Written By Rev. Justin C. Jackson

DEER PARK, Texas (Aug. 29, 2026) — Sometimes the scoreboard tells only part of the story.

Saturday morning's season home opener against Wiley University featured goals, momentum swings, and a relentless fight from the North American University Lady Stallions. Despite finding themselves down three goals midway through the second half, the Lady Stallions refused to quit before eventually falling 6-4 to Wiley at Deer Park High School.

The match opened exactly the way Head Coach and Stallion supporters envisioned.

Just six minutes into the contest, sophomore striker Genevieve Colon found the back of the net off an assist from goalkeeper Arely Sarabia, giving NAU an early 1-0 advantage. The Stallions continued applying pressure, and Colon struck again in the 18th minute off a setup from Tanya Rivera to push the lead to 2-0.

For the first 17 minutes, North American looked poised to secure its first victory of the season.

Then Wiley responded.

The Wildcats erupted for three unanswered goals in less than 18 minutes, turning a two-goal deficit into a 3-2 halftime lead. Goals from Analiyah Fierros, Britney Moncherry, and Mariah Williams shifted the momentum and forced the Lady Stallions to regroup.

The challenge became even greater after halftime.

Wiley scored less than two minutes into the second period before adding another goal moments later to extend the advantage to 5-2.

But that's when the Stallions showed their character.

Colon completed her first hat trick of the season in the 54th minute, cutting the deficit to 5-3 and providing a spark for the home side. Just five minutes later, Colon delivered again, this time setting up Mikaela Valenzuela, who buried the finish to bring NAU within one goal at 5-4.

Suddenly, the momentum belonged to the Stallions.

With more than 30 minutes remaining, North American appeared ready to complete a remarkable comeback.

Unfortunately, Wiley's attack delivered one final answer.

Fierros scored her second goal of the afternoon in the 79th minute to restore a two-goal cushion and ultimately secure the 6-4 victory for the Wildcats.

Despite the loss, Colon's performance provided a bright spot for the Stallions. The standout striker finished with three goals and one assist while accounting for all four North American scoring opportunities. Valenzuela added her first goal of the season, and Sarabia recorded an assist from the goalkeeper position while making six saves.

Wiley held the advantage statistically, outshooting North American 24-8 and earning 11 corner kicks compared to just two for the Stallions.

Still, the scorebook reveals something equally important.

The Lady Stallions never stopped competing.

Down 5-2 against a high-pressure attack, NAU clawed its way back into the match and forced Wiley to earn every minute of the result. As the season continues, that determination may prove just as valuable as the goals themselves.

"The record may show a loss, but the foundation for future success continues to take shape."  Coach Justy

North American demonstrated resilience, fight, and an ability to respond when adversity struck, qualities that every successful program must develop over the course of a season. The Lady Stallions will have little time to dwell on Saturday's result as they prepare for another challenge on Tuesday, Sept. 1, when they host St. Thomas University (Texas) at 5:00 p.m. CDT. If the determination displayed during Saturday's comeback effort is any indication, the Lady Stallions will be ready to continue their pursuit of the season's first victory. Sometimes growth is not measured by the final score. Sometimes it is measured by how a team responds to the next opportunity. The next opportunity arrives Tuesday.