Lady Rangers victorious to begin national tourney run

Northwest to face Johnson County on Tuesday afternoon

Photo: Alexandria “Penny” Warner provided a goal and an assist in Sunday’s national tournament victory against Rock Valley College. (Brian Oakley/nwccrangers.com)

Credit: Northwest Mississippi Community College Sports Information

Two first half goals proved to be all Northwest needed in Sunday’s NJCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Championship opener, as the second-seeded Lady Rangers took down No. 11 Rock Valley College (Illinois) by a 2-0 final at Tucson, Arizona.

One of the biggest reasons for the Lady Rangers’ success was Pearland, Texas native Alexandria “Penny” Warner. The freshman striker had a goal and an assist, helping Northwest move to 21-1 on the season.

Scoreless through the first 20 minutes and playing against a moderate breeze, Northwest finally broke through with Warner’s assist to Jadyn Duran in the 21st minute. Nearly 20 minutes later, the Lady Rangers got another boost before halftime, thanks to Warner’s goal off a feed from Mari Julia Delgado.

Though Rock Valley had its chances in both halves, the Northwest defense did its job, preserving the program’s 19th shutout of the season. Freshman goalkeeper Anna Kathryn Harrell tallied two saves and improved her record to 19-1.

With the win, Northwest turns its focus to Tuesday afternoon, facing off against Johnson County (Kansas) in the finale of Pool B competition. The winner of Pool B will advance to the tournament semifinals, coming up later in the week.

Start time between Northwest and Johnson County is slated for 1:30 p.m. Central time. All tournament matches can be viewed via pay-per-view on the NJCAA Network.