EUGENE, Ore. – In the final Cascade Collegiate Conference game between the schools, Concordia hung on for a 3-2 win after an intense 90-minute battle. NCU came back from a 3-0 with two late penalty kicks, but the Cavaliers survived.
 
The Cavs set an early tone, scoring just 41 seconds into the match to go up 1-0. On their first possession, Timur Zhividze launched a 30-yard volley from the left side of the field that found its way into the upper right corner of the net.
 
Concordia made it 2-0 in the 19th minute when a Tucker Bufton throw-in found Zac Naylor who drilled a ten-yard shot for the score.
 
NCU and Concordia combined for 25 fouls and nine cautions in what was an evenly physical game. In the 34th minute an NCU player was flagged for a red card, giving the Cavs a one-man advantage on the field.
 
The Beacons were forced to change formation and the shift seemed to energize the team as they played even with Concordia for the next 30 minutes as each team scored a goal.
 
Early in the second half Concordia was the benefactor of a foul in the box from an NCU player, giving Zhividze a penalty kick to send the visitors to a 3-0 lead.
 
The Beacons, however, responded in the 63rd minute. An inadvertent handball at the top of the box by Concordia gave NCU their own penalty kick and Sergio Maldonado had the successful attempt for a short-handed goal.
 
Northwest Christian continued to fight, looking to claw their way back and they finally had an opportunity with 90 seconds to play. Angel Sandoval sliced two defenders with a through ball into the left side of the box where Adrian Palacios picked it up at speed. CU keeper Mitch McCaw came out to defend the one-on-one, but Palacios made a move on the keeper and was set up for an empty-netter.
 
As his chip shot sailed toward the net, a desperation intentional handball by Concordia gave the Beacons the game's third PK. Sandoval was rewarded for his perfect pass that set up the penalty kick, scoring to bring NCU within 3-2.
 
The red card had been issued on the intentional handball, and the teams were even once again, playing 10-on-10 for the final minute and a half. NCU was never able to get a solid possession and the Cavaliers escaped with the victory.
 
Head Coach Brett Bentley said, "I thought we came out ready to get a positive results tonight. The energy was good and our training sessions have been solid. It was difficult to give up a goal so early, but my hat goes off to the CU striker for a brilliantly taken half volley.
 
"Even more though, I am encouraged by the strength of character that our young men showed tonight. They responded to adversity extremely well. They believed in the halftime adjustments we made and playing a man down we were still able to get ourselves right back into the match through sheer grit and determination. I'm confident that our guys grew tonight as soccer players and as men of great character."
 
The Beacons (4-9-2, 3-7-1 CCC) remain alive in the hunt for a top-four spot in the Cascade Conference as they aim for their first post-season berth. They have a key game on Wednesday night when they play host to the fourth-place Evergreen Geoducks at 6 p.m. Concordia (10-4, 9-2 CCC) wins to remain two points ahead of Corban University in the chase for a CCC championship. The Cavaliers will next face off against Oregon Tech on Friday, October 31.