Alex Thomas scored her second goal of the season to put Concordia up 2-0 against Carroll on Sunday.
Cavaliers Prevail in Battle of Unbeatens
SALEM, Ore.—In a contest featuring a pair of top-20 teams, No. 2 Concordia defeated N. 18 Carroll College (Mont.) 3-0 in women’s soccer action at the Corban Classic on Sunday.
With the win, Concordia improved to 7-0-0 on the year while Carroll dropped to 5-1-0. Concordia will next take the field in a potential No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup as it faces current No. 1 Cal Baptist at home on Saturday, Sept. 19. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at Delta Park in Portland. New NAIA rankings will be unveiled on Tuesday, Sept. 15.
“When I put together the schedule we knew it was going to be tough with six straight games on the road with such a young team,” CU head coach Grant Landy said. “I’m really proud of the team for going through that stretch unblemished which sets up a great matchup next week.”
Concordia is 1-1-0 all-time against Cal Baptist with a 4-0 win at home during the 2004 season and a 2-0 loss on the road in 2002.
In the final game of the four-team Corban Classic, the Cavaliers struck early as Kelton McFadden (Boise, Idaho) used a breakaway through the middle to connect from 12 yards out after receiving the ball from teammate Kaitlyn Tebbs (Bend, Ore.) in the 5th minute of play.
The Cavs posted two more scores in the first half as Angie Turner, playing in her hometown, took a pass from Shelby Bloodworth (Vancouver, Wash.) in the 26th minute and fired a dart of the Carroll keeper.
Freshman Alex Thomas (Wilsonville, Ore.) provided the final score of the game with less than six minutes remaining in the first half as she split a pair of defenders in the middle of the field and used a Kaylynn Winwood (Boise, Idaho) pass to put the Cavs up 3-0.
“Kelton and Alex both used a ton of composure in the box. Kelton had a good long touch and Alex had the presence of mind not to force it,” Landy said.”
Georgie Christensen (Hillsboro, Ore.) recorded her third shutout of the year after stopping two shots on goal. Concordia outshot the Saints 6-to-1 in the first half but Carroll gained a slight edge in the second with seven shots to the Cavaliers’ six. Both teams generated three corner kicks.
“It was a great first half as we were working on all cylinders,” Landy said. “I thought that first goal was big as it put a scare into them and made them chase after us but to their credit they came out with fire in the second half.”