FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Junior goalkeeper Mia Shalit finished with 11 saves to keep her side close, but host Northern Arizona scored twice in the second half and held Sacramento State to only seven shot attempts on the night en route to a 2-0 victory on Friday at Lumberjack Stadium in Flagstaff, Ariz.
The Hornets fell to 4-9-4 overall and 4-3-1 following their regular season finale, now awaiting the results of Sunday's matches to determine the final seeding for the Big Sky Conference Tournament on Nov. 2-6 in Greeley, Colo.
Sitting on 13 points, Sacramento State is currently fourth in the standings, three points ahead of Montana and four clear of both Eastern Washington and Weber State. While the Eagles and Wildcats are out of reach of the Hornets, the Grizzlies hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with Sacramento State by virtue of their 2-1 victory on Sept. 23 and could leapfrog the Hornets for the higher seed with a win over Weber State on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Northern Arizona improved to 7-5-4 overall and 6-1 in league play, clinching at least a share of the conference's regular season title.
Shalit's performance in net on Friday marked the third time that the junior has finished with 10-or-more saves this season, joining the career-high 15 stops against then-No. 21 Stanford in the season opener on Aug. 18 and the 11 saves against then-No. 22 Washington on Sept. 15.
Friday's total gave Shalit 91 total saves this season, putting her just nine stops shy of becoming the first Hornet keeper to reach the century mark in that category since Aaliyah Fesili stopped 101 shots in 2019.
The two teams played to a scoreless draw in the first 45 minutes with Shalit tested early, making four saves in a three-and-a-half minute span early in the first half to keep NAU off the board. Freshman Madelyn Dougherty had the first chance of the night in the second minute for the Hornets, but was stopped by Lumberjack keeper Trinity Corcoran.
Junior Jasmyne Dunn also tested Corcoran in the 20th minute, but came up empty, while the Lumberjacks continued their barrage, missing the frame on their next four shot attempts before Shalit came up with another stop in the 38th minute for her fifth save of the period. Shalit finished with six stops in the first half, turning away Abby Donathan in the 42nd minute to keep the contest scoreless.
It didn't take long for Northern Arizona to finally break the seal in the second half as Avery Ott converted a pass from Maddie Shafer just 2:44 into the period for the 1-0 lead. Shalit came up with the save on the Lumberjacks' next four attempts before Josie Novak made it a two score lead in the 71st minute, again converting a Shafer pass for the 2-0 advantage.
Corcoran, who finished with five saves of her own on the night, kept the sheet clean down the stretch, denying Danna Restom twice in the 79th and 85th minutes, while another attempt from Dougherty sailed high in the 81st minute, as Northern Arizona ran out the clock.
Restom and Dougherty combined for six of the Hornets' seven attempts on the night, taking three apiece and both putting a pair on frame. The Lumberjacks finished with 24 shots, putting 13 on frame, led by six from Dai Williams.
