ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Wildcats (3-6-4) outmatched Northwest Nazarene (2-7-3) 3-1 thanks to a strong start to the match from
Marisa Badillo. Two goals found the net from Badillo's foot in the first 13 minutes of play, giving the 'Cats a quick 2-0 lead. As a result of the Wildcat win, CWU takes sole possession of 4th place in the GNAC with 11 points on the season. This puts them three points behind Seattle Pacific (4-2-2) and three points ahead of Montana State Billings (2-4-2).
QUOTING HEAD SOCCER COACH JOHN HAWKS:
"The discipline to stay in it all year and trust what we're building as a program continues to pay off! We stressed the importance of winning the run of play early; with the support of her teammates,
Marisa Badillo was the catalyst to making that a reality for us today! Getting a brace within the first 15 minutes of the game is a testament to her performance today. Marisa is a microcosm of what this team is doing collectively, and our future is bright for it ... Go 'Cats!"
FIRST HALF:
The Wildcats looked dominant in the first half of play, scoring three goals in their nine shot attempts. Badillo got the match started with her first goal at the five-minute mark and followed it up with another at 13 minutes. The first goal was assisted by
Shannah Mellick and the second was set up by
Sydney Madison. Just before the horn rang for the end of the first half,
Emma Barrett found the back of the net for her first goal of the season, giving the 'Cats a 3-0 lead right before halftime. The Nighthawks were still getting goal-scoring opportunities but could not execute any to get a point on the board. Five shot attempts came from NNU as they attempted to match the Wildcats' nine.
Danika Galbraith kept the net clean as she had three saves in the first half, making it difficult for NNU to finish their opportunities.
SECOND HALF:
The second half of play was less eventful for the 'Cats as they were in defense mode to hold onto their 3-0 lead. The Nighthawks on the other end were in full attack mode as they attempted seven shots in the half. One of those shots, however, was able to get past Galbraith, as Alexis Cromwell scored her second goal of the year, assisted by Elianna Kimball at the 52
nd minute mark. This brought the score to 3-1 as the Nighthawks were hoping to find any type of momentum. The Wildcat defense retook momentum, though, as NNU couldn't get anything past Galbraith from that point on as she notched another three saves to give her six total on the day. As the horn rang, the Wildcats advanced to 3-6-4 in the overall season total with a conference record of 3-3-2.
UP NEXT:
Following the team's homecoming win, they will await their next match on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 5 p.m. Central will host the match at Tomlinson Stadium as they take on Seattle Pacific University, who are 4-2-2 in conference play. Seattle Pacific sits one spot ahead of the 'Cats in the standings as CWU looks to bolster themselves to third place in the GNAC.
