OT Loss Ends Evergreen Playoff Hopes
Looking for another golden moment like the one they experienced the previous day, Evergreen ended up on the wrong end of an overtime goal as the visiting Carroll College Saints defeated the Geoducks, 2-1, in a Cascade Collegiate Conference women's soccer match played Saturday afternoon at Black Hills High School.
As a result of the loss, the Geoducks (3-12-0, 2-8-0 CCC) were eliminated from the conference postseason tournament. With the victory, the Saints (8-6-2, 7-1-2) move into second place in the conference standings and keep their regular season title hopes alive.
On Friday afternoon, Evergreen rallied late to tie the game in regulation and then beat Providence, 3-2, on Madison Early's "golden goal" early in overtime. For the second straight day the Geoducks scored in the second half to force an overtime, but it was Carroll that ended the match on a Payton Netz goal following a scramble for the loose ball in front of goal.
The Saints, conference regular season champions in 2015 and 2016, got on the board first at 16:44 on a goal by Makayla Welch, with Netz picking up the assist. The goal came with the run of play as Carroll took 10 shots in the opening half to just four for the Geoducks. The visitors looked like they had another first half goal, but Evergreen defender Taylor Birdsall slid in to kick the goal-bound ball off the line.
Again like yesterday, Evergreen turned the tide of the match in the second half with a 7-6 advantage in shots. The goal came at 54:02 courtesy of a hustling Ana Vigil, who was the first to get to a ball from Delaney Rice before she slammed it into the net from about 15 yards out. It was the third goal of the season for the junior midfielder and the fifth assist for Rice.
In the end, Carroll got off two shots in the overtime and the second resulted in the match winner from Netz.
Prior to the match, six student-athletes playing their final home match were honored. The six are Megan Breckenridge, Lexi Asher, Felicia Collins, Melyssa Nocis, Brook Swensen and Rice.
With their playoff hopes now gone, the Geoducks close out their regular season next week with road games at Rocky Mountain in Billings, Mont., on Friday and against College of Idaho in Caldwell, Idaho, on Sunday.