HELENA, Mont. – The Bushnell women's soccer team claimed a 1-0 victory over Carroll on Saturday, earning their first-ever victory over the Saints and inching closer to a CCC postseason bid.
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The historic victory moves Bushnell (6-7-3, 5-6-1) to 1-10-2 all-time against Carroll, and they are now 1-5 all-time on the Saints home turf.
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"I couldn't be more proud of this team today," said Head Coach Tori Malone. "We believed from start to finish and showed incredible fight, grit, and a relentless will to win. This group never stopped believing in themselves or each other, and they earned every bit of this road win."
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Although the Beacons were out-shot 10-5 in the contest, the win was fueled by defense as Bushnell allowed just one shot on goal, the fewest given up this season. Starting defender
Malia Banry (pictured) said, "It was a hard fought battle but I am so proud of the way our team came together and we kept our back line organized all the way to the end."
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Bushnell's goal came in the 70th minute when Elidia Cervantes-Carlos took a long pass in stride from
Mia Morales and sprinted past a pair of defenders before firing a 25-yard angled strike into the left corner of the net for the fourth game-winner of her career. Â Â
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"It was a tough game today," said Cervantes-Carlos, "but we fought hard until the very end. I am so proud of how our team performed. Philippians 4:13 is what got me through the game today. I thank God for giving me the strength to help get us the win."
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UP NEXT: The Beacons close out the regular season with 16 points in the standings, jumping over Warner Pacific into eighth-place. The Knights have one game remaining, playing on Sunday at Southern Oregon University. A win or tie against the Raiders would send WPU into the eighth spot, leaving the Beacons at home.
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If Warner Pacific loses to SOU, Bushnell will qualify as the No. 8 seed and will have a date with CCC regular-season champion College of Idaho at 1:00 pm on Saturday, November 7 at Lithia and Driveway Fields in Medford, Oregon.
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