PORTLAND, Ore. — First-half goals from Ella Baker and Kambree Degon, paired with 11 saves from Ali Tiechner, lifted Northwest University women's soccer to a 2-1 road victory over Warner Pacific on Sunday in Cascade Collegiate Conference play.
The Eagles extended their winning streak to five games, improving to 8-3-1 overall and 7-2-1 in conference action. Warner Pacific fell to 5-5-2 overall and 4-4-1 in the CCC.
Lily McMullen assisted on both Northwest goals, helping the Eagles take a halftime lead they would protect through a scoreless second half.
Northwest tested Warner Pacific goalkeeper Evelyn Montiel early, with Megan Hurley putting a shot on target in the second minute and McMullen adding another in the 10th. Tiechner matched those efforts at the other end, making three saves in the opening 23 minutes to keep the Knights off the board.
Baker broke through at the 25:15 mark, scoring off an assist from McMullen to give Northwest a 1-0 advantage. Warner Pacific answered less than three minutes later when Katya Tercek finished off an assist from Mira Thornton to tie the match.
The Eagles regained the lead at 34:13 when Degon scored what proved to be the game-winning goal, with McMullen providing her second assist of the afternoon. Northwest finished the opening half with a 10-9 edge in shots and entered the break ahead 2-1.
"I am very excited with how the team played today! Some amazing header goals by Kambree and Ella really helped show grit and composure!" said Head Coach April VanAssche. "We talked a lot about playing together as a team, and that's exactly what we saw today on both ends of the field!"
Hurley continued to pressure the Knights after halftime, forcing saves on consecutive shots in the 56th minute. Northwest also earned six second-half corner kicks, finishing with a 9-2 advantage for the match.
Warner Pacific pushed for the equalizer with eight shots after the break, but Tiechner stopped all five attempts on target. She made a save on Bethany Villegas in the 89th minute before denying Thornton with four seconds remaining to preserve the victory.
Hurley led Northwest with six shots, including three on goal. Degon and Madison Coulter each put two attempts on target as the Eagles finished with 14 shots and nine on goal. Warner Pacific recorded 17 shots, including 12 on target, while Montiel finished with seven saves.
"And huge plays by Lily McMullen, delivering the two corner kicks today for assists," VanAssche added.
Northwest continues its road stretch Saturday, Oct. 24, facing The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. in Cascade Collegiate Conference play.
