WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The College of Idaho women's soccer team defeated Truett McConnell on Thursday, earning the program's first NAIA tournament victory after a 2-1 win over the Bears.
CCC Newcomer of the Year Gianna Yslava continued her dominant season, adding another goal to her season tally in the 27th minute, giving the Yotes a 1-0 lead on her 13th of the year. The first half would end with the Yotes having the slight edge.
In the 62nd minute, TMU's Sydney League put the ball past Hailey Jo Parks to even the game at 1-1 on her seventh of the year. The game wouldn't remain tied for long as Kaitlyn Ramon added her name to the score sheet to give the Yotes a 2-1 lead, which would hold to be the final score.
The win for the Yotes is the first NAIA tournament win in program history, and it also ends a 16-game winning streak by Truett McConnell.
"It was a battle," said head coach Brian Smith. "Conditions were different. We're coming from Idaho, we're playing on turf, so it was a challenging day with the environment. Truett [McConnell] was a really good squad. They caused us a lot of problems and it was a really hard fought, competitive game. Our goal this week was to come in and compete and put our best foot forward. This group has been unbelievable this year and set a lot of program records. It took a lot of effort throughout the entire 90 minutes."
On the first NAIA Tournament victory, Smith added "We call this group the mentality monsters. For this group to get the first win is very fitting for them and for our program and where we're trying to go."
"We fought it out. After the first goal they scored, it didn't get us down," added Kaitlyn Ramon. "We all came together and knew what we had to do. We all had a goal in mind. What helps is that we have a supportive staff, our coaches and everyone else are supportive. The moment I scored, I knew it wasn't over, we have to finish until the last minute. We wanted this rematch with Keiser. We want to play the No. 1 team. We want to win this."
The Yotes advance in the NAIA tournament, next playing host Keiser University, the No. 1 ranked team in the NAIA, on Saturday.