Northwestern College hosted the Pizza Ranch Classic last weekend—an eight-team, two-day men’s and women’s soccer event. The men went 2-0 in the showcase while the women’s team split games.
MEN’S GAMES
On Saturday, the men’s team dominated its opponent, Judson College, winning 8-3. They were led by a strong individual performance from senior Wesley Lockwood. Lockwood had four goals in the match, including a hat trick in the first 11 minutes of play. The performance helped Lockwood earn GPAC Men’s Soccer Offensive Player-of-the-Week honors. Freshman Hartrick Tarr scored two goals in the match, along with senior Nate Huyser and sophomore Isaac Wong each scoring goals.
The Raiders’ offensive explosion was the team’s best scoring output this season by far, and head coach Dan Swier was very proud of their production and execution.
“We smacked ‘em good,” Swier said. “I challenged my guys to get back to execution regardless of who the opponent is, and it showed from the second half of the first game through Saturday’s game against Judson. They did everything really well.”
On Friday, the men’s team faced a tough and talented Graceland team that gave the Raiders everything they could handle in the first half. After a scoreless tie at the break, the Raiders came out sharp, scoring right away on a goal from freshman Tyler Limmer and never looked back. The Raiders would score again on goals from freshman Breno Fabbri and freshman Daniel Zapata.
“This year we have gotten off to a really good start,” Swier said. “We have shown some surprising talent, with our freshmen’s goal-scoring ability. Our guys are all playing up to and beyond their potential, we just want to keep this momentum going and prevent any burnout.”
WOMEN’S GAMES
The Raider women faced a tough Bellevue on Saturday, losing a hard-fought battle 2-0. Sophomore goalkeeper Naomi Schimmel played hard, coming up with six saves, but allowing two goals. The women’s offense struggled, only getting two shot attempts the whole game.
“I think our opponent Saturday was very tough,” said women’s head coach Ben Karnish. “Fatigue was also a factor, coming from a back-to-back situation. I think we adjusted and executed our game plan as well as we could, but were ultimately just outmatched.”
In Friday’s game against Graceland, the Raiders traded goals right away with their opponent with the score tied 1-1 in the first two minutes of action. After a scoreless remainder of the first half, the Raiders made changes and rallied to retake the lead in the second half. Madeline Swift scored two goals after an hour of play, putting NW ahead 3-1 for good.
“This year we have a lot of depth, and a lot of girls willing and ready to fulfill their roles,” Karnish said. “We are becoming more competitive. We had a lot of close losses or draws in previous years, and I think this year we will be able to come out on top in those situations.”
