Coming off of an inconsistent start to the season, Central’s women’s soccer team is putting the past behind them as they look to improve as a team during their three-game home stint.

The Wildcats are ranked fourth in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and have won three of their last five games. They will head out to a four-game away schedule starting Oct. 16.

Head Coach Michael Farrand has started preparation early for the long away schedule and says it all begins with making sure academics are taken care of and the girls are in a good spot.

“A lot of that preparation just means getting all of our academic stuff squared away,” Farrand said. “Game plans are the same no matter what.”

Farrand’s philosophy on preparation is the same week in and week out. It centers around being prepared academically for the tough schedule, but also just preparing on the field.

“It’s another big week for us since we’re still in conference play,” Farrand said. “One way or another, this week will help sort out the GNAC race a little bit.”

After a nail-biting, double-overtime tie against the Western Oregon Wolves on Saturday, the Wildcats are preparing to take on the Northwest Nazarene Crusaders who sit behind the Wildcats in sixth place. A win on Thursday would put the Wildcats at 2-1-1 at home for the season.

After scoring a crucial goal against the Seattle Pacific Falcons for a 1-0 win on Oct. 2, freshman forward Viktoriya Vasina said she hoped to expand on her two goals scored early in this season. She attributes her success to an all around team effort.

“I see a lot of hard work from our team, going out and winning the ball,” Vasina said. “As a forward, I like being on the top and getting connected with all of the girls, seeing the success of the team develop from the back to the front.”

For freshman forward Mackenzie Nolte, balancing school and sports life is the key to success. When this difficult balance is shaken, however, the results can be disappointing.

“I kind of speak for everyone when we work so hard and don’t get the results we want,” Nolte said. “It’s hard on me too because we all want to make a difference. Sometimes I kind of let myself down.”

Initially recruited as an outside midfielder, Nolte has found success as a forward scoring four goals already in the year, leading her team.

Following today’s game against Northwest Nazarene, of which the Wildcats lead the series at 1-0 so far, the Wildcats will take on the second-ranked Montana State Billings Yellow Jackets to end their three- game home stay.

“We’re excited to be home and look forward to playing in front of our fans,” Farrand said. “The girls have worked really hard and they’re in good condition.”

The last time these two teams met on Sept. 25, the game was decided in the 43rd minute as Yellow Jackets midfielder sailed the ball into the near post. The Wildcats weren’t able to answer back, resulting in a 1-0 loss.

Despite a shaky start to the season, Coach Farrand said there is still much to look forward to this season. Last season’s team set the bar high for this year’s team after they landed a spot in the GNAC Tournament with a successful 11-6-1 record.

“You have to recognize how young we are as a team,” Farrand said. “We had to replace some starters in the entire back line, and it shows the progress we’ve made from the beginning. We want to peak in the end of the year as opposed to the beginning of the year.”

The Wildcats will begin their four-game away schedule at Western Oregon University on Oct. 16, then will have a day of rest before heading out to Saint Martins University in Lacey.

Central faces off against Simon Fraser University for the third away game in Burnaby, B.C. on Oct. 23. The Wildcats will end the away schedule with a battle against rival Western Washington University on Oct. 25.