Women's Soccer | 10/1/2013 4:45:00 PM

MONMOUTH, Ore. – On the heels of a seven-game road-trip in which the Western Oregon women's soccer team allowed only four goals, the Wolves finally return home for a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference contests as WOU hosts Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, Oct. 3, at 1:00 p.m. at Central High School in Independence, Ore., before a meeting with Montana State Billings on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 11:00 a.m. at the WOU Soccer Field.
 
The meeting against Northwest Nazarene has been moved to Central High School at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday due to unplayable field conditions at the WOU Soccer Field because of heavy rain in the past week.
 
WOU enters the week with an overall mark of 3-2-3 on the season and 1-2-1 in GNAC play after falling at No. 2 Western Washington and battling to a scoreless tie at Simon Fraser last week. The Wolves have completed a grueling, seven-match road swing that saw WOU finish 2-2-3 after allowing only four goals.
 
The defense has been stellar for the Wolves during the early part of the season as WOU ranks third in the league and among the best in the nation with a 0.46 goals against average. WOU has already posted five shutouts this year, with goalkeeper Amanda Rose Johnson recording three clean sheets for the Wolves.
 
Offensively, WOU ranks fourth in the league averaging 1.00 goals per game as sophomore forward Makana Pundyke leads the team with three goals on the season. Taija Bjorgo and Taylor Higa lead the Wolves with 13 shots each as WOU has created 28 corner kicks through the first eight matches in 2013.
 
Northwest Nazarene enters the week with a mark of 1-5-1 overall and 0-3-1 in league play after the Crusaders fell to Central Washington and Seattle Pacific last week. NNU has been outscored 12-3 on the season as Lexi Fesenbek leads the Crusaders with two goals.
 
Meanwhile, MSU-Billings enters at 2-3-1 overall and 1-3-0 in league action after the Yellowjackets dropped a pair of 2-1 decisions to SPU and CWU last week. Heidi Greenback and Alisa Sagdahl lead MSUB with two goals each through the first six contests.
 
Last season, WOU dropped a pair of high-scoring games against NNU while picking up a pair of wins over MSUB. The Wolves continue to lead the all-time series against the Crusaders, 21-9-2, while MSUB holds a slight, 6-5-2 edge over WOU all-time.
 
Tickets to the contests are $6 for adults and $4 for non-WOU students and seniors as WOU students are admitted for free with a valid identification card.
 
Following this week's action, WOU will return to the pitch on Thursday, Oct. 10, as the Wolves travel to Lacey, Wash., to face Saint Martin's at 3:00 p.m.