PORTLAND, Ore. – The Western Oregon soccer team swept their season series with the Concordia Cavaliers on Thursday, topping CU 1-0 at Tuominen Yard.

"This was a big win for our program today. The defense played amazing and Alex played phenomenal in goal," head coach Kacey Bingham said. "Concordia is a good team and we had to battle to get the shutout. Dani (VanOrd) had a clutch finish and the team continues to show their growth with each game."

The win moved Western Oregon (7-4-3, 4-2-2 GNAC) to 14 points in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings and kept them solidly alone in third place. The 1-0 victory also represented the first-ever win for Western at Concordia (4-8-1, 2-4-1 GNAC), previously going 0-3-1 at Tuominen Yard.

The lone goal of the game for the Wolves came late in the first half. Kaili Brundage dropped a pass to the top of the box where Danielle VanOrd took aim at the far left corner and found net. It was VanOrd's first goal in a WOU uniform and her first point since picking up an assist Oct. 5 at home against Seattle Pacific.

 "Scoring my first goal of the season was pretty amazing, especially in a game as important as this one," said VanOrd. "Kaili really just set me up with the perfect opportunity and I was able to capitalize on it."

The Cavaliers did apply a good deal of pressure, totaling 18 shots in the game, 12 of which came in the second half. Goalkeeper Alex Qualls stepped up defensively to provide a season-high six saves. The shutout was Qualls' second straight and fourth in her last six appearances. She leads the GNAC with five shutouts in total this season.

"I am very proud of this team," said Qualls. "Dani (VanOrd) came up big and scored in the first half and we knew they were going to come out strong in the second half. We kept our composure and we came out with a big win."

The Wolves played just two reserves the entire match with Erika Gonzalez Moreno recording 22 minutes and Alexie Morris 24.

Junior Alyssa Tomasini contributed a match-high five shots to the game, one coming on goal.

The seven wins on the season is the most for a Western team since 2015 and leaves them one win away from matching their most wins since 2013.

Not only was the win WOU's first on the road against Concordia, but it also represented the first season they have taken two matches over the Cavaliers.

"This was an important game for us to win considering how close in points all of the teams are," added Vanord. "We may not have played the way we wanted but we came in and got the job done. The defense did a really good job saving us, especially Alex coming up with big saves."

Next up, the Wolves visit Saint Martin's on Saturday, Oct. 26. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. PDT in Lacey.