Two was a mystical number for the Northwest soccer team this past weekend.
Two players scored a total of two goals in two 2-0 victories to open the season.
Junior forward Andrea Tritz and senior midfielder Holly Ramaeker scored a goal a piece against both Southwestern Oklahoma State and Newman (Kan.) last weekend. Junior goalkeeper Kira Lazenby recorded four saves and didn't allow either opponent to score.
"A big part of it was communication," Ramaeker said. "I think a big part of goals is who assists it. On my second one, Krista (Pollman) gave me a perfect ball in the right direction, and I just headed it in."
The Bearcats did lose sophomore midfielder and co-captain Heidi Sobota for the year to a knee injury. After sitting out all of last year following a transfer, Sobota didn't even make it to halftime of their first game before injuring her knee. Sobota is the second midfielder the 'Cats have lost to injury in two weeks.
Senior Shannon Fitzgerald aggravated a nagging knee injury a little more than a week before Sobota's injury and was given a medical red-shirt for the season.
Coach Tracy Hoza feels the 'Cats have a qualified substitute for Sobota in sophomore Whitney Macken.
"Whitney was pushing for a starting sport and a lot of playing time over summer,"Hoza said. "Now she's going to have to play a lot more than she anticipated with Heidi gone for the season."
Hoza likes what she saw from her team in the first two games despite the injuries, and thinks they are becoming a better all-around team.
The defense played well while recording two shutouts to open the season, and offensively, they attacked the goal well, Hoza said.
Like any coach, though, she did see room for improvement.
"We need to make less mistakes, like passing when we shouldn't be," Hoza said. "There are a few things defensively too, like when to clear the ball out or when not to clear the ball out."
The 'Cats play their first home games of the season this weekend in the Bearcat Classic. They open their home schedule Friday against Northeastern (Oklahoma) State.
The Riverhawks won their first game of the year 5-2 over Harding University. They finished last season 6-13-1, including a 1-0 loss to Truman State and a tie with Central Missouri.
Sunday's game matches the 'Cats against Wayne State who went 1-15-3 in 2007 and has started 0-2-1 in 2008.
The 'Cats play Northeastern State at 2 p.m. Friday at Bearcat Pitch and Wayne State at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Bearcat Pitch.
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