The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks will kick off the 2026 soccer campaign on August 12, when they host UC Riverside at 7:30 p.m. Mountain Standard time on the campus field in Flagstaff.
Both squads bring a blend of experience and youthful energy, but all eyes are on returning scorers Micala Boex and Valerie Llamas, who combined for eleven goals last season and are expected to drive the offense.
Boex, who netted eight goals in 2025, earned preseason MVP honors and a spot on the All‑Conference team, while Llamas contributed three goals and adds depth to a unit aiming to improve on last year’s results.
League analysts project the Lumberjacks to finish fourth in their conference, while the Highlanders from Riverside are slated to place 11th, reflecting the competitive balance within the league.
Rivalry and Outlook
Riverside’s recent history has been challenging; the squad finished the previous campaign with a 0‑16‑2 record, including a winless nine‑game conference slate, a statistic that underscores the urgency of a turnaround under head coach Mike Dibbini, now in his second season.
Dibbini, a veteran with a career record of 303‑176‑52, brings a wealth of experience to the program, hoping to translate his winning pedigree into a more competitive 2026 season.
The two programs share a storied past, meeting for the first time in 2003 when NAU secured the victory, only to see Riverside claim the most recent encounter in 2014, a back‑and‑forth that adds extra intrigue to the upcoming clash.