NIC WOMEN'S SOCCER: Cardinals rally in return to NJCAA play

ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. — It was quite the return to the NJCAA for the North Idaho College women’s soccer team on Thursday.

Something that coach Kellsi Parson hadn’t seen in her five years at the helm.

Trailing 2-1 late, freshman McKenzie White took the game over for the Cardinals, scoring the tying goal in the 77th minute, then assisting on a go-ahead goal nine minutes later as the Cardinals defeated the Western Wyoming Mustangs 3-2, in the Cardinals’ first game in the NJCAA since 2013.

“It was an incredible effort,” Parson said. “We had to battle back the entire game. You really don’t see teams score twice in the final minutes. But our girls have a lot of resilience and doesn’t have that quit in them. They played with an effort that we haven’t had in a couple of years that the game is never over, and just battled.”

White found freshman Zoey Glenn on a corner kick at the 6-foot mark for the go-ahead goal. 

“McKenzie played a great ball into Zoey,” Parson said. “Zoey got it and headed it into the goal. It was one of the best finishes we’ve had here in quite a while.”

NIC had been a soccer-only member of the Northwest Athletic Conference starting in 2014 and moved all of its programs to the NWAC, with the exception of wrestling, for the 2016-17 season. 

Sophomore Adison Stoddard scored in the 23rd minute to tie the game at 1-1 for NIC, which faces Cochise College of Sierra Vista, Ariz., today at 10 a.m. PDT in Rock Springs.

First half — 1, WWCC, unknown. 2, NIC, Adison Stoddard (Kara Michaelis), 23:00. 3, WWCC, unknown (penalty kick). Second half — 4, NIC, McKenzie White (Cora Anderson), 77:00. 5, NIC, Zoey Glenn (white), 86:00. 

Shots on goal — not available.

Saves — NIC, Serena Hand 3, Adryelle Willfert 3.