ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Sept. 15) – The Central Washington University soccer team will play its first Great Northwest Athletic Conference match of the season against Concordia University (Ore.) in Portland, Oregon on Saturday. The Wildcats will enter the affair with a 2-3 record.
The Cavaliers will take a 2-1-1 record into Saturday's meeting. Concordia's two wins on the season have come against Northwest University and California Baptist. The Cavaliers handled Northwest with a 4-1 victory and came away with a 2-1 victory over Cal Baptist to open the season. Concordia then played to a 0-0 draw against Chico State before dropping their first game of the season to San Francisco State University, 1-0.
Karlie Hurley leads the Cavalier offense with a pair of goals on seven shots. The freshman from North Bend, Washington has only started in one match, but has seen action in all four. Hurley has played in 214 minutes.
The Cavaliers backline, anchored by junior Shannon McMahon, has only allowed opposing teams to take shots on goal 19 times. Of the 19 shots on goal, only three have found their way to the back of the net.
Olivia Brock has handled the majority of the goalkeeping duties for Concordia. She has started three games and allowed only one goal over 252 minutes. Brock has made 10 saves and has one clean sheet. The Olympia, Washington product has faced 30 shots thus far.
All-time, the Wildcats are 5-2 against Concordia with a 1-1 record in Portland. The last time the two sides faced each other came in 2004. The Cavaliers claimed a 2-1 victory in double overtime.
"Grant [Landy] has done a great job leading Concordia to being one of the premiere teams at the NAIA level, winning a National Championship," Head Coach Michael Farrand said. "The addition of Concordia to the conference is a great addition, the Cavaliers are a quality program. We are excited to play them and we are anxious to go down to Portland and compete."
Central Washington played four of its first five games at home; the first time a soccer season has opened play in Ellensburg since 2008. The Wildcats posted a pair of victories in their first five games and will enter Saturday at 2-3.
After a 2-0 loss to open the season against Sonoma State, the Wildcats fought back and claimed a 2-1 win over San Francisco State University.
The Gators opened the scoring in the 10th minute to take a 1-0 lead, however the Wildcats were able to find the equalizer early in the second half. Reilly Retz redirected a free kick by Jessica Haga into the back of the net. In the 89th minute, Shaina Mitchell took a low cross from Mackenzie Nolte on the wing and sent it past SFSU's keeper to take a 2-1 lead.
Central Washington also notched a 2-0 victory over California State University Monterey Bay. Cassie Ripley scored her first goal as a Wildcat in the 18th minute off a free kick by Keilin Farrand. Whitney Lowe added a goal of her own in the 80th minute, after her initial shot was pushed aside. Amanda White earned her first clean sheet of the season.
The Wildcats have taken 53 shots so far this season, with 30 of those on goal, and an average of 10.5 shots per game. Opponents are taking 12 shots a game. The Wildcats are outshooting opponents 30-29 in the second half. Central Washington has taken 23 corners, while only conceding 17. Fifteen of the Wildcats corner kicks have come in the second half.
Lowe leads the Wildcats' offense with two goals on eight shots. Retz has totaled one goal and one assist for three points. Nolte has shown vision as of late, picking up a pair of assists in Central Washington's last game against Stanislaus State. She has three assists on the season and leads the Wildcats with 11 shots. Seven of her shots have been on target.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Portland. Live stats and video are available at Concordia University's Stretch portal.
