PORTLAND, Ore. - Kayla Vera and Melanie Alcantar Lopez combine for five goals to to propel Portland past Southwestern Oregon yesterday at the Rock Creek Fields. 

Fresh off being named NWAC Athlete of the Week, Vera was a menace all game with darting runs into the box and aggressive dribble attacks. The speed and technical skill of the Panthers made trouble for the visiting Lakers throughout the match. 

Emerson Monnie and Vera scored goals in the first 20 minutes and the Panthers looked in control of the game until SWOCC got on the board, pouncing on a rebound after a 25 yard free kick that Evelyn Hollingworth pushed away but right into the path of Tiana Jackson. The energized Lakers then solidified defensively which kept the Panthers at bay until after halftime.

When the second half began, Melanie Alcantar Lopez took over and scored two goals in the first three minutes of the half, to put the Panthers back into a commanding lead. Vera added two more goals in the 57th and 79th minutes before getting rested by Coach Shawn Bundy to keep her healthy moving forward into the rest of the season.

Jordyn Kister concluded the scoring for the game with a consolation goal for SWOCC in the 86th minute when the Panthers Emerson Monnie was taking a rest on the bench for a lightly sprained ankle. 

Coach Bundy was generally pleased with the performance of his team and he was glad that the few mistakes that the Panthers made will be easy to fix in next week's training sessions. The Panthers remain unbeaten in official matches and look to continue that streak Friday, September 12th at Clackamas. The Panthers have scored 16 goals on the year and are in search of breaking the most goals scored in a single season by a Panther team, of 38 goals (2019)