Northeast women’s soccer headed back to national tournament

NORFOLK, Neb. – In a tough bout with No. 5 Allen County Community College, the No. 18 Northeast Community College women's soccer team escaped with a 2-0 victory in the North Plains District Championship on Friday at Veterans Memorial Field in Norfolk.

The Hawks (17-5) earned a return trip back to the NJCAA DII Women's Soccer National Tournament after shutting out a potent Allen County offense. Naomi Pedroza (Hastings, Neb.) put the Hawks on the scoreboard off an assist from Romeni Gurmendi (Boulder, Colo.) in the first half. The Hawks' defense bent, but didn't break in the final half, thanks a stellar performance by goalie Carolin Stahlmann (Ahrensburg, Germany), who notched seven saves.

Pedroza found an open pass in the second half off an assist from Frida Aguilar-Ximello (Boulder, Colo.) that put the Hawks in the driver's seat the rest of the match.

"This was a tough game," head coach Chad Miller said. "Allen County played very physical with a lot of pressure. We knew it would be a physical game, but I felt they took us out of our game for a good part of the match. We started to match their style of play which doesn't suit us well. When we did slow it down, we were able to find possession and create some chances. We didn't get many, but we made the most of what we had. We had to work hard for this one and I am proud of them for leaving it all out on the field."

The Hawks await the pairings for the national tournament that is slated for Nov. 15-20 in Wichita, Kan.

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