Junior Ariel Kanable became the fourth different Cavalier to notch a game-winning goal so far this season.
Concordia ties school record with 22nd straight win
PORTLAND, Ore.—Needing a late game-winner for the third time in four games, the No. 1-ranked Concordia women's soccer team captured its 22nd straight win with a 1-0 victory over Rocky Mountain College (Mont.) on Sunday.
The streak ties the standard set by the 2008 team that played for the NAIA National Championship and rests one game shy for the second longest streak in NAIA history. Azusa Pacific won 23 straight in 1998, trailing only the 46-game run set by Mobile (Ala.) from 1997-98.
After needing an 86th-minute score to defeat Marymount (Calif.) 1-0 and an 84th-minute strike to hold off The Master's College (Calif.) in the opening weekend, junior
Ariel Kanable (Beaverton, Ore./Southridge H.S.) provided the heroics for Concordia (4-0-0) in the 78th minute against Rocky Mountain (2-2-0).
Senior
Annika Hayman (Redmond, Wash./Redmond H.S.) initiated the play by driving the ball down the left-side of the pitch and delivering a ball deep into the box. From there,
Alicia Alarcon (Portland, Ore./Sunset H.S.), who was facing away from the net, flicked the ball behind her to Kanable, where a smooth connection to the upper right corner of the net broke the scoreless tie.
The strike represented the fifth career goal for Kanable. Hayman and Alarcon were both credited for an assist on the play, Alarcon's first of the year and Hayman's fourth in four games.
"I was disappointed with our level of work and intensity in the first half," CU head coach
Grant Landy said. "We are still in the early stages of the season but we need to bring those pieces to every game we play."
After being outshot in the first half, 3-2, Concordia came back to generate a 12-2 advantage in attempts over the final 45 minutes of play. Rocky Mountain forced five corner kicks compared to just four for the Cavaliers.
Rocky Mountain nearly opened up the game's scoring in the 11th minute as Gabi Heflin fond the ball near the 18-yard line where she cracked a long-ranged attack towards the far post only to see CU goalkeeper
Nicole Franklin (Hillsboro, Ore./Century H.S.) snare the drive.
Franklin finished with one save to earn the shutout. Franklin, a junior, improved her career record to 8-1-2 as the Cavalier netminder. The shutout was Concordia's 17th win without allowing a goal during the team's 22-game winning streak.
"The second half was much better," Landy said. "We had better effort and put in the work both on and off the ball. The affect was more goal-scoring chances which inevitably led to the goal in a very composed finish by Ariel. I was proud of how the team responded in the second half."
Concordia will return to action with a pair of home matches, beginning with No.1 2-ranked Vanguard (Calif.) on Sept. 5. The homestand continues with a matchup against No. 5-ranked Concordia University (Calif.) on Sept. 7.
"We have a very challenging two weeks ahead of us, playing four very strong teams," Landy said . "We will know a lot more about our group as we continue to grow and learn starting with Vanguard on Friday."