ASHLAND, Ore. – Shalynai Naputi tucked a 20-yard shot underneath the crossbar with seven minutes remaining, lifting Oregon Tech to a key 2-1 victory over rival Southern Oregon at Raider Stadium.
 
The Lady Owls (5-5-3, 4-4-2 CCC) won for the first time in the Rogue Valley since 2013, vaulting into a 3-way tie for fifth-place in the Cascade Conference table.
 
"What a great team win," said OIT head coach Tom Moore. "We stepped up and put together a spirited 90 minutes. We needed every minute of it."
 
Naputi nearly got the Owls on the board in the 23rd minute, lining a shot off the crossbar, but Tech was able to take a 1-0 lead to the break, as Brianna Lewis took a cross from Ashley Hart and lined a shot from the box into the net.
 
The Raiders (6-5-4, 3-2-4) withstood an OIT offensive barrage in the second half, converting an 82nd minute goal from Brooklyn Hayes – touching home a loose ball following a scrum in the box.
 
Just 90 seconds later, the Lady Owls answered. Kayla Ness played a cross from the right corner to the top of the 18 – with Naputi launching a drive to the upper right corner of the net for the game-winner.
 
Tech had a 14-10 edge in shots and a 4-1 edge in corner kicks
 
The win pulled the squad within a point of a CCC Tournament bid – or either a tie or draw by Multnomah.
 
"I am very proud of this group putting together such a positive effort," Moore said. "Coming back after allowing the equalizer showed the resilience we've been wanting this season."
 
The Lady Owls close out the regular-season at home, hosting Northwest on Oct. 29 and Evergreen State on Oct. 30.