MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake battled first-place Richland for 80 minutes Tuesday night, but the Bombers capitalized on an opportunistic offense to knock off the Chiefs girls soccer team 3-0 at Lions Field in Moses Lake.

Richland took a 2-0 lead into the half and the Bombers scored on a shot from 35 yards out 7 minutes into the second half to claim the victory.

Despite surrendering three goals Tuesday night, Moses Lake head coach Ric Char said his team played well.

“I thought our defense played well considering a few whacky goals,” he said. “They are the 10th-ranked team in the state.”

While Char said his defense defended Richland tough, he said Kimberly Bakker and Becca McCullough played particularly well.

“Those two played well,” he said.

Moses Lake entered Tuesday night’s contest as the Columbia Basin Big Nine Conference play as the seventh seed, having already qualified for the postseason, Char said.

“We made the playoffs already,” he said. “On our best day we can beat anybody.”

With his team’s playoff berth and a strong performance against Richland, Char said he is proud of the way his team has performed all season.

“I have been tickled by the way they’re playing,” he said. “We are set up for the best finish since I have been here and I have been here 8 years.”

Although Moses Lake fell Tuesday night, McCullough said she believed the Chiefs stuck together.

“I think we played as a team,” he said.

Bakker agreed with McCullough’s sentiments.

“We were really talking and communicating out there,” Bakker said. “We were really picking each other up.”

Moses Lake returns to action Saturday morning at 11 a.m. with a non-conference matchup with the Othello Huskies.