The NEO Lady Norse soccer program ended the season with a 2-0 win over the Redlands Community College Cougars on "Sophomore Sunday" at Red Robertson Field.
NEO dominated the game from the opening whistle but did not find the back of the net until the 32nd minute. In a chain of passes, Lady Norse midfielder Patience Nahr and striker
Emma Sherron found the foot of teammate
Lauren Foster, who put the ball past Cougar goalkeeper Haley Inglehart to make the game 1-0 in favor of NEO. Four minutes later, Lady Norse leading goal scorer Narh dribbled through traffic to find the back of the net making it 2-0 NEO going into halftime.
The second half would see NEO maintain control of the game en route to a Lady Norse shutout for the only time this season. The defensive effort of Lady Norse sweeper/center back
Marlee McLaughlin was key to holding Redlands scoreless. NEO sophomore goalkeeper
Jayla Lucas recorded four saves on the afternoon.
Lucas ended the season ranked fourth in the nation in NJCAA Division I soccer for most saves on the season with her recording a total of 171 over 18 games. NEO sophomore midfielder Narh ended the season ranked third in the nation in shot attempts with 83.
The Lady Norse ended the season with a record of 4-10-2 in conference and 4-12-2 overall. It was a bittersweet day as NEO said goodbye to five sophomores before the game to mark "Sophomore Sunday." The graduating sophomores included: Narh (Accra, Ghana), Lucas (Catoosa, OK), McLaughlin (Oklahoma City, OK),
Natalee Watkins (Pryor, OK), and
Jaycee Beach (Catoosa, OK). All five intend to continue playing soccer once they transfer to a four-year college or university.