The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: Women’s Soccer

  • Cal Poly Humboldt Women’s Soccer Makes Playoffs For The First Time Since 2006

    Cal Poly Humboldt Women’s Soccer Makes Playoffs For The First Time Since 2006

    by Jake Knoeller

    It is a sunny fall afternoon on Thursday, Oct. 27; Coach Grant Landy is getting water dumped on him by his players as the final whistle sounds. His 400th win as a head coach is official.

    The 1-0 home victory over Chico State, along with other results around the league favoring Cal Poly Humboldt’s women’s soccer team, means they found a way in. They had clinched a spot in the playoffs on the final day of the season, and they would have a bigger game to play after the regular season for the first time since 2006.

    This matchup was never going to be an easy one for the Lumberjacks, with most of the game being very physical. It involved both teams keeping a balance of looking to get the first goal and go ahead, but also stay back enough to protect their net.

    In minute 65, Humboldt found their breakthrough. Forward Kylea Becker stepped up to take a corner kick from the right side, and the low ball into the box found the feet of Humboldt defender Megan Janikowski. Janikowski’s goal, her first of the season, was the difference between the teams in the end. 

    The cheers from the players and the crowd were deafening as the team rushed the field to celebrate after the final whistle. Coaches and athletic staff had their phones out checking the scores around the league to make sure they had made the playoffs for sure.

    “I remember we all ran together for a huge group hug and started chanting,” said defender Abby Borg. “The energy was electric and it was so fun to be a part of that historical moment.”

    When the news broke that the results had gone in Humboldt’s favor, Landy announced it to his players and the celebrations rang out. This playoff berth was something they worked tirelessly for. 

    “I’m so proud of the players for their effort today and for the entire season,” said Landy in an interview with Humboldt Athletics. “Today was a culmination of a lot of hard work, perseverance, and belief.”

    The women’s soccer team also managed to go undefeated at home this season, with a 6-0-3 record.

    After this win to finish off the regular season, the Jacks would travel to Chico for their playoff game. This matchup being a rematch was a result of seeding, with Chico finishing fourth and Humboldt finishing fifth. 

    The game in Chico was another tough battle for Humboldt, but this time they didn’t come out on top. A difficult second half had Humboldt trailing 1-0, when Grace Johnson got into the penalty area and found her teammate Jysabella Tolentino to level the score at 1-1.

    After conceding again in overtime, a 2-1 loss brought Humboldt’s season to a close.

    “On one hand, it was hard losing to a team we knew we could beat, we did it just days before. It was a bummer losing out so fast in the tournament,” said goalkeeper Carson Thomson-Terrel. “But on the flip side, I was so proud of everyone.”

    Although this meant the end to the season, the team’s strides forward this year were undeniable, and they are left with many positive memories.

    “I was really proud of how we responded to get the equalizing goal in the second half,” said Landy in an interview with Humboldt Athletics. “This team has been resilient all year and their work rate and belief was tremendous today.”

    Players have spoken about how Coach Landy influenced them in positive ways throughout the season. 

    “As a team, it is pretty obvious that Grant has really helped the program grow and improve,” said Thomson-Terrel. “He’s a great coach as well as a good mentor.”

    Borg just completed her first full season of conference play after tearing her ACL freshman year and credits Landy for helping her get back on track despite her injury. . 

    “He never counted me out and pushed me to be the best player that I can be,” said Borg. 

    An offseason of hard work awaits both Lumberjack soccer teams. There are a lot of promising starts to build on in 2023, and many things to be proud of. 

  • Women’s Soccer Drops Final Game

    Women’s Soccer Drops Final Game

    Jacks finish season 4-11-2 after game against Cal State Los Angeles

    Despite packed stands at the College Creek Field, Humboldt State was unable to find the back of the net in its last game of the season against tournament-bound Cal State Los Angeles.

    Before kick-off, senior players were recognized for their time spent competing as a Lumberjack. Before the game, seniors were presented with Humboldt State scarves and framed jerseys with messages from their teammates.

    Heading into the match, senior midfielder Pikake Hix felt that there was a change in her own approach as it was her last game with the team.

    “I just knew that I had 90 minutes left and I knew I had to leave everything on the field,” Hix said. “Absolutely everything and every piece of energy came out of me, I left it all on the field. It was one of my best games, I think.”

    The game was a defensive battle as both teams failed to score in the first half. The Jacks struggled to find a way through the Golden Eagles’ strong midfield presence. As a result, the Jacks spent much of their time in the first half in their own defensive zone, moving the ball laterally to try to find a gap in LA’s defense.

    • Humboldt’s Head Coach Paul Karver walks across the field between halves during the team’s match against Cal State LA at College Creek Field on Nov. 9. | Photo by Thomas Lal
    • HSU senior Pikake Hix handles the ball for the Jacks during their match against Cal State LA at College Creek Field on Nov. 9. | Photo by Thomas Lal
    • Humboldt State senior midfielder Valerie Pérez battles for the ball during their match against Cal State LA at College Creek Field on Nov. 9. | Photo by Thomas Lal
    • Sabine Postma takes a corner kick for the Jacks during their match against Cal State LA at College Creek Field on Nov. 9. | Photo by Thomas Lal
    • Jacks’ senior goalkeeper Katelin Talbert makes a leaping save during the first half of the team’s match against Cal State LA at College Creek Field on Nov. 9. | Photo by Thomas Lal
    • Humboldt State’s Pikake Hix jumps up to battle for a header during the Jacks’ match against Cal State LA at College Creek Field on Nov. 9. | Photo by Thomas Lal

    The visiting team made quick dashes into the offensive zone, but never managed to hold possession for long periods of time. The shots that did make it to the net were handled by senior goalkeeper, Katelin Talbert, who made three saves to keep the Jacks in the game.

    Even without scoring, Hix believed that the Jacks did well playing their game against a strong Southern California team.

    “I think LA was getting a little frustrated with the way we played,” Hix said. “I honestly think we were the better team today. We just couldn’t get the win.”

    The Jacks fought hard through the remainder of the game, firing six shots and maintaining a strong possession style of play which has been a focus for the team throughout the season.

    “I thought we kept good possession and play with the ball throughout the whole game,” Talbert said. “I think we didn’t finish our chances that we did have. But I think we really had a competing chance against them.”

    While the players walked toward the spectators after the game, a young girl ran out to meet Talbert with a small soccer ball and pen. Smiling, she knelt down and signed the ball for her before embracing her family on the sidelines.

    “She just ran up and asked for my signature so I signed it,” Talbert said. “It was really cute. It’s really nice that we have that interaction with the community.”

    With the season in the books, Hix expressed her appreciatoin for her team and hope for the program as it continues on next year.

    “I’m really going to miss my team,” Hix said. “I just hope, for the younger ones, that they do well next year, I really do.”

  • Overtime Goal Sends Jacks Past Gators

    Overtime Goal Sends Jacks Past Gators

    Humboldt State women’s soccer beat San Francisco State in overtime

    After experiencing a rough patch in last weekend’s Southern California matches, the Jacks focused on rejuvenating their strategies against San Francisco State.

    In the first half, SF State fought hard for ball possession, creating shot opportunities that were met with resistance from Jacks’ goalkeeper Katelin Talbert.

    Midfielder Lindsey Stoner broke through and took a shot on goal, but a slide save by San Francisco player Illiana Gallegos deflected the effort. Shortly after, the Jacks were presented with a second shot attempt by midfielder Sabine Postma, but the crossbar above the net deflected the ball.

    The pressure put on SF’s offense forced them to shoot the ball during untimely situations. Although HSU had fewer shots during the first half, the up-close-and-personal tactics from the Jacks created an uneasy atmosphere that made it difficult for SF to focus.

    Lindsay Stoner battles the SF State defender at the edge of the penalty area. | Photo by Liam Warner

    The first period concluded with an impressive show of speed as both teams made a final push to add a point on the board. The second period saw a shift in strategy for SF as they began the period with an immediate shot on goal, which was quickly met with a save by Talbert.

    The Jacks found themselves in another overtime scenario, and the team gathered around Head Coach Paul Karver to discuss their strategy. After the time-out, Stoner was back on possession and broke through for a scoring chance. She was thwarted, but moments later would return with the help of Pikake Hix to score the game-winning goal.

    After the excitement settled down and players cleared the field, Talbert spoke on the team’s ability to remain calm and play steady.

    “When they play the ball back to me the other team doesn’t press as hard,” Talbert said. “It helps since our players are already on edge and need some time to focus.”

    Lindsay Stoner reflected on her teams’ effective offense strategies, which helped the Jacks secure a much-needed overtime win over SF.

    • #7 Rose Harman shields the SF State defender from the ball. | Photo by Liam Warner
    • Pikake Hix chases after the ball during the game against SF State. | Photo by Liam Warner
    • Kelsey Bess tries to draw the foul from #5 Kelsie Bozart. | Photo by Liam Warner

    “We made them nervous,” Stoner said. “We kept attacking them and kept them on their toes because we knew we needed this goal and we were inspired to win it.”

    Stoner produced six shots against SF and stayed consistent with keeping the rhythm going.

    The focus for now is the upcoming weekend as HSU squares off against Dominguez Hills and Cal State Los Angeles. Karver expects the opponents to be resilient towards the Jacks as their quest to secure points continues.

    “These are teams with two very polarizing styles of play, not the prettiest of football since there will be a lot of fouls and awkward emotion afterwards,” Karver said. “We got the points we needed today, and now we gotta get six more next weekend, but it’s one game at a time, and we’re really excited to have the opportunity.”

    Two games remain and the Jacks look forward to getting more points before the end of the season. This weekend the Jacks will host Dominguez Hills and Cal-State LA for afternoon games at College Creek Field.

    • Lindsay Stoner brings the ball up the field with an SF State player trailing. | Photo by Liam Warner
    • Jacks’ midfielder Kelsey Bess is fouled from behind by an SF State player. | Photo by Liam Warner
    • Kelsey Bess goes stride-for-stride with #19 Katelyn Patterson of SF State. | Photo by Liam Warner
    • Kelsey Bess corrals the ball at her feet during the game against SF State. | Photo by Liam Warner
    • #4 Kendal Spencer holds off SF State defender #7 Kylie Schneider. | Photo by Liam Warner
    • #22 Pikake Hix celebrates with her teammates after the overtime victory. | Photo by Liam Warner
  • HSU Women’s Soccer Wins in Overtime

    HSU Women’s Soccer Wins in Overtime

    Jacks take second match win in doubleheader after falling to Cal State East Bay in the first game

    Humboldt State women’s soccer hosted a doubleheader over the weekend against Cal State East Bay and Cal State Monterey Bay. Game one resulted in a loss against East Bay, but the Jacks were able to secure a win against Monterey Bay in overtime.

    An early set of goals by East Bay prevented the Jacks from getting on the scoreboard until the last few minutes when redshirt senior midfielder Pikake Hix scored. However, the Jacks did not find another opportunity to score throughout and lost 1-2.

    During their match against Monterey Bay, the Jacks were off to a fast start and constantly found players down the field. With the absence of the ball in their zone, HSU goalkeeper Katelin Talbert, and the defense, found control and settled the flow of the game.

    “They weren’t pressing our backline as much as other teams so we were able to play more in the back,” Talbert said. “It was a lot easier to relax and get everyone calm.”

    Consistency from both teams didn’t let up as the first half winded down. Monterey Bay attempted a shot at goal with eleven minutes left, but Talbert slid and blocked the oncoming shot resulting in a recovery of the ball.

    The horn sounded off to signal the end of the first half, and the Jacks did not show any signs of wear. Within ten minutes into the second half, the Jacks set up for another shot on goal but it went over the net. Traffic in the Jack’s zone accumulated and resulted in a goal, but it was ruled offsides and the game remained scoreless.

    HSU played Cal State Monterey Bay at College Creek Field and beat the Otters in overtime 1-0. | Photo by Liam Warner

    The pressure put on by the Jacks’ offensive tactics were beginning to create disarray in the final minutes of the second half which resulted in Monterey Bay receiving a yellow card.

    Conclusion of the second half and a scoreless game resulted in the Jacks going into overtime. When both teams can’t score in two ten minute periods, then the game ends in a tie.

    As overtime began, Jacks players began maneuvering the ball down to Monterey Bay’s zone. A quick play set up by midfielder Kelsey Bess resulted in Kendal Spencer scoring the game-winning goal, and ending the match with the 1-0 Jacks win.

    After the match, Spencer mentioned that she has been out with an injury for the last three weeks and returned this weekend ready to play.

    “We needed this win to set the tone,” Spencer said. “This is my first weekend back from being injured for 3 weeks. I was really fired up and wanted to come out.”

    Jacks’ soccer will hit the road this weekend to face Cal Poly and Cal State San Bernardino. With the season winding down, Coach Paul Karver is focused on his players finishing the season strong.

    “Right now we’re focused on going down there and getting points out of the games that are left on the table,” Karver said.

  • Rough Double Header for Women’s Soccer

    Rough Double Header for Women’s Soccer

    Humboldt State women’s soccer hit with a double loss during weekend doubleheader

    The Jacks squared off against Chico State Friday and midfielder Kelsey Bess scored in the first five minutes. At the 20 minute mark Lindsay Stoner scored the second goal, right before CSU Chico’s Chloe King scored bringing the score to 2-1.

    During the second half, Chico sank two more goals, leaving HSU trailing by a point, 3-2. The Jacks kept up with their offense, but their 2nd half performance couldn’t score an equalizer and Chico left victorious.

    The Jacks played their second game, this time against Stanislaus State, on Sunday, Oct. 6.

    Stanislaus kept possession of the ball throughout the first half, producing a total of 15 shots, seven of which were saved by Jacks’ goalkeeper Kaitlin Talbert. Coach Paul Karver even tried out a different strategy in the first quarter, hoping to recover from Friday’s loss, but the Jacks found themselves in a scoreless first half.

    “We came out in a different formation,” Karver said. “I thought we could exploit a couple of things but flat out I got it wrong in the first half.”

    HSU continued to experience set backs as Stanislaus scored in the second half taking a 1-0 lead over the Jacks. Following this were two yellow cards issued to HSU players Selena Osorio and Mary Swisher, and an additional yellow card issued to Karver for arguing with the referee.

    • Jacks’ midfielder #25 Lindsay Stoner chases after the ball. | Photo by Liam Warner
    • Jacks’ Head Coach Paul Karver argues the referee’s call on the sideline. | Photo by Liam Warner
    • Midfielder #25 Lindsay Stoner defends Warriors midfielder #14 Julia Cummings. | Photo by Liam Warner
    • Jacks forward #2 Erin Siegel battles with Warriors forward #36 Autumn Halvorsen. Humboldt State played Stanislaus State at College Creek Field in Arcata and lost 1-0 to the Warriors.
    • HSU midfielder #8 Kelsey Bass is fouled from behind by the Warrior player. | Photo by Liam Warner
    • Warrior goalkeeper #30 Alyssa Herrman reaches out for the ball as the shot misses wide of the net. | Photo by Liam Warner
    • HSU midfielder #22 Pikake Hix works on Warriors defender #19 Taylor Marti. | Photo by Liam Warner
    • Referee Matt Bernette gives HSU Head Coach Paul Karver a yellow card after Karver argued a call on the sideline. | Photo by Liam Warner
    • Jacks’ forward Erin Siegel #2 battles with the Warriors’ defenders. | Photo by Liam Warner

    The Jacks continued to battle for possession of the ball into the game’s final minutes. The final score of the match saw a 1-0 Stanislaus victory over the Jacks.

    After the game, Talbert discussed the issues her team had in the first half and how, despite losing the the last few games, she wants to focus on her teammates’ ability to adapt and learn.

    “We wanted to see if we could have more in the midfield because we thought it would work great against their midfield,” Talbert said. “These last couple of games have pushed us to step up our game and get some goals.”

    The Jacks put up a fight for both matches but fell short of victory. Karver applauded the teams’ efforts to stay motivated and finish strong. The focus now is getting Jacks’ players rested for their next road game against UC San Diego.

    “We’ll travel this week down south,” Karver said. “So I’m giving the players some days off because training doesn’t fix fatigue.”

    Both men and women’s soccer face off against UC San Diego on Oct. 11. Karver mentioned that UCSD will be moving to Division I next year so he looks forward to playing beneath the lights in San Diego one last time.

  • Women’s Soccer Triumphs Over Jessup Warriors

    Women’s Soccer Triumphs Over Jessup Warriors

    Jacks make it look easy as they beat William Jessup 4-0 at home

    It was a moment of glory for Humboldt State women’s soccer as they shut out the William Jessup Warriors and collected their first win. After a rough start to the season, the Jacks found a way to turn their errors around and create game winning plays.

    Three minutes into the first half was all it took for midfielder Lindsay Stoner to score the opening goal. This scoring opportunity gave midfielder Sabine Postma a chance to capitalize on a second goal minutes later. Jacks held a 2-0 lead just five minutes into the game.

    Since the start of the season, the Jacks have outshot every opponent but have come up short on finishing for a goal. Midfielder Pikake Hix produced six shots on goal and scored during the second half, putting the Jacks at a 3-0 lead.

    “I think we’ve always been able to build well as a team,” Hix said. “We just haven’t been able to finish.”

    • HSU forward #4 Kendal Spencer tries for a standing tackle on the William Jessup. | Photo by Liam Warner
    • HSU midfielder #7 Rose Hartman sizes up the Jessup defender. | Photo by Liam Warner
    • HSU midfielder #16 Sabine Postma takes on the William Jessup defender. | Photo by Liam Warner

    Warriors’ goalkeeper Camile Cavey put forth a valiant effort of 13 saves, but it was not enough to sway her team’s morale to overcome the onslaught of the Jacks’ offensive line.

    “We knew we had to come out hard,” Hix said. “Especially for our first home-opener, we were excited. We wanted to keep the momentum up.”

    It was all quiet on the western front for Jacks’ goalkeeper Katelin Talbert. The effectiveness of their offense ensured that the Warriors would struggle to keep the ball out of their zone.

    With the second half winding down, the final goal came from Jacks’ midfielder Rose Harman. The Jacks now held a 4-0 lead over the Warriors. Harman pointed out that an important strategy of the game was to capitalize on the momentum.

    “We had more of an attacking mentality especially coming into the second half,” Harman said. “We knew we needed more goals and wanted more goals. So playing positive instead of negatively and just finding the pockets to play the ball was definitely our strategy.”

    • Jessup forward #44 Abigail House takes on HSU midfielder #16 Sabine Postma. | Photo by Liam Warner
    • HSU midfielder Rose Harmon looks for her next move as she takes the ball up the field. | Photo by Liam Warner
    • HSU midfielder Pikake Hix sends a cross into the penalty box with a Jessup defender in front of her. | Photo by Liam Warner

    After the game, head coach Paul Karver spoke with his players about their performance against William Jessup. He was satisfied with overcoming a scoring deficit that the team has experienced in their last games, but most importantly he enjoyed letting all his players get play time. However, Karver didn’t ignore the fact that too many opportunities for goals were overlooked.

    “When you have as much goal creating production as we have I think we need to do a better job at finishing the opportunities,” Karver said. “We spent the last year and a half really reworking the system to create these opportunities for the players, and it’s something that’s difficult.”

    Women’s soccer will play their next game at College Creek Field against San Francisco State University. This recent win has created momentum for the team to capitalize on, and for players like Rose Harman, they look forward to competing against SFSU.

    • HSU forward Erin Siegel #2 gets a shot off as she is draped by Jessup defenders. | Photo by Liam Warner
    • #14 Selena Osorio leads the attack for the Jacks in the second half. | Photo by Liam Warner
    • #16 Sabine Postma and #22 Pikake Hix celebrate after the Jacks scored to go up 4-0 and seal the win. | Photo by Liam Warner

    “We need to keep the attacking mentality like I said in this game during the second half,” Harman said. “They’re a good team and it’s gonna be a challenge, but we’re up for it.”

  • HSU Athletics Press Conference Breakdown 9/17

    HSU Athletics Press Conference Breakdown 9/17

    Volleyball bounced back, women’s soccer took a loss and cross country preps for an upcoming meet in Oregon

    As Humboldt State sports fans wait for Jacks games to return to College Creek Field and Lumberjack Arena, the volleyball and soccer teams competed along the West Coast and beyond. Volleyball suffered an initial setback at the West Region Showcase in San Francisco, but bounced back with two wins. Women’s soccer managed a loss and a draw in Portland and men’s soccer traveled to Billings, Montana and won both of their games. Cross Country did not compete last week, but they are training for their upcoming meet in Monmouth, OR.

    The weekly HSU Athletics press conference at Lumberjack Arena featured comments from the coaches and chosen players from each sport.

    Volleyball

    The Jacks traveled home from San Francisco with a 2-2 record. Thursday brought a doubleheader loss to both San Francisco State and Cal State Dominguez Hills, both by a score of 3 sets to 1. Friday and Saturday proved to be much better, as the Jacks swept Fresno Pacific and Dominican 3 sets to 0.

    Outside Hitter Lenox Loving scored 60 kills in the four matches, earning her HSU student-athlete of the week honors. She talked about how the team chemistry and energy have improved over last season, with the benefit of the team returning ten players from last year’s squad.

    “Even when we lost everyone was working hard,” Loving said. “I think it’s just that the team chemistry is so much better this year, and everyone has the same attitude of working hard and getting the job done.”

    Cross Country

    The Jacks weren’t in competition this week; however, they were still hard at work as they prepare for their upcoming competition at the Sundowner Invitational in Monmouth this weekend. Head Coach Jamey Harris talked about the team’s preparation and what to expect with the course in Monmouth.

    “We’ve been training hard out in the marsh and in the forest trying to make ourselves better,” Harris said.

    He also talked about the course that the Jacks are going to race this Friday, saying it is milder than the home course in Arcata and he expects times to be faster.

    “It’s almost all grass, so it’s similar to our home meet,” Harris said. “It’s not nearly as hilly, but most of it is not entirely flat.”

    Men’s Soccer

    The long days of air travel paid off for the Jacks in Montana, as they swept their road trip and won both games convincingly. On Friday they beat MSU-Billings 2-0, and things only progressed as they put the University of Mary away with ease in a 5-1 win on Sunday. The Jacks made history in the second game as Isaiah Dairo scored just 10 seconds into the match, which broke a team record for the fastest goal in a game. Dairo took us through the process of the goal that started at the opening whistle and how he noticed the defenders playing farther away from their own goal.

    “From the start, we had seen that they were playing a high line,” Dairo said. “My teammate Dalton Rice plays a fantastic ball, and it took maybe two touches at most.”

    Women’s Soccer

    The Jacks are still searching for their first win. Their trip Portland included a 3-1 loss to Concordia and a 0-0 tie in double overtime to Saint Martin’s. Head Coach Paul Karver talked about the need to finish their chances, as the team only had two goals on 63 shot attempts over the two games. He also discussed the pressure on the team as they search for their first win.

    “It’s a big old gorilla on the back and the girls feel the weight,” Karver said. “It’s just that in that final moment we’re not making the right decision.”

  • Women’s soccer alumni game

    Women’s soccer alumni game

    Annual alumni women’s game finishes at 2-0, brings battle of the ages

  • Jacks split weekend at College Creek Field

    Jacks split weekend at College Creek Field

    By | Keaundrey Clark

    Humboldt State’s women’s soccer team had an up and down weekend at home, as the team split a pair of conference games.

    Humboldt State’s women’s soccer team captured its first victory and points against Chico State since 2012 with a 2-1 win on Friday afternoon, at College Creek Field.

    “Everybody that went into the game impacted it in a very positive way,” said HSU Head Coach Paul Karver. “It felt like every time we made subs we were able to come at them in waves.”

    Jenkins led the Jacks with seven shots, three on goal, and one goal this weekend.

    HSU keeper Katelin Talbert made eight saves on the weekend.

    Sunday afternoon at home, they fell to the visiting Stanislaus State Warriors by the final score of 2-0.

    The Jacks record now stands at 5-4-1, 1-3-1 in conference.

    The team will now turn its attention to a pair of CCAA matchups next weekend, Friday at Cal Poly Pomona at 12:30 p.m. and Sunday at Cal State San Bernardino at 2 p.m.

  • Lumberjack Classic a success for the Jacks

    Lumberjack Classic a success for the Jacks

    Humboldt State University’s Women’s Soccer team kicked of it’s season with two impressive wins against Fresno Pacific and Colorado Mesa to end up 2-0 at the Lumberjack Classic.

    Saturday against Fresno Pacific, HSU got a steady dose of Alex Jenkins. Jenkins, a junior, scored two goals. The first goal came at 30:32 and the second at 89:23.

    “Sometimes when you have the fastest girl in Californa running around, sometimes you’ll score goals,” Said Head Coach Paul Karver.

    Jenkins led the Lumberjacks in points a season ago, and was the team’s second leading goal scorer from a season ago. She already has half as many goals in the first two games this year as she did last season.

    “Focusing and calming my nerves helped me before the game,” said Jenkins. “The one thing I can control is my work rate, after everything will follow.”

    6N5A9724.JPG
    Junior Forward Alex Jenkins runs with the ball | Thomas Allie

    Defensively the Lumberjacks pitched a shutout. Humboldt State goalkeeper, Sophomore Katelin Talbert recorded nine saves on the day, as the team outshot the Sunbirds 11-10.

    Helping patrol the back line was one of the four seniors on this years team, McCall Madriago.

    “We have a lot of intelligence on this team,” said Madriago. “You can definitely see out there we are comfortable and we trust each other.”

    Coming off of a four win season. The Lumberjacks can only improve. With only five new players this season. The team brings back experience that’s guaranteed to help this year.

    “The second game of a weekend tournament is always about guts and determination,” said Karver. “We put ourselves in some bad situations, our back line came up huge with a shutout.”

    In its first regular season game of the year. The Lumberjacks got a 2-1 win over Colorado Mesa from a late goal by Myriah Epino that capped the victory.

    Freshman, Sabine Postma, scored the first goal of the season for HSU.

    In his first three years as head coach, Karver had seen steady improvement in each of his teams. Topping his totals for wins each year until last. He hopes to make a significant jump this year.

    “We scheduled these games knowing we’d have great competition,” said Karver. “For us to come out of this week 2-0 is fantastic.”

    The maturity and the progress the players have made is what have Karver excited for a rebound season for HSU.

    “We have players that have really embraced the roles and leadership that we’ve asked them to,” said Karver. “The team dynamic is better then it’s ever been.”