T-Birds Outlast Evergreen State
BOX SCORE
PORTLAND, Ore. - Wondi Ali scored 2 goals and asssisted on 2 others as Cascade outscored Evergreen State 4-3 today on a saturated Williams & Smith Field.
Ali wasted no time in getting on the board as the freshman took a Fernando Montiel pass and fired near post just 2:26 into the game. A mere 10 minutes later, Ali stepped in front of a pass in the Geoduck defensive zone and looped a 18 yard shot around the Geoduck keeper.
With much of the game played under a steady rain, the goals continued to come fast and furious. Evergreen (2-7-0, 1-3-0 CCC) responded with 2 goals of their own in the next 5 minutes thanks to James Pratt and Brian Davis.
Montiel got in on the act as he took a feed from Ali and finished with a low bullet at the 34:33 mark to give Cascade (6-5-0, 3-3 CCC) a 3-2 edge at halftime.
The T-Birds would tack on a much needed insurance goal midway through the second half with Cody St. John's first career goal. Ali fired a 20 yard free kick that clanged off the crossbar and straight to a crashing St. John who finished point blank.
The Greeners would not go away, however and sent players forward for for a final push. They were rewarded with a Shawn Farrow goal at the 71:28 mark thanks to a nice through pass from Matt Curry.
The Thunderbirds would hold on from there, stifling any further Geoduck attacks and pulling out the important conference win. "What a great game!" said coach Mike Alfers. "It's very satisfying to come out with a win versus a quality club like Evergreen on a total team effort. We've got another tough one tomorrow (vs. Northwest), so we hope to keep it going as we make our push for a playoff spot."