ASHLAND – For the first time in five matches, the Southern Oregon University soccer team's defense surrendered a goal Saturday morning at University Field.
Its attack woke up just in time, however. The Raiders fell behind twice but ambushed the Corban Warriors with four second-half scores for a 5-3 Cascade Conference win, the first in the career of SOU interim head coach Jenni Rosenberg.
Tera McDonough and Audrey Sullivan assisted each other in a three-minute span to put the Raiders (5-2-3 overall, 1-0-1 CCC) in a 2-0 first-half hole. Alyssa Bricker got SOU on the board with a penalty kick right before halftime and Jacquie Galvez tied it up in the 52nd minute, but Paige Kilpatrick, Megan McArthur and Lauren Aldana all did their damage between the 75th and 79th minutes for the Raiders.
Coming off Thursday's scoreless draw against Northwest Christian, the goal total was SOU's highest in a conference match since Sept. 16, 2005, when they defeated Corban 5-1.
"I think this game showed a lot of character in these girls to keep working after they got down a couple times," Rosenberg said. "It took some absolute determination for us to get to a point where we opened the floodgates at the end."
Corban – which took another lead, 3-2, in the 71st minute on Sullivan's second goal and McDonough's second assist – dropped to 5-5-1 overall and 1-1-0 in CCC play.
The Raiders put 12 of their 17 shots on goal and the Warriors six of nine. Both teams benefited from a strong, game-changing wind, the Warriors in the first half and the Raiders in the second.
Galvez knocked in her equalizer from 25 yards out over Corban goalkeeper Kaitlynn Mendenhall. When the Raiders went down again 19 minutes later, it was Kilpatrick with the tying goal. A Corban deflection freed her up atop the box where she sent a liner into the back of the net.
McArthur connected with Lauren Aldana for the go-ahead score 80 seconds later from straight on and 25 yards out, and Aldana tacked on the last goal when Serena DeChristofaro's deflected shot set her up from point-blank range.
Galvez, Kilpatrick, McArthur and Aldana had all been scoreless on the season coming into the day. Bricker's goal was her third.
Twelve different Raiders have scored this season, more than any other team in the CCC.
Southern Oregon will be back in action Thursdat at Eastern Oregon and next Saturday at College of Idaho.