Burnaby, BC – Central Washington University freshman forward Mackenzie Nolte scored her second goal of the game midway through the second half to lift the Wildcats to a 2-1 victory over Simon Fraser University Clan in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's soccer game Thursday evening on Terry Fox Field.

Nolte's game-winning goal was created off a long free kick from midfield that careened off the post and onto her foot in the penalty area. She was able to quickly knock the ball past Clan goalkeeper Priya Sandhu (Surrey, BC).

"I felt like the ball was a little too far out for me to grab when it was coming into the box, and after it hit the post, I had no time to react (to the shot)," said Sandhu.

Nolte got the Wildcats on the board in the first half when she beat Sandhu in a one-on-one situation. That lead held until midway through the second half when SFU freshman midfielder Elishah Jilling (White Rock, BC) tied the score on a beautifully placed shot from 25 yards out. It was her second goal of the season.

"It was a world class goal and it was nice to see that she had the confidence to take the shot," said Clan head coach Annie Hamel. "It is something we have been working on in training."

Sandhu prevented Nolte from notching the hat-trick. In the closing minutes, Nolte came charging in on a breakaway but Sandhu dove at the striker's feet, corralling the ball and preventing the goal.

The loss drops the Clan to 2-13-0 overall and 2-9-0 in the GNAC. The win keeps the Wildcats in the hunt for second place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference as their record improves to 7-6-2 overall and 6-3-2 in the GNAC.

"We showed a lot of grit and a lot of fight," said Hamel. "We didn't get the result and I'm not happy about that but we showed a huge improvement over the last time we played Central Washington."

SFU lost 4-0 to the Wildcats earlier this season.

The Clan is back in action on October 25 as they host Seattle Pacific University. Kick-off is at 5:00 p.m. on Terry Fox Field.