MURRAY — Things did not look good at all for Cottonwood going into its second game of the season with Skyline.

The Colts had been dealt an upset loss by lightly regarded Hunter just two days earlier. And they were facing an Eagles team that had given up just one goal to their Region 2 opponents and a grand total of four all season.

Still, Cottonwood did not see itself as a proverbial speed bump in Skyline's path to winning a region title. The Colts looked at themselves as more of a roadblock to the Eagles.

"It was the biggest game of our season and of our lives basically," senior sweeper Grace Amis said. "We were so ready for this game."

Cottonwood played like it too. The Colts outhustled and outmuscled Skyline and scored three second-half goals to string together a convincing 3-1 upset victory on Thursday afternoon.

Seeds for an upset were sown during a first half where Cottonwood (9-3) did an excellent job of pressuring Skyline (10-3-1) on offense and keeping the Eagles on their heels on defense.

The Colts nearly tacked on their first goal in the 26th minute when Karlee Paloukos swung a free kick inside the six-yard box. Skyline goalkeeper Anna Cassell came out to scoop up the ball but could not get her gloves around it. The ball bounced past Cassell and to the feet of senior forward Kiera Help.

With an empty net before her, Help had a perfect chance to score. But her shot went high and clanked off the upper part of the right post.

"It was really frustrating in the first half knowing that we could beat them, but we didn't capitalize on the mistakes they were making," Help said. "We couldn't take advantage and finish the goals and opportunities we had. The second half, luckily, we were able to follow through with our passes and (shots)."

The Colts broke the ice in the 45th minute when Paloukos took another free kick from 30 yards out and lobbed it over the three-man defensive wall. Cassell jumped high to push the ball over the crossbar, but it cleared her fingertips and dropped down behind her to make it 1-0.