IRVINE, Calif. -- In a tightly contested match at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine, Calif., Concordia came from behind to defeat Santa Clara, 9-8, in the Golden Coast Conference finale for both teams. With the win, Concordia secures the seven seed in the upcoming GCC Championship (Apr. 25-27).

Concordia took an early lead, scoring three goals in the first period, with Anna Tyukasz netting two of those goals. The Broncos managed to respond with a goal from Libby Slater, but the Golden Eagles finished the first quarter ahead 3-1.

Santa Clara came alive in the second quarter, with Megan Chambliss and Evelyn McLaughlin each contributing to the scoring, bringing the Broncos within one goal of the Golden Eagles. However, Sierrah Ferguson of Concordia netted a goal to ensure her team maintained their lead going into halftime, with a score of 4-3.

The third period witnessed a flurry of goals as both teams ramped up their offensive efforts. The Broncos outscored the Golden Eagles in this quarter, with Libby Slater and Chloe Rizof also getting on the scoreboard. Despite Santa Clara's efforts, Concordia managed to hold on to a slim lead, ending the quarter 6-7.

In a thrilling final quarter, the lead exchanged hands multiple times and Concordia trailed 8-7 with just under six minutes to play. Hannah Edwards would tie the game with just over four minutes to play and Sierrah Ferguson scored what would be the game winner with 2:31 to play. Concordia would fight off two Santa Clara 6-on-5 attemptes in the final two minutes for the win.

Ferguson led Concordia (6-22, 1-6) with four goals while Chambliss had three for Santa Clara (5-17, 0-7).