Freshman Bobbi Eckler scored twice in the second half for the Cavaliers.
Cavs Pummel Pirates at The Yard
PORTLAND, Ore.—Exploding for four second-half goals, the No. 5-ranked Concordia women's soccer team dismantled Whitworth University 6-0 in a battle of previously unbeaten teams on Saturday afternoon.
Concordia improved to 3-0-1 on the season and have now scored 17 goals in four games. Whitworth, members of the NCAA DIII Northwest Conference, fell to 3-1-0 on the year after posting three one-goal wins to start the season.
Concordia outshot the visiting Pirates 18-2 in the first half and opened the scoring spree in the 13th minute as
Alex Blalock (Flagstaff, Ariz./Coconino H.S.) took a pass from
Hannah Kimsey (Vancouver, Wash./Columbia River H.S.) and planted the ball in the right-side of the net.
Blalock had multiple opportunities to add to the early lead, but fired just outside the post on consecutive possessions.
"We have continually talked about having a different mentality and to have more of a killer instinct," CU head coach
Grant Landy said. "When you have quality chances you have to distance yourself from teams."
It wasn't until the 37th minute did the Cavaliers double their advantage as
Ashley Ames (Liberty Lake, Wash./Gonzaga Prep) headed a ball past Whitworth keeper Andrea Stump after controlling another successful Kimsey pass.
Kimsey posted a goal of her own early in the second half after a chip in from Huisingn to give the Cavs a 3-0 edge at the 55:07 mark. A pair of freshman combined for the final three Concordia scores as
Bobbi Eckler (Vancouver, Wash./Union H.S.) found the back of the net twice in a span of 51 seconds for her first collegiate scores while
Maddie Aldrich (Spokane, Wash./Mead H.S.) created her own shot in the 88th minute for the final tally.
"We have been working on our wide attacking players getting into the box and becoming more of a presence. I think it showed today that we are heading in the right direction with four goals coming out of our midfielders," Landy said.
The Cavs upped their intensity in the second half with a 20-0 gap in total shots to finish the match with an overwhelming 38-2 spread in total shots. The total was the third time in four games that the Cavaliers have attempted more than 30 attempts.
Despite the score differential, Stump came up big on several occasions for the Pirates, making 10 saves on the day.
Nicole Franklin (Hillsboro, Ore./Century H.S.) stopped one shot to pick up the win for CU, while freshman
Kiaya Paulsen (Lake Stevens, Wash./Lake Stevens H.S.) finished the final 11 minutes in net to complete the shutout.
"We have multiple players on defense that can be effective," Landy said. "We will likely spend the next couple of weeks shuttling people in and out as we continue to find our best combinations."
Concordia will hit the road next week by traveling to Daytona Beach, Fla., to play a pair of games at the Habitat for Humanity Tournament hosted by Embry-Riddle University, a team that travelled to Portland last season.
The Cavaliers will play No. 10-ranked Northwood University (Fla.) on Sept. 13 before facing No. 6-ranked Embry-Riddle on Sept. 15.
"This trip will be a great experience for our group. We are going to learn a lot about who we are at this stage in the season by playing two top-10 teams back to back," Landy said.