ASHLAND, Ore.  – The Bushnell women's soccer team held one of the best teams in the Cascade Collegiate Conference in check for most of the night, but a late goal gave Southern Oregon University a 1-0 victory in CCC action on Saturday.  
 
The Raiders (11-2-1, 8-1-1 CCC) kept hold of second-place in the CCC, thanks to the boot of Abby McKean, who skipped a ball off a Bushnell defender and into the goal in the 85th minute for the only score of the night.
 
Bushnell (7-4-3, 6-3-1) ended a six-match undefeated streak with the loss, but with 19 points in the CCC standings the Beacons will leave the weekend no worse than fifth-place, and with no shot to finish lower than eighth in the standings. They will play in the CCC tournament for the second time in three years and for just the third time in school history.
 
The Beacons hung tight with an SOU offense averaging 3.6 goals per game in CCC play. The Raiders out-shot the Beacons 16-5, but held just a 5-3 edge in shots-on-goal.
 
"I was very impressed with how our girls played tonight," said Head Coach Halle Meadows. "From start to finish, we fought and battled against one of the top teams in the conference. Only allowing five shots on goal against a team that scored seven goals last night, and having the same amount of opportunities, shows that we can compete with the best. Now we rest, recover, and get ready for our last week of conference play."
 
Senior keeper Ana Augusto, who played two incredible road games this weekend and made another four saves said, "Even though being scored against with five minutes left hurts, I am proud of what we did on the field today. It was a tough battle, but we fought hard until the last second. This team is a gift for my senior year and today's game only reinforced what I already knew. I am surrounded by incredibly talented people who never give up."


"I am very proud of our team and all the work we put in," added Jasmine Seago. "Although we didn't get the result we wanted, we really came together and played a great game against a tough opponent. Everyone gave 100% effort for all 90 minutes. We will grow from this game and head into next weekend ready to close out conference play on a high note."
 
Head Coach Halle Meadows said, "It is always tough traveling to OIT, but the girls put up a fight today. We were not clean technically, however the mentality and toughness defensively was there. It was a hard 90 minutes, but now we rest and get back at it with an important match tomorrow against SOU."
 
UP NEXT: The Beacons close out the regular season at home next weekend, looking to secure a high seed for the CCC tournament. Bushnell faces Carroll College on Friday at 4:30 pm, and will take on Rocky Mountain College on Saturday at 4:30 pm.