Weber State soccer into Big Sky final after 2nd-half surge beats Northern Arizona
Weber State gets rematch with No. 1 Montana
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- Weber State’s Cadence Packer, upper left, and Brynlee Meyerhoffer, center right, battle in the box as Northern Arizona keeper Lexi Saveski (0) looks on in a Big Sky women’s soccer semifinal Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, in Missoula, Mont.
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- Weber State forward Grace Kirby (16) sets up a touch against Northern Arizona in the Big Sky women’s soccer semifinals Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, in Missoula, Mont.
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- Weber State midfielder Tenzi Knowles, right, battles a Northern Arizona player for possession in the Big Sky women’s soccer semifinals Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, in Missoula, Mont.
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- Weber State defender Isabella Sackett (4) pressures Northern Arizona’s Micala Boex (11) in the Big Sky women’s soccer semifinals Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, in Missoula, Mont.
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- Weber State goalkeeper Lauren Butorac (0) hauls in a ball in traffic during a Big Sky women’s soccer semifinal against Northern Arizona on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, in Missoula, Mont.
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- Weber State midfielder Lily Blum, right, paces ahead of a Northern Arizona player in the Big Sky women’s soccer semifinals Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, in Missoula, Mont.
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- Weber State midfielder Lily Blum (5) tries to keep possession against Northern Arizona’s Valerie Llamas (32) in the Big Sky women’s soccer semifinals Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, in Missoula, Mont.
Micala Boex made Northern Arizona’s best chance count in the eighth minute of Friday’s Big Sky Conference women’s soccer semifinal in Missoula, Montana.
But Weber State keeper Lauren Butorac played cleanly from there and the No. 2 Wildcats dominated possession in the second half, surging to two goals among many chances to defeat No. 6 NAU and advance to the Big Sky tournament final for the first time since 2021.
After WSU missed the tournament in two straight seasons, first-year head coach Kyle Christensen has his Wildcats one match from their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013.
“We talked about laying it all out. We knew the requirement (would be to) do everything we could,” Christensen said in an ESPN+ postgame interview. “And these tournament games are always — they never go how you plan. So I’m super proud of the girls for the effort they put in, getting the goal back and then finishing it off with the second goal.”
Playing from down 1-0 from the get-go, Weber State spent most of the second half in NAU’s half and it finally paid off in the 57th minute. Grace Kirby played a ball forward that seemed to be harmlessly possessed by Northern Arizona (6-6-7) defender Erin O’Connor. But O’Connor stumbled, losing the ball.
Junior forward Presley Ray was there for Weber State (12-6-1), pushing forward for another one-on-one with NAU keeper Lexi Saveski in a repeat of a look she got in the first half. Saveski won the first but Ray took the second, beating Saveski low to her left with a quick right-foot punch into the net, tying it 1-1.
Then in the 69th minute, the winner: Kirby played from the top right of the penalty box and poked across the line to Brynlee Meyerhoffer as she was tripped up and tumbled to the turf. But Kirby’s ball was a perfect setup for Meyerhoffer; the senior midfielder lined up a low, right-footed volley with perfect touch, curving past a diving Saveski and into the right of the net for the eventual winner.
That gave Weber State 35 goals this season, tied for fourth-most in one season in program history.
WSU outshot NAU 11-2 in the second half and forced Saveski into five other saves on the day.
The second-half surge helped erase a first half in which Wildcats played from behind. A push up the right side gave Boex a run at Butorac in the eighth minute. With Butorac on the near post, Boex went across the goal to the far post and in, beating Butorac for an NAU lead that stood for nearly 50 minutes of action.
Weber State now prepares for the Big Sky tournament final scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday against tournament host and No. 1 seed Montana (12-3-3). The Griz survived extra time and penalty kicks against No. 5 Idaho in the semifinal nightcap after the Vandals equalized with eight seconds left in regulation, going on to win the shootout 3-1.
After topping NAU, which drew with WSU last month, it gives Weber another opportunity to get back one of its three non-victories from the Big Sky regular season. WSU lost to Montana convincingly, 4-0, exactly one month before Sunday’s final.
