Box Score

NEWBERG, Ore. – Midfielder Molly Schaefer tapped in the only goal of the game off a throw-in and the George Fox University defense posted its eighth shutout of the season as the Bruins edged the visiting Pacific University Boxers 1-0 in a Northwest Conference women's soccer match Wednesday afternoon here at Morse Field.

It was the fourth straight 1-0 win for the Bruins (8-2, NWC 4-2) and lifted them into a tie for second place in the conference with Whitman College and Willamette University, pending the outcome of Willamette's game at Linfield College later Wednesday.  Pacific (4-6, NWC 3-3) dropped its third in a row after a four-game winning streak.

George Fox held firm control of the action in the first half, getting 15 shots to five for Pacific (six on goal to two) but finishing off none of them as Boxer keeper Erin Ichimura made six saves in the period en route to eight in the game.  The second half was more equal as the Bruins held an 8-7 advantage in total shots and 3-2 in shots on goal.

The Bruins finally broke the nil game on Anna Russell's throw-in from the right sideline toward the near post.  The ball skipped off two Pacific defenders and Bruin forward Jenny McKinsey, who had jumped trying for a header, and rolled free in front of the net.  Ichimura had stepped over to contest the play and was out of position to defend against Schaefer coming in from the left, who nudged the ball just inside the far post at 67:54.

The Bruins then went into a defensive mode for the final 22 minutes, with the back line of Melissa Leighty, Megan Servoss, Alex Paradis, Sophia De Graff and Kayla Corn blocking three of the Boxers' final five shots and preventing any serious threat from developing.  One shot by Becca Roth was wide, and keeper Sally Page stopped the only shot on goal, by Roth, with 10 minutes left in the game.

Page finished with four saves in recording her seventh shutout of the season, two short of the George Fox record of nine by Meghan Gibson in1998.  The Bruins' eight shutouts on the season is one short of the team record of nine in 1998.

Both teams are back in Northwest Conference action Saturday at 12:00 noon, George Fox hosting Whitman and Pacific entertaining Whitworth University.  Each game will be followed by men's NWC games at 2:30 p.m.