Freshman Heather Henderson scored the game winning goal for the Beacons.
EUGENE, Ore. – Sophomore goalkeeper Katelyn Nistler recorded her second shutout of the season and the Northwest Christian University women’s soccer team won its first-ever Cascade Collegiate Conference game on Wednesday night, defeating Warner Pacific, 1-0.
The Beacons, who went 0-10 in the CCC last season, began conference play this year with three straight losses, but they finally got over the hump on Wednesday, overcoming a 14-9 shot advantage for the Knights with a second-half score.
The teams remained scoreless after a hotly contested first half, but in the 55th minute the Beacons broke through. Karli Vath got the ball on a breakaway and had her strike bounce off of the middle of the crossbar. The ball bounced straight to Heather Henderson, who collected the ball and put across what would become the game winner.
Head Coach Vern Stewart said, “We have been working on rebounding and always following behind the first shot and we actually had three girls at the ready to get the ball. Heather did a great job collecting it and pushing it through.”
Nistler finished the game with eight brilliant saves to secure the shutout. The defensive unit in front of her has allowed one goal or less in five games this season. “We really came together on both sides of the field tonight,” said Nistler. “The defense did things tonight that I haven’t seen them do all season and that made my job a little easier. It was definitely nice to get the shutout.”
Coach Stewart added, “I always want our goalie to keep us in the game and give our offense an opportunity to win the game. In a tight game like this you want your keeper to be a factor and Katelyn was the difference tonight.”
Stewart also commended the efforts of his defense, which featured a new face for the first time in junior Dominique Wilson. “Dom asked to be put in on defense tonight and she has quickly blossomed into a strong stopper. The other thing that the move did was allow Brittney McKinley to move up to her natural position in the midfield, and it was our midfielders that helped us control the pace of the game tonight.”
The Knights didn’t go without their chances, however. In the 15th minute Haley Ricker had a breakaway but her wide open shot clanged off the left post. Late in the game WPC had a chance to tie the game on a corner kick when Kelsey Walton’s head bounced off and over the crossbar.
The Beacons now have ten days off until their next contest, a home game against Cascade College on October 11th. “The sky is the limit for us from here,” said Stewart. “We know that we can play with anybody and after getting some time for our bodies to heal, we should come out strong against Cascade.”