BOX SCORE - CORBAN 5, WARNER PACIFIC 1

Senior Lyndsey Hawk scored a pair of goals today versus in Corban's victory over Warner Pacific to help propel the Warriors into the playoffs. (Photo courtesy of William Scott Photography)

PORTLAND, Ore. – Senior Lyndsey Hawk (Medford, Ore.) scored a pair of goals, as Corban's women's soccer team earned a 5-1 win over the Knights of Warner Pacific on Wednesday to secure home field advantage for the first round of the Cascade Collegiate Conference post-season tournament.

Thanks to winning four of its last five conference games to end the regular season, along with losses by both Albertson and Oregon Tech today, Corban secured the third seed in this year's post-season tournament and will host a first-round playoff game this weekend.

Hawk opened the game's scoring in the 8th minute off an assist from fellow senior Charissa Bernard (Salem, Ore.).  The play began with Bernard sending a pass down the center to a wide-open Hawk, who had beat the Knight defenders, for a one-on-one show down with Warner Pacific's goalkeeper.  Fortunately for the Warriors, Hawk won the battle and scored her 4th goal of the season to give the visitors the early advantage.

With the slight one-goal advantage for most of the first half, freshman Marissa Walter (Elk Grove, Calif.) netted the eventual game-winner on another assist from Bernard in the 44th minute.  Walter capped her first collegiate regular season by scoring her 3rd career goal and first since Corban's heart-breaking loss to NCAA Division II member Western Oregon.

After carrying a two-goal lead into the half, Hawk came out in the opening minutes of the second half and put the Warriors up comfortably, 3-0, with her second goal of the game and 5th of the season in the 48th minute.  Hawk teamed with freshman midfielder Kacie Emerick (Bellingham, Wash.) on the play for Emerick's team-leading 5th assist of the season.

Less than twenty minutes later, junior Sarah Whaley (Gresham, Ore.) hooked up with senior midfielder Nicole Hickman (Yakima, Wash.) in the 66th minute for Whaley's second goal of the season.  Hickman notched her first assist and first point of the season, while Whaley scored her second goal in the past five games for Corban.

Corban concluded the scoring when junior Megan Waunch (Tumwater, Wash.) scored her team-leading 7th goal of the season unassisted in the 67th minute before Warner Pacific got on the board in the 88th minute via an own goal.

Senior goalkeeper Kim Mendenhall (Windsor, Calif.) picked up a game-high 9 saves for the Warriors, while Janette Sears also grabbed a game-high 9 saves of her own for the Knights.

With the win, Corban improved to 7-11-0 overall, 5-4-0 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference and finishes the regular season third in the conference standings. Thanks to its regular season finish, the Warriors will host an opening round playoff game on Warrior Field against the tournament's No. 6-seeded Hustlin' Owls of Oregon Institute of Technology on Saturday, October 21st, with a time still to be determined.

NOTE: Corban's women's soccer will honor its five graduating seniors at halftime of the game!