TAHLEQUAH – The RiverHawks Women's Soccer team will wrap up their regular season at home this weekend against MIAA foes Rogers State and Newman. Sunday's match will be senior day for the RiverHawks.

First Touches
1. NSU enters the weekend of the season with an 11-4-1 record, with a 6-3 mark in conference play. They are currently in second place in the MIAA standings, and have clinched a spot in the MIAA Tournament for the eighth consecutive season. Only Central Missouri is ahead of the RiverHawks in the conference standings.

2. The RiverHawks are ranked fifth in the first NCAA Central Region Poll, which is one of three polls that will help determine the field of 48 teams for this fall's national tournament. If the tournament started today, the RiverHawks would face Bemidji State at Central Missouri, with the winner facing UCM. This is the highest debut for the RiverHawks in the region poll.

3. The RiverHawks split last weekend, beating Fort Hays State 1-0 on Sunday after losing to Nebraska-Kearney 1-0 on Friday evening. Paulina Chavez scored the lone goal on Sunday for the RiverHawks in the 23rd minute. She has seven goals this season, which is second on the team behind Mariah Nicolet, who has scored 10 times with two assists and five match-winning goals. Brennan Hockett and Ainsley Cunningham have split time in net, with Hockett making 32 saves and Cunningham recording 21 saves.

4. The RiverHawks have faced both teams this season, playing Rogers State to a 0-0 draw on Sept. 22 and beating Newman 3-2 on Sept. 27.  This will be just the second ever meeting between the RiverHawks and Rogers State, and the first at DeLoache Field. NSU holds an 8-1 all-time record against Newman.
 
5. Chase Wooten is in his ninth season as head coach of the RiverHawks, with a career record of 119-54-15, the best in school history. He has taken NSU to the MIAA Tournament now for eight consecutive seasons, including a berth in the conference finals in 2015.

6. The Hillcats are 5-6-5 this season, and 2-3-4 in conference action. Both of their matches last weekend ended in 0-0 draws against Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney. Laurelle Theodore leads the Hillcats with four goals and two assists off 17 shots on goal. Anita Gaspar has three goals this season while Kori Watters and Hannah Mushisky both have two. ReVell Fisher has played all 16 games in net, recording 111 saves and seven shutouts.

7. The Jets are 7-3-6 on the season, with a record of 3-2-4 in conference action. They are on a one-match win streak after topping Northwest Missouri State on Sunday afternoon. Prior to facing NSU, they will host Central Oklahoma Friday night. Kennedy Weaver leads the Jets with seven goals, seven assists and three match-winning goals. Vanessa Ortiz and Kyla Kreemer both have three goals and one assist on the season. Jackie Lari has played most the season in net, recording 68 saves in nine matches played.

Looking Ahead: The RiverHawks will be one of eight teams competing in the MIAA Tournament starting next weekend. Their first-round matchup will be determined following this weekend's matches. Check goriverhawksgo.com for updated information.