The Red Raiders (6-4-1, 3-2 GPAC) fell to the Dordt University Defenders (8-3-1, 5-0-1 GPAC) Wednesday night in a wild affair with wind playing a tough factor in the match for both teams.

Northwestern started off hot with a hustle goal by Emily Hurley in the 5th minute. She got in behind the Dordt back line on a bouncing ball where she fended off her defender, headed the ball around the keeper, and tapped the ball into the back of the net. It was Hurley's 5th goal of the campaign. 

The Raiders doubled down in the 8th minute with another counter goal as Nikky Farnsworth got in behind but was able to connect with Julie Dunlap on a ball back for a great finish from outside the box. It was Dunlap's 3rd goal of the year and Farnsworth's 2nd assist.

Dordt would come back and cut the lead in half in the 17th minute when Claire Jansen who put home the cross from Emily Kooiman. 

The score would remain 2-1 for the rest of the first half.

The second half saw the wind play in Dordt's favor and they would capitalize in the 57th minute when Katherine Kooiman would beat a NWC defender and hit a long shot with the wind and it would beat Liz Foster.

Katherine Kooiman would get her second of the night in the 67th minute after a corner ball pinged around the Raider box and Kooiman hit a shot backpost out of the reach of Foster.

The Raiders would keep hunting on the night but could not find that tying goal in the final 20 minutes.

"It was a tough and well fought match by both teams," commented head coach Ben Karnish. "It is a game of roller coaster emotions and we could not push the peddle down when needed in that first half and allowed set play goals to hurt us. Unfortunate to lose that way but good to know we can work on things and be better for it moving on."

The Raiders host Dakota Wesleyan Saturday at the NWC Soccer Complex at 5pm.