Al Case, Ashland Daily Photo.
SOU starts with first top-25 win in 9 years at Westmont
SOU Sports Information
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Southern Oregon women's soccer team started its season in momentous fashion by knocking off an NAIA Top 25 opponent for the first time since 2010, coming from behind to upset No. 25 Westmont (Calif.) 2-1 on Thursday at Thorrington Field.
After trailing 1-0 at halftime, senior midfielder Aislinn Waite took an assist from freshman Madison Childers to deposit the game-winner in the 79th minute. The Raiders were gifted an equalizer in the 50th when freshman Baylee Touey ran the ball to the end line, crossed it to midfield and a Westmont defender directed it into the net.
A year ago, SOU took its first point off a nationally-ranked squad since 2011 with a 1-1 draw at then-No. 8 Westmont. Their last win against a team of that variety dated back a year earlier to a Cascade Conference contest at College of Idaho.
The game was also the first of 2019 for the Warriors, who were coming off a 13-2-3 season. They played with the lead starting in the eighth minute, as Maddi Berthoud assisted Brooke Porter.
Waite notched the seventh goal of her career on a 10-yard strike after Childers got the ball out wide, dribbled inside and played it across the goal.
The Raiders posted a 14-12 advantage in shots, including 9-4 in the second half. Jessie Selby, their sophomore, made three saves.
SOU will visit two more Golden State Athletic Conference teams before returning home: The Master's (Calif.), at 11 a.m. Saturday, and 11th-ranked Vanguard (Calif.), at 10 a.m. Monday.