Monday, September 17, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. – All eyes were on Portland on Saturday night as No. 9 Western Washington traveled to Tuominen Yard to face No. 15 Concordia in a women’s soccer showdown.

A rematch of last year’s GNAC Championships final, the Cavaliers prevailed in the latest chapter of this budding rivalry. Using a 23rd minute goal off the foot of midfielder Gabrielle Ewing, the home team grabbed an early lead and held on the rest of the way for a 1-0 victory.

The signature win earned Concordia selection as GNAC Team of the Week. The team sits in a tie for first at the top of the conference table with three points to go along with an overall record of 4-0-1.

While Ewing broke through on the offensive end of the field, a stout defensive effort also shined on Saturday. Cavalier defenders McKenna Stocker and Aspen Jeter and goalkeeper Hailey Asato played all 90 minutes as the club limited the Vikings to just four shots on goal while recording its third shutout of the season.

“She’s a freshman and she has done really well for us,” said head coach Grant Landy when asked about Asato. “There was lots of poise out there. She was very calm and made some great saves.”

With the two teams having met in last year’s regular season finale and then one week later in the GNAC Championships, there was a lot of pressure out of the gate this time around in the conference opener. Landy, however, was impressed with the way his side approached the match.

“The players were ready,” he said. “You could just tell all week that they had a quiet confidence about them. I was probably more nervous than they were.”

The victory marked Concordia’s second positive result of the season against a nationally-ranked opponent after they tied on the road with Sonoma State earlier this month.

The Cavaliers are currently led by senior Sydney Van Steeberge, who has recorded seven points on three goals and one assist through five matches. The forward is followed closely by sophomore Brenda Uribe, who has two goals on two shots this season.

Concordia will look to extend its five-match unbeaten streak as GNAC play continues this week with two matches. The Cavaliers will travel to Nampa to face first-place Northwest Nazarene on Thursday afternoon before hosting Montana State Billings on Saturday.