Northern Colorado Closes Out Non-Conference Against Boise State

GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado soccer closes out its non-conference schedule Friday night when the Bears travel to Boise, Idaho, to take on Boise State at 7 p.m. MT.

The Bears enter Friday's match up with a 3-4-2 record and will look to bounce back from their most recent road contest at San Diego State. With Big Sky Conference play approaching, UNC has one final opportunity to build momentum before turning its attention to the conference schedule.

A key piece of Northern Colorado's attack throughout the season has been junior midfielder Ava Marshall, who has provided an impact on both ends of the field.

Marshall recently found the back of the net in UNC's 2-1 victory over Air Force. The junior finished a well-developed attacking sequence after Lexi Tuite found Maddie Mori, who delivered the ball to Marshall for the finish.

"I think just the ball from Lexi to Maddie, and then Maddie put a perfect ball straight to my feet," Marshall said. "All I had to do, I did the easy part, just finishing it."

Marshall's performance earned her the first Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week honor of her career. For Marshall, the recognition was a reflection of both her individual work and the progress of the team.

"It was amazing. It felt really good," Marshall said. "Obviously, it was my first time getting that. It just felt really good to feel like my work is finally paying off and getting recognized, but it also just felt good that our team as a whole was also getting recognized through that."

The Bears' offensive connections have continued to develop throughout the non-conference schedule, something Marshall believes has helped elevate her play.

"I think offensively, just the connections between all of our offensive players have been really strong recently," Marshall said. "Having that connection with the girls has just helped me better my game going forward."

Marshall's impact extends beyond finding the back of the net. Playing in the midfield requires her to contribute on both sides of the ball, whether that means creating opportunities in the attacking third or helping UNC regain possession defensively.

"My biggest role is creating the offensive opportunities, but also both sides of the game, getting back and being that first line of defense," Marshall said.

The junior entered the season with valuable experience after playing more than 1,000 minutes during the 2025 campaign. Marshall said those minutes helped her develop a greater understanding of the game and increased her confidence entering this season."The experience has just helped me become more confident and just understand the game more and just be ready each day to show up and do it again," Marshall said.

Northern Colorado has experienced both highs and lows during its non-conference schedule, including wins over Colorado State, Air Force and UC Riverside. Despite a difficult result at San Diego State in its most recent match, Marshall believes the group remains in a strong position as conference play approaches.

"We're in a really great spot right now," Marshall said. "Obviously, we had a rough one against San Diego, but we're in a really great spot. We're all together, and we all see the same goal at the end of the day."

That togetherness has been one of the biggest takeaways from the non-conference portion of the schedule for Marshall.

"I think that the non-conference games have showed us how together this team is this year," Marshall said. "We've battled and we've won way more games than in past years."

Marshall also credits the coaching staff for helping establish the chemistry the Bears have developed.

"Our team's chemistry is rock solid," Marshall said. "We're a whole, and that's including the coaches. The coaches believe in us, and I think that just stems a great chemistry throughout the whole team."

SCOUTING BOISE STATE
Boise State enters Friday's contest with a 7-1-1 overall record and has been strong on its home field. The match up presents another road challenge for Northern Colorado as the Bears close out their non-conference slate.

The Broncos have put together a strong start to the season on both ends of the field and will provide UNC with one final test before the Bears shift their focus to Big Sky competition.

For Marshall, one of the biggest priorities Friday will be helping Northern Colorado create more dangerous opportunities in the attacking third."Personally, I would just say bring more opportunities to the offense and see if we can get a couple more goals in the back of the net," Marshall said.

Kickoff between Northern Colorado and Boise State is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT Friday in Boise, Idaho.

UP NEXT
Following Friday's match, Northern Colorado will have a break before opening Big Sky Conference play against Idaho on Thursday, Oct. 8 at Jackson Stadium.