The Northwestern women’s soccer team has reason to celebrate. The Eagles went from a record of 0-4-1 to winning four out of their last five games.

Not only have they been marking their schedule with “W”s, but they have also scored more than half the season’s points in the last two games alone.

The girls scored 10 goals against Martin Luther, and just six days later, they scored 10 more against Presentation College.

In this season alone, the girls have scored 16 goals on Presentation in only two games.

After a difficult start to the season, the Eagles switched some of their looks. They began to focus on passing to the feet and pushing the ball to the middle of the field so as to look downfield for scoring opportunities.

The Eagles have also had some time getting comfortable in their offensive and defensive schemes.

“We have changed some formations,” said senior defensive player Lindsey Anderson. “In the first few games, we were caught on our heels playing defense for most of the game, but now we are focused on being more aggressive.”

Anderson added, “We don’t really have any big changes; I think we are just beginning to understand the game plan better.”

Senior midfielder Anna Hilden commented: “We had a slow start, but we played challenging non-conference teams. I think that prepared us to play at a higher level.”

The Eagles began their conference play just a few days later. The Eagles are 4-1-2 in UMAC (Upper Midwest Athletic Conference) play.

On Sept. 26, the soccer team traveled down to Aberdeen, S.D. to play Presentation College.

The Eagles easily handled the Saints in a 6-0 victory. Rebekah Kirby started the action with the first goal, and the Eagles never looked back.

“The ball was on our half the whole time,” said junior forward Kyrie Jorgenson. “We strung together some good passes and ended up with the win.”

The Eagles went on to play Bethany Lutheran in a game which became a mud match as rain poured the entire time.

“It was a tougher game,” said Jorgenson, “but we managed to keep the ball on our half of the field for most of the game.”

Kirby scored the only goal for the Eagles as the game ended in a tie.

Following the Bethany match-up, the Eagles went on to face Martin Luther.

Once again, Kirby started the action with the first goal as the Eagles thrashed the Knights 10-0. Kirby, who ended the game with four goals, was one of six NWC players to score during this game.

Other scorers included Jorgenson (two goals), Susan Scheil, Heidi Anderson, Alyssabeth Hester, and Charissa Roby .

We decided to come out of our shell and shoot a little more,” said Jorgenson, also known for her Ricky Bobby dance and Air Plane celebrations.

Jorgenson continued: “Our game plan has changed a little [from the beginning of the year]. We are now playing with two forwards instead of one.”

With one more forward, the Eagles seem to be scoring with ease.

The Eagles never slowed down as they racked in another 10-0 victory over Presentation College on Friday, Oct. 9.

The slow start is something of the past as the Eagles look to keep on rolling.

The Eagles have seven more conference games left to play. They seek to be in the number-one position, but St. Scholastica has proved to be a tough match.

On Saturday afternoon, the Eagles easily defeated the University of Minnesota-Morris in a 5-0 shutout.

Kirby put up a hat trick to help the team find success. Despite a 25-minute delay, the ladies found a sweet spot.

Hilden netted a header goal at the 31:39 mark of the first half, and the Eagles soared from there.

The Eagles are 5-4-1 overall.