ASHLAND – Rocky Mountain (Mont.) forward Mia Daskalovska wielded a long dagger that put the first dent in Southern Oregon's loss column, 1-0, on Saturday afternoon at Raider Stadium's Laurel Field.
Daskalovska, a sophomore Australian, deposited a 35-yard attempt that gave the Battlin' Bears the lone goal in the 49th minute and kept them unbeaten at 5-0-4 overall and 3-0-2 in the Cascade Conference.
SOU (6-1-3, 3-1-1) keeper
Ashlyn Fuss made five saves but didn't have the reach to deter Daskalovska, who retrieved a loose ball, found herself in space and, with the wind in her back, took a straight-on shot that lined just beneath the crossbar. It was her third goal of the season.
The result ended the longest season-opening unbeaten streak ever for the Raiders at nine games. It also stopped their overall regular-season streak, which dated back to last fall, at a program-record 13 games.
RMC keeper Matea Vernon made four saves, but the run of play was on her team's side for most of the afternoon as the Bears got off 20 shots – the most for any SOU opponent in a CCC contest since the middle of last October.
The Raiders generated 12 shots but were held without one for the final 13-plus minutes of play.
Ava Johnson accounted for two of their four on goal.
Through five of 12 conference games, SOU is two points behind co-leaders Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho. Those teams will be the next to visit Ashland on Oct. 16-17.
The Raiders have a one-game road trip next week to Providence (Mont.), where they'll play at noon Thursday.
