SPRINGFIELD, Ore. – For the second time in as many years, College of Idaho clinched a spot in the NAIA National Tournament with a 1-0 win over Southern Oregon in the semifinals of the Cascade Conference Championships presented by U.S. Bank on Wednesday.
The Yotes (14-5, 9-3 CCC) secured the spot at nationals when No. 1 seed Oregon Tech blanked No. 4 Northwest 3-0 in the other semifinal. OIT had already earned an automatic berth by way of winning the regular season conference title. Regardless of the outcome of the championship game, which will take place on Friday at 3 p.m. PT at Civic Park in Eugene, No. 3 seed C of I will receive the second automatic berth from the conference.
Playing on a soggy turf in a driving rainstorm, the Yotes used a goal by
Alexa Rierson in the 40th minute off an assist by
Payton Mongelli to upend the No. 2 seed Raiders (12-5-2, 10-2 CCC).
Shae Waters faced 14 shots in the win and made three saves as the senior helped lead her team to the ninth shutout of the season for the group.
The Yotes finished with 11 shots for the night including three on frame.
By winning their 14th game of the year, C of I tied the 2009 and 2015 teams for the most wins in a campaign in program history.
This is the second time in program history that the Yotes have made the CCC Tournament final, as the 2021 squad joins the 2009 team with that distinction.
OIT enters the final with a 16-2 mark on the season with just one loss against a conference foe, as the Owls fell 2-1 at Southern Oregon on Sept. 24.
