Box Score

BILLINGS, Mont. — Talk about a confidence boost!

The Crusader women's soccer team tuned up for its Great Northwest Athletic Conference opener on Saturday with a dominating effort over NAIA foe Rocky Mountain College on Thursday routing the Battling Bears, 5-0, in nonconference play.

"It was a great team win and confidence boost for conference games," said NNU women's soccer head coach Mary Trigg, whose team plays at Montana State Billings in both teams' GNAC opener Saturday at 2 p.m. (Mountain Time).

Not only was the game a confidence booster, but the biggest offensive showing by the Crusaders (3-2-0) in five years dating back to a 6-2 win over Great Falls on Sept. 4, 2010.

The five-goal difference also was the largest margin of victory by an NNU women's soccer team since a similar 5-0 win over Western Oregon on Sept. 22, 2004.

"It was great to see five goals by five different players," said Trigg who added, "we got 18 girls in and each one of them contributed."

Ashley Cook-Cox got things rolling for the Crusaders, finishing off an assist by Nicole Nsa to put NNU on top 1-0, a goal that proved to be the game-winner.

Then came quite a bit of icing as Lexi Fesenbek scored on a penalty kick, Nsa netted her fourth goal of the season off a Sarah Jenkins assist, Kelsey Martin put home her third goal this season off Nsa's second assist of the day, then Nicolette Clark capped the scoring off a Kaisa Tsuruta assist.

Daniele Ortiz, the reigning GNAC Defensive Player of the Week, benefitted from the offensive onslaught, making two saves in goal for her third shutout of the season and second in a row.