Northwest University Athletics

EUGENE, Ore. – Northwest captured its first Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament championship since 2018 on Friday, beating the College of Idaho in double overtime, 2-1.
 
The title game was marred by two red and six yellow cards.
 
Northwest played 15 minutes of the second half one player down after a red card before the College of Idaho got a matching red card with 6:26 left in the regulation. 
 
NU took a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute when Claire Jo Diede finished off a double assist for her seventh goal of the season. Kayla Soderstrom fed the ball to Anna Lau, who tapped it forward to Diede. The assist by Soderstrom was her school-record 12th of the season.
 
Chloe Teets scored off a free kick for the Yotes with 55 seconds remaining in regulation.
 
The Eagles broke through for a 2-1 lead with 8:19 left in the second overtime when Gracie VanAssche buried an assist from Sarah Hansen for her seventh goal of the year.
 
Hanne Breur got a save with 5:10 left, turning away Gianna Yslava. Two more late shots by the Yotes were not on target.
 
"Proud of this team," said NU Interim Head Coach Gary McIntosh. "They had to overcome adversity today. This team has a ton of grit and fight in them. It was clear from the beginning that this would be a back-and-forth contested game. I thought overall we played well and limited their opportunities on goal. We scored a great first goal, and then Gracie scored a great game winner for us in overtime. The tournament title is a good way to end the long week for these ladies. Now our focus switches to the national tournament."
 
The Eagles had 15 shots for the game to 14 for CI. VanAssche had four shots to lead Northwest, with Maya Lewis taking three and Olivia Morris and Soderstrom two apiece. VanAssche had two shots on goal. Anna Lau, Morris, Lewis, Soderstrom, and Diede had one shot on goal each.
 
Breur collected six saves for the contest.
 
Both the Eagles and Yotes will learn of their opening round destinations in the NAIA's selection show, scheduled for 8 a.m. on Monday. The show airs on the NAIA's YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/PlayNAIA.
 
The first two rounds will be played on campus sites Nov. 17-19. Host locations are Bartlesville, Oklahoma; Columbia, Missouri; Hattiesburg, Mississippi; Indianapolis; Lakeland, Florida; West Palm Beach, Florida; Prescott, Arizona; Pulaski, Tennessee; Spring Arbor, Michigan; and Williamsburg, Kentucky.
 
The Eagles will take a 17-1-2 record into the National Tournament.