The University of the Fraser Valley women's soccer team saw its preseason win streak snuffed at four, as the visiting Concordia Cavaliers prevailed 3-2 in exhibition action at MRC Sports Complex on Thursday.

The NCAA Division II side from Portland, Ore. got a pair of goals from Isabelle Morales and one from Jaida Nyby. The Cascades responded with strikes from Brittany Zacharuk and Bryana Buttar.

"Preseason is about building and reinforcing positive habits, building cohesion and preparing for the season," UFV head coach Rob Giesbrecht observed afterward. "I thought today we played well, we just had individual mistakes that cost us. That's something where players need to learn to step up in games against good competition. If you make mistakes against good competition, you get punished. That's the difference. 

"We played a good team today. They were hungry and they were athletic, and it's a good learning opportunity for us."

The Cascades (4-2-0 in the preseason) had a strong push to start the game, but it was the Cavaliers opening the scoring in the ninth minute on a counterattack. Kyra Radcliffe, racing down the left wing, played the ball ahead to Nyby, and she converted from close range past UFV keeper Andrea Perkovic.

The hosts responded in the 17th minute. Jenna Mele lofted a ball down the right wing to Simi Lehal, and she beat a Concordia defender to gain possession and sent it into the box. Buttar had a crack at goal, and senior captain Zacharuk cleaned up to level the score.

Morales, though, would strike twice in a four-minute span. In the 24th, she converted a feed from Radcliffe, who picked up her second assist of the evening. Then, in the 27th, she ran onto a ball in the midfield and blasted a shot from distance that curled in just under the crossbar. 

Buttar drew the Cascades to within a goal in the 55th minute, breaking in alone and slotting a shot between the legs of Cavaliers keeper Abigail Diller.

In the 82nd, the Cascades nearly scored on a scramble off a corner, and the ball subsequently squirted out to Daniella Bavaro who hammered a line drive from well outside the penalty area, but Isabelle Davis – Concordia's third keeper to see action on the night, following Hailey Asato and Diller – came up with a spectacular diving stop. 

Perkovic and Joven Sandhu shared the goalkeeping duties for UFV, each playing one half.

The Cascades wrap up their exhibition schedule on the road Saturday (7 p.m.) at Seattle Pacific University, another NCAA D2. They open their Canada West campaign the following weekend with games at UVic (Sept. 6, 5 p.m.) and UBC (Sept. 7, 6:30 p.m.).