HELENA, Mont. - Thursday night's battle for the top spot in the CCC table didn't fall in favor of Carroll, as they dropped a physical 3-2 match to Eastern Oregon on Valley Bank Field at Nelson Stadium.

A slightly sloppy second half from the Fighting Saints (7-2-1, 5-1) spelled trouble, as a persistent and opportunistic Mountaineer (8-0-3, 5-0-1) side capitalized on mistakes for a 3-2 win.

The early stages of the match were a feeling-out process for both sides, as Carroll looked to avenge a loss in the 2024 CCC Championship match, and Eastern Oregon looked to maintain their unbeaten conference record.

Carroll struck first, as Felix Billard (Mallorca, Spain / JR) buried a rebound attempt from the left side of the box into the net for his third goal of the season to give the Saints a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute.

The Saints appeared primed to head into half with a lead, but a last minute corner opportunity for the Mountaineers would ultimately tie things up. JJ Gallardo's header off the corner from Anthony Macedo would find the upper corner of the net with just 20 seconds remaining to even the match at 1-1.

Eastern Oregon utilized long balls and speed in the early stages of the second, paired with several Carroll mistakes to open the game up with a two goal lead.

Milton Hernandez scored the second goal of the night for EOU in the 54th minute off of another corner kick with heavy traffic in the box, while Marcos Bravos provided an insurance goal 12 minutes later off a lazy pass on the back line from the Saints.

Carroll upped the pressure late, and Billard would be rewarded with a penalty kick in the 87th minute. The '24 CCC goals leader made good on the attempt for the second goal of his brace, bringing the Saints within one, but the comeback effort would run out of time as the Mountaineers escaped with the 3-2 win.

Stats were nearly identical across the board, with Carroll leading in shots (11-10), and EOU leading in fouls (16-14). Both keepers finished with three saves, and both teams had five corner kick opportunities.

The Saints will look to rebound on Saturday, as they host College of Idaho at 2:30 p.m.