TAHLEQUAH – Northeastern State finishes their 2023 home regular season schedule with matches at home this week against Northwest Missouri (Friday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m.) and Missouri Western (Sunday, Oct. 22 at 1 p.m.).
With two weeks left in the regular season, the RiverHawks are tied with Central Oklahoma for eighth in the MIAA standings with seven points.
Northeastern State (4-6-4, 2-4-1 MIAA) vs. Northwest Missouri (5-4-5, 2-2-3 MIAA) // October 20 at 7 p.m. // Live Coverage
History with the Bearcats
Northeastern State controls the all-time series 10-5-1. Last season's loss to Northwest Missouri Maryville, Mo. snapped a six-match winning streak against the Bearcats. The RiverHawks are 6-1 in Tahlequah across the series.
Scouting the Bearcats
- Northwest Missouri enters the week with one of the MIAA's highest-scoring offenses, with 25 goals to tie for second in the conference. Eight of those came last week in dominant wins over Newman (5-0) and Central Oklahoma (3-0).
- Kaylie Rock will be a player to watch Friday, as Rock leads the team with seven goals on the campaign, including three in last week's action. She's logged an on-goal attempt in 11 of her 12 appearances this season. Notably, Rock scored on the RiverHawks during their 2021 battle in Tahlequah.
- The Bearcats hold an unbeaten mark so far in the month of October this season, a month they've had a lot of success in lately. Northwest Missouri holds an 18-2-3 record in the month dating back to the 2021 season.
- Heading into the closing two weeks of the regular season, NW Missouri is still in search of their first win away from Maryville, as they hold a combined 0-3-2 record in away and neutral matchups.
Fast Facts
- A 45th-minute Bearcat goal drove Northwest Missouri to a 1-0 victory over Northeastern State, their first win over NSU in eight years in last season's meeting in Maryville. NSU could only muster a third of NW's shot output, falling behind 24-8 on attempts while the Bearcats had 13 shots on-goal.
- The NSU defense has held NW to one goal or less in their last ten meetings. The RiverHawks have scored multiple goals in seven of those ten.
- This is only the second time since 2018 the teams have faced off in Tahlequah. Three of the last four have been played in Maryville.
Northeastern State (4-6-4, 2-4-1 MIAA) vs. Missouri Western (4-5-5, 2-2-3 MIAA) // October 22 at 1 p.m. // Live Coverage
History with the Griffons
Northeastern State holds a 7-3-1 all-time record against Missouri Western, with a 4-1 mark in Tahlequah. Last season's draw marked the first in the series between the teams, while NSU claimed the two matchups before the 2022 stalemate.
Scouting the Griffons
- Prior to facing the RiverHawks on Sunday, Missouri Western will battle Rogers State in Claremore, Okla. on Friday.
- The Griffons rank near the middle of the pack offensively and defensively with most of the regular season behind them, as they enter the week in seventh in goals scored (19) and sixth in goals against (17).
- The duo of Jaden Skinner and Kendall Knisley has proven to be a deadly one for MWSU. Skinner ranks second in the MIAA with eight goals, while Knisley has made an immediate impact as a freshman with six makes to sit just outside the top five in a tie for sixth.
- MWSU has scored in all six road contests this season, with four multi-goal performances among them.
Fast Facts
- Both teams notched a second-half goal in the 1-1 draw last season in St. Joseph, Mo. MWSU had the slight shot advantage with 11 attempts to NSU's ten, while both teams had five shots on-goal.
- The Griffons have had a hard time finding openings across their history with the RiverHawks. MWSU has been shut out five times across eleven matchups against NSU, while they've only scored more than one goal once.
- The RiverHawks have won six of their last seven regular season home finales dating back to 2016.
Coming Up
Northeastern State finishes the regular season on the road, facing Newman in Wichita, Kan. on Friday, Oct 27 at 7 p.m. and Rogers State in Claremore, Okla. on Sunday, Oct. 29 at 1 p.m.
