HELENA — Carroll College picked up its first Cascade Collegiate Conference men's soccer win of the season Thursday night, holding off Northwest University 2-1 at Nelson Stadium.
The Fighting Saints entered the match at 1-2 overall and looking to build momentum after a draw against Rocky Mountain College. Northwest came in at 2-3 overall following a loss to Oregon Tech. Both Carroll and Northwest were still searching for their first conference victory.
The opening half featured strong defensive play and several missed scoring chances on both sides. Carroll nearly struck early when Nils Benning sent a shot just high in the third minute, while Northwest answered moments later with a scoring opportunity stopped by Carroll goalkeeper Dane Quinn.
The Saints finally broke through in the 28th minute. Cyrille Wangama scored the first goal of the match off assists from Felix Billard and Sean Balen to give Carroll a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
Northwest responded in the second half after sustained pressure in the attacking zone. Clayton Johnson found the equalizer in the 59th minute on an assist from Dustin Le, tying the match at 1-1.
Just minutes later, Northwest was forced to play a man down after Nick Rivera received a red card in the 61st minute.
Carroll capitalized on the advantage in the 70th minute when Billard scored the game-winning goal off another assist from Balen, putting the Saints ahead 2-1.
The Saints continued to pressure late with several corner kicks and scoring opportunities, while Quinn and the Carroll defense held Northwest scoreless over the final 20 minutes to secure the victory.
Quinn finished with multiple saves for Carroll, while Bailey Hopkins recorded several key stops for Northwest despite the loss.
