Entering Tuesday's match at Coos Bay, the Lane Community College soccer team had given up just two goals while running up a 10-0-0 record.

After 10 minutes Tuesday, the Southwestern Oregon Community College women had matched that output. And by the end of the 90 minutes on the new Southwestern pitch, the Lakers had secured a 3-0 win, handing the Titans their first loss.

The match was the first of six season-ending battles that will be critical for Southwestern's playoff hopes.

The Lakers (10-1-2), and the Titans, had built up their lofty records primarily against the NWAACC North Region. That's the same case with Clackamas, the only team to beat Southwestern this season, Clark and Lower Columbia.

Southwestern executed its game plan to perfection on Tuesday.

“Coach told us they like to come out fast,” said Southwestern's Sarah Stalling, adding that the Lakers hoped to come out even stronger than the Titans. “We got them back on their heels.”

Playing into the wind in the first half, the Lakers went on the immediate attack. And just three minutes in, Southwestern lined up a corner kick. Megan Franko booted the ball perfectly to Stalling in front of the goal and she chipped it past Lane's Andrea Shoop to give the Lakers a quick 1-0 advantage.

In the ninth minute, the Lakers were in the same position. This time, Franko's kick from the corner found its way into a group in front of the goal and Casey Spence put the rebound into the net.

“We wanted it from the start and that got us going,” said Southwestern's Tasha Sawall of the quick goals.

The success on the corner kicks was not an accident.

“Coach really wants us to finish corners,” said Stalling. “We practice that every day.”

Stalling's goal was reminiscent of a near-miss last week at Shoreline, a play that was stopped by the opposing goalie.

“I wanted to make sure the keeper didn't get it this time,” she said.

With the 2-0 lead, Southwestern turned to its defense, which proved to be impenetrable much of the afternoon.

Southwestern goalie Tamalyn Hasegawa only had to get her hand on a couple of shots all day. Lane finished with just eight shots and only a couple of close misses, including one by Kori Wilgus that deflected off the post in the 36th minute.

Playing into the wind in the second half, Lane only had three shots and Hasegawa easily stopped each.

Southwestern managed an insurance goal, courtesy of Sawall, in the 80th minute.

From just inside the end line, Sawall blasted a ball that deflected off a Lane defender and past Shoop.

The Lakers kept up their defense, with urging from coach Shaun Kohn, until the final whistle. Then they joined in celebration with the Southwestern men's team. Most of the men had painted their chests and faces in the school's blue and red colors and spent the match cheering for the squad from the opposite sideline. They quickly ran across the pitch to congratulate the women and then formed a tunnel with their hands for the victors to run through.

The team's excitement was evident long after the match.

“I'm so happy,” said Stalling.

Kohn was pleased, especially with his team's effort.

“We talked before the game that win, lose or draw at the end of the game we wanted to have put out our best effort,” he said.

The early goals were a big boost. Kohn said each of the goals into the wind were almost like scoring 1.5 goals because it's so much easier to move the ball downfield when playing with the wind.

Sawall and Stalling noticed a change in the Titans after the quick onslaught. The players on Lane's squad almost seemed to be fighting with each other, Sawall said.

The Lakers have not been in that situation all fall.

“We have good team chemistry,” Sawall said. “That helps a lot.”

That's a big improvement from last year, said Stalling, one of the squad's five sophomores.

“I think the whole team wants it this year,” she said. “We all get along.”

The team likely needs several more solid matches the rest of the way, starting with Saturday's home contest with Lower Columbia.

“Every game counts,” said Sawall. “We (have to) go at it hard, focused and determined.”

Notes: Four of the five teams in the South Region are ranked in the NWAACC coaches poll, with Clackamas second, Southwestern fourth, Clark fifth and Lane seventh. The Lakers still have two matches with Clark and one each with Clackamas and Lane.