PORTLAND, Ore. – The Northwest Christian University men's soccer team lost in Cascade Collegiate Conference action on Saturday, falling 3-1 to Concordia University.
 
It was a marked improvement for NCU who had dropped their 2013 meetings with the Cavaliers by a combined 9-0 score. This time out the Beacons stayed within striking distance until an insurance goal with eight minutes to play put things out of reach.
 
Concordia struck first as Zac Naylor scored from 16-yards out in the 12th minute. The Cavs took a 2-0 lead into halftime after scoring again in the 23rd minute with Naylor assisting on a Timur Zhividze goal.
 
NCU refused to go quietly, pulling back within one with a goal in the 58th minute. A Beacon attacker was pulled down from behind just outside the 18-yard line and Sergio Maldonado (pictured) fired the ensuing free kick into the upper left corner of the net to make is 2-1.
 
Defensively, the Beacons continued to give themselves a chance, holding Concordia to just two shots-on-goal over the final 45 minutes after allowing seven attacks on frame in the first half. The Cavaliers, however, managed to break through in the 82nd minute as BJ Romac scored from seven-yards of a touch pass from Ken Bodzewski.
 
In the end, Concordia (6-3, 5-1 CCC) had outshot the Beacons 23-7 with a 9-3 advantage in shots-on-goal. Bren Bletscher was busy between the pipes for NCU, making five saves on the night.
 
Head Coach Brett Bentley said, "All-in-all it was a solid performance by our boys. We responded to adversity really well and made adjustments at halftime. The guys dictated play and established a strong foothold on the game that led to us getting a goal back. A lot of positives were taken away from tonight, but we know it still isn't good enough and we need to keep working to improve and the results are going to follow."
 
NCU (1-7-2, 0-5-1) will return to action on Wednesday night, returning home to take on Oregon Tech (2-8, 1-5) at 5 p.m.