NEWBERG, Ore. – Michelle Young scored two goals and assisted on another before leaving with an arm injury late in the game, leading the George Fox University Bruins to a 4-0 win over the Pacific University Boxers as the second half of the Northwest Conference women's soccer season got under way Wednesday night here at the Austin Sports Complex.

The Bruins, who have dropped six games by a single goal and have also played six overtime games, finally got some room to breath as they picked up their first conference win of the season, improving to 2-9-2 overall and 1-8 in the league.  The Boxers, who defeated the Bruins 3-1 to open conference play on Sept. 12, fell to 5-5-3 overall and 3-5-1 in the NWC.

George Fox got on the board less than 10 minutes in when Melanie Gaither received a through ball from Jamie Galbreath just across midfield, juked past two defenders at full speed, and beat Pacific goalkeeper Brittany Hartmann one-on-one with a shot from left to right at 9:41.  It was her second goal of the season.

It was Galbreath's turn to score for the first time this year at the 23:13 mark when Young sent a perfectly-placed cross from the right sideline to the middle of the box, where Galbreath settled the ball and quickly sent it to the right corner of the net from 10 yards away.  The Bruins took that 2-0 advantage into the locker room after the defensive line limited to Boxers to only two first-half shots, and just one on goal.

The Boxers came out much more aggressively in the second half, setting up 12 shots in the final period, nine on goal.  They were never able to cash in, however, as Bruin keeper Alyssa Montero preserved the shutout with eight second-half saves and nine in all. 

Young sealed the deal for the Bruins with two goals in the final stanza, giving her five on the season.  Her first of the game, at the 55:29 mark, came when she secured a loose ball that had been kicked away from Gaither just outside the keeper's box and lofted it high over a leaping Hartmann and through her hands.  The second came at 61:11 when Gaither, driving into the box, was hit with a sliding tackle by Hartmann going for the ball and was awarded a penalty kick.  Gaither was unable to take the kick due to sore legs and had to leave the game, so Young knocked the ball home into the left corner.

Ten minutes later, Young went down hard backwards and appeared to injure a wrist trying to brace herself.  With her arm in an inflatable cast, she was carted off the field and taken to a local hospital, according to George Fox coach Andy Hetherington, who added post-game, “In light of the injuries to two of our best offensive players, this may have been an expensive victory.”

George Fox finished with 11 total shots and seven on goal.  Hartmann made two saves in 70 minutes and Kayla Davidson made one while serving the final 20 minutes in the net for the Boxers.  Pacific held a 6-1 margin on corner kicks but was unable to take advantage of any of them. 

NEXT: George Fox visits Willamette University in Salem, Ore., Saturday for a 12:00 noon conference clash ... Pacific hosts Lewis & Clark College Sunday in NWC action, also at noon.