EUGENE, Ore.  – The NCU women's soccer reserves produced a trio of second-half goals on Saturday, lifting the Beacons to a 3-0 Cascade Collegiate Conference victory over The University of Great Falls.
 
Head Coach Jessica Cardwell remarked, "After yesterday's second-half performance, today was a breath of fresh air. We played with heart and passion and looked like a team with the same hopes and desires for our season. Everyone did their part this evening. The bench was full of energy and encouragement no matter which combination of players we had on the field and our work rate stayed high."
 
Recovering quickly from Friday's loss to Carroll, NCU seized control of the game early, eventually earning a 7-4 advantage in shot attempts during a scoreless first half.
 
The momentum remained with the home team in the second half as the Beacons continued to pepper the box with strong passes, eventually breaking through in the 63rd minute. Selina Chacon sent a corner kick into the box, finding the head of JaNae Haggard (pictured) who muscled the ball into the opposite corner of the net for what would amount to a game winner. Haggard had subbed into the game just 40 seconds earlier.
 
The Beacons weren't satisfied, however, and went on to rattle off two more goals within a three minute stretch. In the 74th minute, Nikki Bevans found Sami Wilson with a short pass into the box and Wilson jammed in a strike from five yards out.
 
Then in the 77th minute it was another set piece as Wilson's corner kick found Brighton Hebisen for another header goal.
 
NCU finished the match with a 15-8 advantage in shots including a 10-5 edge in shots-on-goal. Mackenzie Galick picked up the shutout win, her first of the season, making four saves in the process.
 
The clean sheet was almost lost in the 82nd minute, were it not for a dynamic goal line save by junior defender Annie Tunstill. A midfield pass that isolated Galick against a charging Eme McLaughlin had drawn the NCU keep out of the box to attempt to cut her off. McLaughlin was able to get past McLaughlin but Tunstill charged for the net and was able to stonewall the empty-netter at the goal line for the team save.
 
The Beacons (4-5, 1-1 CCC) will hit the road next weekend, continuing Cascade Collegiate Conference action in Klamath Falls with a Friday matchup against Oregon Tech at 4 p.m. The clash with the Owls will be the beginning of a five-match road trip over the next month as NCU will not play another home game until October 21.
 
Great Falls (0-5, 0-2) will return home to Montana next Friday, looking for their first win of the season as they take on Eastern Oregon University at 4 p.m.