HELENA, Mont. – Carroll College women's soccer team played Eastern Oregon twice a season ago. Once in LaGrande, Ore., where they went to double overtime before Katey Friedt knocked in a goal in the 103rd minute to earn the 2-1 win for Carroll, and again in the Cascade Conference Championship where the two teams battled to a scoreless tie before the Saints won 3-2 on a shootout.
 
The two teams also had a plethora of players on All-Conference rosters, including Carroll's Jamie Carter as Defensive Player of the Year and EOU's Zoe Anderson was named the freshman of the year.
 
The two teams meet for the first time this season Thursday at Nelson Stadium and the two are the only teams to go 2-0 in the opening week of conference play. Carroll is 5-3 overall while EOU comes in at 5-2-1.
 
The matchup continues to look even closer when you look at scoring. Carroll has scored 13 goals to the Mounties' 14 and EOu holds a 5-6 advantage in goals against.
 
"We were the two teams that represented us at nationals and we both seem to have started strong," head coach David Thorvilson said. "This will be a tough matchup. They are very well organized and difficult to score on. Their defense is strong and we have to take advantage when we do get opportunities."
 
Carroll brings a one-two offensive punch with their strong backline. Michaela Kueffler (3) and Payton Netz (4) lead the Saints in goals and Kueffler earned Cascade Offensive Player of the Week honors.
 
Eastern Oregon has four players that have scored multiple goals this season but none more than two. Anderson looks, at least on film, like she is again going to challenge for Cascade Conference honors.
 
"Anderson is a handful," Thorvilson said. "She is full of energy, very athletic and very fast. She is going to cause a lot of problems with defenses in the conference."
 
The match is the first of two for homecoming weekend. Carroll plays EOU Thursday before hosting Warner Pacific Friday.
 
"Last year Warner took us to overtime so you can't overlook them," Thorvilson said. They have a strong coaching staff and some very good individual players. In this conference if you look ahead at all any team can beat you."
 
The Knights are 2-3-1 and 0-1-1 in Cascade play after week one. Ashley Giesbers is among the Cascade Conference leaders with six goals on the season. Warner has three shutouts on the year.
 
The Saints host Eastern Oregon at 4 p.m. Thursday and Warner at 4 p.m. Friday. Both games are scheduled for Nelson Stadium as the second game of double headers with the fist games featuring the men's teams at 2 p.m.
 
Live video will be available via the Carroll Youtube channel.