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Wildcat soccer axes 'Jacks with no Jill
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Wildcat soccer axes 'Jacks with no Jill

UA's Clifford, Hocking step up in place of injured goal scorer Aguilera

  • Arizona striker Jada Talley takes a shot from inside the NAU box.
    Joshua Pearson/TucsonSentinel.comArizona striker Jada Talley takes a shot from inside the NAU box.
  • Chaos erupts in the NAU box as UArizona players attack.
    Joshua Pearson/TucsonSentinel.comChaos erupts in the NAU box as UArizona players attack.
  • Arizona's Ava Hetzel outmuscles NAU's Paige Maling for the ball late in the match.
    Joshua Pearson/TucsonSentinel.comArizona's Ava Hetzel outmuscles NAU's Paige Maling for the ball late in the match.
  • NAU goalkeeper Taryn Benham watches in despair as Iliana Hocking's shot nestles in the back of the net.
    Joshua Pearson/TucsonSentinel.comNAU goalkeeper Taryn Benham watches in despair as Iliana Hocking's shot nestles in the back of the net.
  • Arizona midfielder Iliana Hocking snuffs out a late NAU breakaway.
    Joshua Pearson/TucsonSentinel.comArizona midfielder Iliana Hocking snuffs out a late NAU breakaway.
  • Arizona forward Jada Talley crosses the ball from the right edge of the NAU box to set up Hannah Clifford for Arizona's second goal.
    Joshua Pearson/TucsonSentinel.comArizona forward Jada Talley crosses the ball from the right edge of the NAU box to set up Hannah Clifford for Arizona's second goal.
  • Hannah Clifford and Jada Talley celebrate the second goal of the night against Northern Arizona University.
    Joshua Pearson/TucsonSentinel.comHannah Clifford and Jada Talley celebrate the second goal of the night against Northern Arizona University.
  • Arizona forward Jada Talley fires in the opening goal of the match against NAU as Lumberjacks defender Madison Montgomery tries to close down.
    Joshua Pearson/TucsonSentinel.comArizona forward Jada Talley fires in the opening goal of the match against NAU as Lumberjacks defender Madison Montgomery tries to close down.
  • University of Arizona goalkeeper Hope Hisey punches a ball clear against NAU.
    Joshua Pearson/TucsonSentinel.comUniversity of Arizona goalkeeper Hope Hisey punches a ball clear against NAU.
  • NAU players look back as Lumberjacks goalkeeper Taryn Benham deals with an Arizona free kick in the first half.
    Joshua Pearson/TucsonSentinel.comNAU players look back as Lumberjacks goalkeeper Taryn Benham deals with an Arizona free kick in the first half.
  • Wildcats forward Iyana Zimmerman holds off the challenge of NAU midfielder Kayla Terhune.
    Joshua Pearson/TucsonSentinel.comWildcats forward Iyana Zimmerman holds off the challenge of NAU midfielder Kayla Terhune.
  • Arizona defender Ava Hetzel breaks into the NAU box early in the second half.
    Joshua Pearson/TucsonSentinel.comArizona defender Ava Hetzel breaks into the NAU box early in the second half.
  • Wildcats defender Sabrina Enciso dribbles past the NAU midfield.
    Joshua Pearson/TucsonSentinel.comWildcats defender Sabrina Enciso dribbles past the NAU midfield.
  • University of Arizona defender Jenna Studer volleys the ball towards the NAU goal.
    Joshua Pearson/TucsonSentinel.comUniversity of Arizona defender Jenna Studer volleys the ball towards the NAU goal.
  • Jada Talley passes out wide from the edge of the NAU box.
    Joshua Pearson/TucsonSentinel.comJada Talley passes out wide from the edge of the NAU box.
  • Arizona midfielder Tianna Sidtikun bossed the Lumberjacks midfield throughout most of the match.
    Joshua Pearson/TucsonSentinel.comArizona midfielder Tianna Sidtikun bossed the Lumberjacks midfield throughout most of the match.
  • Wildcats striker Jada Talley breaks past the Lumberjacks defense on her way to opening the scoring.
    Joshua Pearson/TucsonSentinel.comWildcats striker Jada Talley breaks past the Lumberjacks defense on her way to opening the scoring.
  • Arizona forward Jada Talley is introduced for the game against Northern Arizona University.
    Joshua Pearson/TucsonSentinel.comArizona forward Jada Talley is introduced for the game against Northern Arizona University.

Northern Arizona University turned out to be a tougher opponent than the University of Arizona Wildcats had faced in their previous matches when the two teams had met at Mulcahy Stadium on Saturday night. Still, the result went Arizona’s way with a 3 - 0 win.

The team was without Jill Aguilera, who was kept off the field due to injury concerns.

Arizona found it hard to solve NAU’s back four in the early going, but Jada Talley slipped past through the defense just past midfield in minute 26 and forced Taryn Benham’s keeper off her line. A deceptively easy poke sent the ball into the back of the net. The goal was Talley’s third of the season.

NAU continued to battle, racking up seven fouls in the first half. Although the Lumberjacks only recorded a single shot (a 33rd minute attempt by Maddie Shafer), their few sallies upfield threatened far better than Arizona’s previous opponents.

The fight from NAU kept Arizona from extending the lead until the second half.

Hannah Clifford, who was also coming back from injury, took a shot from the top of the box in minute 61. Benham saved the shot but it was a preview for what came only three minutes later. Talley again slipped past an NAU defender. Instead of taking the shot, she passed it to the far left where Clifford was making a run. Benham made a good guess that Clifford was going to make the shot, but got there a split second too late.

A corner kick gave the Wildcats their third. Jordan Hall sent the corner straight to Iliana Hocking’s forehead and got it over a diving Benham.

Both Clifford’s and Hocking’s goals were their first for the season.

With the win, Arizona closes out their opening four matches with four wins, twelve goals for and one against.

Credit where credit is due

There is still an in-stadium announcer despite the fact that a grand total of five people who didn’t work for the UA Athletic Department were in the stands, and they were all members of the media. After the third goal, the announcer proclaimed that the goal was scored by defender Jenna Studer.

Of course, the goal was scored by Iliana Hocking. Although Hocking, a midfielder, has a lot to do with many of the goals the Cats score, perhaps the man on the microphone wasn’t used to calling out her name as the goal scorer.

After the match, she joked a bit about not getting credit, but talked about how she scored.

“I saw it coming, eyes wide open,” she said of the corner kick sent to her. “If I’m going to get one goal this season, it’s now. My time.”

Arizona Wildcats vs Northern Arizona Lumberjacks

Mulcahy Stadium

Scoring Summary
ARZ - Jada Talley (26’)
ARZ - Hannah Clifford (64’)
ARZ - Iliana Hocking (83’)

Misconduct Summary
ARZ - Megan Chelf (caution, 84’)

Arizona Wildcats: Hope Hisey - Jasmine Young (Jordan Schulte 86’), Ava Hetzel (Mariah Dunn 35’, Hetzel 45’, Zimmerman 73’, Sarah Rice 85’), Sabrina Enciso, Jenna Studer (Dunn 85’) - Tiana Sidtikun (Alex Day 67’, Sidtikun 85’), Madison Goerlinger (Hannah Clifford 26’, Chelf 66’, Quincy Bonds 85’), Iliana Hocking - Iyanna Zimmerman (Hall 61’), Jordan Hall (Quincy Bonds 35’, Goerlinger 61’, Talley 85’), Jada Talley (Megan Chelf 35’, Talley 45’, Kayden Heinrich 71’, Sabrina Hillyer 85’)

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks: Taryn Benham - Madison Montgomery, Rylie Curran, Emma Robson (Victoria Pucci 14’, Sam Larberg 24’, Giselle Mata 85’) - Rylee Mitchell (Taylor Gomez 40’, Shafer 63’), Kayla Terhune, Maddie Shafer (Josie Novak 40’, Rylee Rottweiler 67’, Gurfield 80’, Pucci 86’), Sydney Dennis - Kylie Kapustka, Paige Maling, Kalea Gurfield (Mitchell 58’)

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