Seniors Deliver in Bears' Shutout Win Over Eastern Washington

Sunday, October 11

Greeley, Colo.

12 p.m. MT

University of Northern Colorado

4-5-3, 1-0-1

Eastern Washington

6-5-2, 0-3-1

Team	1	2	Final F
Eastern Wash.	0	0	0
Northern Colo.	1	0	1

Box Score (PDF)

Photo by: Ally McCutchen

10/11/2026 2:37:00 PM | Women's Soccer

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By: Aiden Tank, Director of Strategic Communications

GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado celebrated Senior Day with a 1-0 win over Eastern Washington Sunday at Jackson Stadium, earning the Bears' first conference victory of the season on the afternoon their 11 seniors were honored.

Maddie Mori scored the only goal of the match in the 42nd minute, finishing off a sequence set up by Abby Bush and Natalie Thompson. It was Mori's third goal of the season, and it came from a senior day starting lineup that featured all 11 seniors on the field together.

"That's one of the real bright things about our team," head coach Tim Barrera said. "You look at that goal, you have a sophomore serving to a fifth year who knocks it back across to the freshman. Regardless of what age or year in school they are, everybody steps up and contributes."

An All-Senior Lineup
Barrera put his seniors on the field to start, with one exception. The Bears carry 11 senior field players plus two fifth years, so Abby Bush volunteered to come off the bench.

"It was 11 field players, so one player had to come out there at the beginning. That was Abby Bush, and her leadership showed through," Barrera said. "She stepped up and said, 'I'll come off the bench,' and she had her senior day last year. We trained a little bit in practice, so I think they were ready for it."

Bush still had a hand in the result, providing the assist on Mori's goal alongside Thompson. It was the kind of contribution that defined the day.

Mia Norman, one of the seniors recognized, said the group had been looking forward to it.

"We've all been together since freshman year, so it's really been awesome," Norman said. "We were all so excited. We've been talking about the lineup for like two weeks now, just how excited we are to all play together, and it all worked out."

The Bears honored Abby Bush, Lexi Tuite, Sydney Addink, Esja Moore, Mia Norman, Nora Dougherty, Anneliese Wong, Francesca Jordan, Hannah Schmitt, Alex Michael and Paige Hill before kickoff.

Controlling the Match
Northern Colorado outshot the Eagles 17-5 and put eight shots on goal to Eastern Washington's two, holding a 56 percent possession advantage and generating six corner kicks.

Jordan took three shots, including one saved in the 65th minute. Norman put two shots on target. Michael, Hill, Tuite, Dougherty, Wong and Bush all recorded attempts.

"We created a lot of opportunities and probably should have had a few more, but they defended well and we missed a few," Barrera said. "We'll take the win for sure."

Holding the Lead
Eastern Washington pressed after halftime and earned corner kicks in the 62nd and 71st minutes, but the Bears held. Thordis Melsted stopped Addison Stendera in the 79th minute, and Mia Miconi had a shot blocked in the 80th.

Melsted finished with two saves for her fourth shutout of the season.

"After the first goal, there was a lot of energy on the bench and on the field," Norman said. "We were obviously trying to score, and it wasn't working out for us, but we were just holding it. We had good defense."

Four Points on the Weekend
The win gives the Bears four points from their opening conference weekend, following Thursday's 0-0 draw with Idaho. Northern Colorado is now 4-5-3 overall and 1-0-1 in Big Sky play.

"It's crucial, especially when you're playing at home," Barrera said. "It's a points race, and six out of the 10 teams make the tournament, so that's always the goal. Coming out with four points in the first weekend is good. We'll take it and get ready for a road trip to Utah."

Up Next
Northern Colorado travels to Utah for two matches, facing Utah Tech on Thursday and Southern Utah on Sunday.

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