Box Score

ELLENSBURG (Oct. 18) -- Freshman forward Lauren Duty (Black Diamond/Tahoma HS) scored her first two collegiate goals in the second half, helping the Central Washington University women's soccer team to a 2-1, come-from-behind victory over visiting Western Oregon University on Thursday afternoon.

The Wildcats, who have won their last two games to improve to 5-8-2 overall and 4-6-1 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play, kept their GNAC tournament hopes alive with the victory. A loss to the Wolves (7-7-1, 5-5-1 GNAC) would have put CWU nine points behind WOU in the standings with three games remaining. Instead, the Wildcats are now just one win behind the Wolves for fourth place in the conference standings and earned a split of the season series.

Duty, who had just three shots on goal through the first 14 games of her rookie season, doubled that season total on Thursday, with two of them finding the back of the net. Her first tally was an arching shot from the right-hand side of the field at the 62nd minute that found its way into the corner of the goal. Sophomore Hadli Farrand (Ellensburg) was credited with an assist on the tally that tied the game at that point.

Duty scored the game-winner just under eight minutes later, taking passes from Farrand and sophomore Taylor Stanley (Mukilteo/Kamiak HS) and creating a one-on-one situation in the box against WOU goalkeeper Hillary Lutz. She beat Lutz on the bottom left corner to give the Wildcats a 2-1 lead.

Western Oregon, which finished with a 24-12 advantage in total shots including an 8-4 margin on goal, scored on the game's first shot at the third minute. Kymberly Witmer scored her third goal of the season on a pass from Lindsay Bauman to give the Wolves a 1-0 lead.

CWU managed just one shot on goal in the first half of play -- a rebound try by sophomore Savanna Moorehouse (Bonney Lake) at the 12th minute -- while sophomore Kayla Lipston (Federal Way/Decatur HS) made three of her game-high seven saves in the opening 45 minutes of play.

The Wildcats' offense then came to life on Duty's two tallies -- which came on the team's first two shots on goal of the second half -- and the defense then held WOU off the scoreboard over the final 20:48 to preserve the victory.

Duty, who accounted for five of the Wildcats' 12 total shot attempts, became the first CWU player other than senior Carson McKole (Oak Harbor) to score a goal since its Sept. 27 loss at Saint Martin's. McKole, who entered Thursday tied for the GNAC lead in goals with seven and had scored the Wildcats' last three goals over that span, did not play against the Wolves due to injury.

CWU will next host Saint Martin's University this Saturday (Oct. 20) in a noon start at the CWU Soccer Field. The Wildcats have two of their final three matches at home as they remain in contention for a berth in the inaugural GNAC Tournament that begins Nov. 1 at Tukwila.