Westminster (2-0-0) remained unbeaten on the young season with a 1-0 road win over Northwest Nazarene (0-3-1) on Friday night at NNU. Kirsten Kirkham's second-half goal, assisted by Natalie Cardin, proved to be the difference in the match.
Game Breakdown
First Half
Westminster came out looking to make an early impact, as Natalie Cardin forced the first save of the night off goalkeeper Alex Barrass in the 6th minute. The Nighthawks answered with a corner kick shortly after, and the two sides traded scoring chances through the opening half without breaking through. Abigail Austin sent a shot high in the 14th minute, and Cardin was denied again in the 24th minute when her attempt was blocked. Northwest Nazarene had its own looks, with Lucy Bergford firing wide left in the 21st minute and Mylee Carver doing the same late in the half. Adrianna Pulver also went high for the Griffins in the 38th minute. The teams went into the break level at 0-0, with shots even at 4-4 and Westminster picking up five fouls to the Nighthawks' six.
Second Half
Westminster began to assert control after halftime. Pulver drew another save from Barrass in the 48th minute, and Cardin had a shot scramble away in the 54th minute moments before the Griffins finally broke through. Also in the 54th minute, Kirsten Kirkham buried her first goal of the season off an assist from Cardin, giving Westminster a 1-0 lead it would not relinquish. The Griffins continued to pressure right after the goal, with Chelsea Hartmann's shot blocked off a corner kick sequence.
Cardin and Xevani Salanoa each drew additional saves from Barrass in the 62nd and 67th minutes, while Laine Romney fired one shot wide and one high later in the half. Northwest Nazarene pushed for an equalizer late, getting blocked and off-target shots from Attie Jo Westbrook and Alexis Cromwell, before Lucy Bergford's shot in the 80th minute was saved by Marin Mackenzie to preserve the clean sheet. Abbey Blancett's shot went wide right in the 81st minute, and Westminster closed out the match to secure the 1-0 victory. The Griffins outshot the Nighthawks 8-5 in the second half.
Griffin Performances
Kirsten Kirkham scored the game's lone goal, in the 54th minute. Natalie Cardin recorded the assist and led Westminster with four shots (three on target) across 82 minutes. Marin Mackenzie earned the win in net, making one save to secure her second shutout of the season.
Up Next
Westminster travels to face Metropolitan State University of Denver on Friday.
