough opponent,” said freshman midfielder Kellee Tilson, 19.
The Lady Card’s highest scoring game came over the weekend of Sept. 16 and 18. The women first played the Northwest College Trappers and posted a score of 4-1 on home turf.
“They got one on us in the second half,” said coach Dan Hogan. “It caught us by surprise and caught our goal keeper a little by surprise. She just couldn’t get there in time.”
Then on Sept. 18, the Lady Cards destroyed the University of Idaho club team with an outlandish score of 12-1.
“University of Idaho club team was a little weaker than opponents we faced recently,” said Hogan “We played a little slower because of that, because we could.”
NIC topped off a set of three on the road shutouts with their game that happened on Sept. 14.
They played the Eastern Oregon University Mountaineers and tacked up a 4-0 victory.
Three goals came within a six-minute time span in the second half. Their shutout streak started with the wins on Sept. 9 and 10.
“We expected a pretty tough physical match from a four year school,” Hogan said. “In the second half, we came out a lot quicker. It was a good match for us.”
Hogan said the girls came out in the first half working on their possession game and were knocking the ball around pretty good. He said the rally in the second half boosted the confidence on the whole team.
The girls had good things to say about Northwest along with the other teams and that showed the sportsmanship and mindset of the team.
“They have really good players and were a really tough opponent for us,” said Tilson. “We just needed to stay strong,”
The women linger in the excitement of being undefeated, but remain focused and ready for the next challenge.
“I guess you could say that was a good victory for us but we need to make sure our defense and everything stays tough,” Tilson said. “We can continue to build up and make it to nationals.”
