NAMPA, Idaho – Sophomore Megan Ravenscroft's goal just before the hour mark was the difference in a 1-0 victory over Central Washington on Thursday afternoon at Northwest Nazarene Field. It held up and became the first game-winning goal in her collegiate career as goalkeeper Selena Braun made six saves for the solo shutout.

Central Washington (0-3-0) controlled the first half action after putting 3-of-7 shots taken on target. The Pioneers fired four off-target attempts before taking charge of possession early on in the second half.

"In the first half we had some trouble finding our rhythm of play and everyone was really flat. We came out at half and figured out what we needed to do in order to be successful," said Ravenscroft. "Immediately we came out strong and knew we should win this game. We all worked very hard and had them on their heels."

Cal State East Bay found its rhythm in the second half taking 10 of its 14 shots in the frame with five placed on frame. More intensity and halftime adjustments sparked a change in the Pioneers out of the break.

"At halftime we helped adjust their defensive positioning. We weren't matching up to their system very well and spent a lot of energy chasing them around the field. Because of that, we weren't effective in the attack and were thrown off of our game a little bit," said Head Coach Amy Gerace.

Cal State East Bay (2-1-0) matched its first half shot total within the opening 13 minutes out of intermission as Ariana Gordon and Alyssa Rodriguez each squared up two strikes at goal. In the 60th minute, Ravenscroft was on the spot to finish off an attempt from teammate Laura McIntosh, putting the Pioneers out front.

"I thought I needed to be more dangerous and take more shots. I saw the ball bouncing around in the box and ripped a quick shot," said Ravenscroft of her team best second goal in three games this season. "My teammates worked hard all around and I could not have done it without them."

As Ravenscroft finished off the play, it was set up by a pair of Pioneer teammates. It started with a senior in Rodriguez, continued by junior newcomer McIntosh, and finished off by the sophomore scorer Ravenscroft.

"Alyssa gave us a great spark in the second half and worked relentlessly at the end line to put the ball back in play. The ball looked like it was going to run out of bounds," Gerace said in setting up the game-winner. "Megan did a great job finding the back of the net off of Laura's assist.

Braun recorded her first solo shutout of the season with her sixth and final save coming in the 88th minute. This season she has made 13 saves and currently boasts a 0.35 goals against average in over 257 minutes of game action.

"The players responded very well and came out in the second half much more organized and effective. To their credit, our team took their intensity to the next level. We defended very well and attacked within our system and style of play," said Gerace.

Central Washington is winless against the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) this season. The Wildcats previously fell 1-0 to Cal State Monterey Bay and 6-1 to No. 8 nationally ranked Cal State Stanislaus.

Cal State East Bay (2-1-0) will face Northwest Nazarene (0-1-1) on Saturday, Sept. 13, at 1 p.m.

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