NAMPA, Idaho - The Northwest Nazarene men's soccer team upset the No. 12-ranked Fort Lewis Skyhawks with a 1-0 win on Thursday night.
Both teams entered the contest unbeaten, but NNU had three draws and one win, while Fort Lewis had three wins and one draw. The Skyhawks came in averaging over three goals per game but struggle to find any offensive rhythm against a strong Nighthawk defensive unit that was only giving up just one goal per game.
The Nighthawks got off to a strong start as
Rylan McPherson fired three shots on goal in the first three minutes of play, all of which were saved. NNU's best chance came in the 19th minute after
Rylan McPherson fired a shot from outside the 18-yard box that just went over the outstretch hand of Lucas Martin, striking the crossbar, but the Nighthawks were unable to find the net.
Caleb Putney and
Abdullahi Sharif each took a shots but were unable to break the tie as the teams entered the half deadlocked at zero.
Putney and the Nighthawks picked up right where they left off as he took a shot in the 53rd minute that forced Martin to make a stretch save in the bottom corner.
Jim Wagenaar and
Angelo Lemb would take a shot each but would also fail to break the tie.
The 0-0 stalemate held until the 82nd minute. A foul inside of the box gave the Nighthawks the best opportunity of the game with a penalty kick.
Caleb Putney stepped up and set the keeper the wrong way to go up 1-0 with less than 10 minutes to play.
With the Skyhawk offense playing more aggressively, desperate to earn a result, the NNU defense stayed strong for the final minutes to hold on to the win.
This is NNU's first win over a ranked opponent since Nov. 16, 2024, when the Nighthawks defeated No. 14-ranked Western Oregon in the final game of the season. NNU improves to 2-0-3 with a two-game win streak and has yet to lose a game this season. They will look to keep the streak alive this Saturday against Colorado Mesa. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 PM.
By the numbers:
- NNU took 14 shots, seven on goal
- FLC took eight shots, two on goal
- Elijah Brockl secured his second straight shutout with two saves
- Caleb Putney scored his second goal of the season, 10th of his career
- Rylan McPherson led the team with five total shots, three on goal
- This is the first ranked in Julio Castillo's head coaching career
