Northwest Captures First National Title; Completes Undefeated Season

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Sophomore Brandy Hernandez had felt the pain of last season.

As a freshman on the Lady Rangers' 2023 squad, Hernandez was part of a 21-win Northwest squad that saw its season come to a stunning end with a 2-1 loss to Johnson County in pool play of last year's NJCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship tournament. With all that Northwest had accomplished, the Lady Rangers fell victim to a lower-seeded team that pulled off a Cinderella-like run to a national runner-up finish.

This year, Northwest was pitted once again against Johnson County, this time in Saturday's championship match of the NJCAA national tournament. Unlike last season, this version of the Lady Cavaliers boasted one of the nation's best offenses, with over 100 goals scored and a 19-0-4 record.

This year, Hernandez and the rest of the Lady Rangers were determined to avoid another heartbreaking result to Johnson County. With Northwest clinging to a slim 1-0 lead late in regulation, the Trinity, Ala. native delivered a dose of revenge, scoring the game-winning goal in the 87th minute, sealing a 2-0 victory and the first national title in program history for Northwest.

As for the rest of the match, Johnson County provided pressure on the Northwest offense, as expected. However, the Lady Rangers also made more than a few strong defensive stops, including a deflected save from Anna Kathryn Harrell that stopped the Lady Cavaliers' shot short of the goal line.

On the other end, Northwest responded with a couple close attempts just minutes apart, with Maddox Fergus making a pair of solid stops for Johnson County.

Just when it seemed that both teams were heading toward a scoreless halftime break, the Lady Rangers finally hit the jackpot in the 44th minute. Sophomore midfielder Mari Julia Delgado connected with Emma Jensen, as the freshman scoring sensation netted her 22nd goal of the season, helping Northwest to a 1-0 lead.

Johnson County stormed out of the halftime break with an aggressive attack on the Lady Rangers' back line. However, the Lady Cavaliers were unable to find the equalizer and Northwest slowly began to take back the momentum as the half progressed.

Though the Lady Rangers began to pick up opportunities on the opposite end of the pitch, Northwest had several shots miss the mark, keeping the score knotted at 1-0. Hernandez had a one-on-one chance midway through the second half, but her shot sailed high. Teammate Penny Warner also had a close shot attempt zoom over the goal just minutes later.

As time began to tick away, Northwest secured its 1-0 advantage, but needed something to clinch the victory and spark the celebration. That opportunity finally came in the 87th minute, when Hernandez eliminated the heartbreak of the past, tallying the Lady Rangers' game-winning goal and formally putting any notion of a Johnson County comeback to rest.

What followed was an emotional celebration from Hernandez, akin to Brandi Chastain's winning moment for the U.S. Women's National Team in the 1999 FIFA World Cup. Jubilation and relief also filled the Northwest bench, as the final 148 seconds counted down without much drama.

Though Hernandez' celebration ended with a caution, the moment proved to be worth it, as the Lady Rangers captured a long-evasive national championship. Northwest also completed a 22-0 undefeated season, becoming the first NJCAA Division II program to win a national title and finish the season without a loss since Phoenix College did so in 2020.

Northwest also ended the season with a triple crown of championships, after capturing MACCC and NJCAA Region 23 titles as well. 

In addition to the milestone of a national title, several Lady Rangers cemented their places in the program's single-season and career records. Northwest goalkeeper Anna Kathryn Harrell concluded her two-year career with 141 saves, good for fourth in program history. However, the Tupelo native now leaves with career records in saves percentage (.904), goals against average (0.37), career wins (38) and shutouts (29).

Harrell also holds many single-season records, including the top two slots for wins. Her 20-0-0 record this season surpassed her previous single-season record of 18-2-0 as a freshman, which now ranks as the second-best.

Delgado also leaves Northwest with 27 career assists, finishing second only to Jennifer Enriquez' 30-assist total from 2021-22. The Trinity, Ala. native also ranks third in assists per match (0.61), sixth in career points (68) and seventh in points per match (1.55).

Delgado also ranks fifth in a pair of single-season record categories: assists (12) and assists per match (0.57), tied with Holly Newman in the latter.

Sophomore striker Penny Warner also leaves Northwest in the career record books for goals (24), tied with Gena Gutierrez (2004-05) for sixth. The Pearland, Texas product is also tied with Cheyenne Smith (2018-19) at seventh for goals per match (0.57), while ranking ninth for points per match (1.30). 

Warner's 57 career points also have her tied for ninth-most in a career with Adrienne Whitson (2004-05). 

Though not yet in the career record categories, Jensen cracked the top 10 in several of the Lady Rangers' single-season records. Her 1.00 goals scored per match are tied for second with M.J. Loeffel (2021), while her 22 goals rank third highest in a single season, trailing only Elyse Lovelace's record of 37 (2006) and Jessica Yelvington's 29 goals scored in 2004.

Jensen also posted 54 points on the season and 2.45 points per match, finishing third in both categories. The Gammelby, Germany native's 10 assists are tied for seventh-most in a single-season, joining Enriquez (2022).

As for Beattie, his head coaching record now stretches to a remarkable 79-13-4 overall mark in five complete seasons. In the MACCC, his record is 37-7-3, as he has guided Northwest to the MACCC/Region 23 playoffs in each of his five years as head coach.

Under Beattie's guidance, Northwest has also won two MACCC championships, one outright title from this season and one shared with Jones College and Holmes last season. The Lady Rangers have also captured back-to-back NJCAA Region 23 titles and the program has made three straight trips to the NJCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship tournament, after failing to make the national stage before 2022.

Despite all the accomplishments of the previous five seasons, for Hernandez and the Lady Rangers, this one will undoubtedly be the one to cherish the most.