Box Score
ELLENSBURG (Oct. 16) -- Central Washington University freshman
Mackenzie Meyers (Covington/Kentwood HS) scored her first collegiate goal at the 103rd minute, helping the Wildcat women's soccer team celebrate Senior Day with a 2-1, double-overtime victory over visiting Northwest Nazarene University on Saturday.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Wildcats, who improved to 4-8-1 overall and 4-5-0 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. It also enabled them to earn a split of the season series with the visiting Crusaders, who fell to 4-9-0 overall and 2-7-0 in the GNAC.
Meyers' tally came on her second shot of the game -- and just the fourth of her career -- to cap a match in which the Wildcats were credited with a season-high 32 shot attempts. She came away with the loose ball following a corner kick, and tapped it into the goal from just two yards away to give Central the golden-goal, victory.
Central opened the day's scoring at the fourth minute, as the team's leading goal scorer, junior
Serena Tomaso (Enumclaw), took a pass from senior
Ellie Eckroth (Auburn/Auburn Mountainview HS) and beat NNU keeper Tanya Zickefoose for her sixth tally of the season to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.
Northwest Nazarene tied the game at the 40th minute as Kim Bowen headed Kendra Courcy's free kick to the left side of CWU goalkeeper
C.J. Balstad (Port Orchard/South Kitsap HS) for her second goal of the season.
Despite a feverish attack by Central Washington, which included six Wildcat shots on goal in the second half, the game remained tied for the duration of regulation as well as through the first 10-minute overtime period.
Balstad made six saves for the Wildcats to earn her first career goalkeeping victory in four all-time decisions.
Zickefoose made 12 saves on Central's 14 shots on goal to help keep Northwest Nazarene in the contest. The Crusaders themselves managed just 11 total shot attempts.
Central Washington had its Senior Day on Saturday, as the Wildcats' lone remaining home game will be a Thursday afternoon contest on Oct. 28 against Saint Martin's. Four of their final five contests this season are on the road, beginning with a two-game road trip to Western Washington and Simon Fraser next Thursday (Oct. 21) and Saturday (Oct. 23), respectively.
