Box Score

NEWBERG, Ore. – With a pair of first-half goals and a defense that allowed only three shots on goal, the Willamette University Bearcats snapped their 31-game winless streak in Northwest Conference play with a 2-0 victory over the George Fox University Bruins in men's soccer action Saturday afternoon here at Morse Field.

The Bearcats took advantage of a errant Bruin throw-in for their first goal.  Casey Dineen intercepted the inbounds pass in the Willamette half of the field and sent it quickly to Erik Kaufman near the left corner of the penalty box.  Kaufman dodged around the last Bruin defender and shot the ball from 18 yards out past keeper Danny Kamna, who had come out to challenge the play, for his fifth score of the season just 3:53 into the game. 

The visitors scored a valuable insurance goal later in the period at the 37:49 mark.  Pete Kline ignited the play from the right wing by passing to Ivan Gutierrez in the center just outside the penalty box, and Gutierrez one-touched it to Sam Hodder near the left corner of the box.  Hodder then drilled a high bullet from 22 yards away into the far corner for his first goal of the season.

The Bearcat defense made those goals stand up the rest of the way.  Although the Bruins doubled the Bearcats in total shots 18-9, most of them were too far away or too off-target to seriously threaten Willamette keeper Mark Bennett, who made only three saves in posting the shutout.  The Bearcats had five shots on goal, with Kamna stopping the other three that did not go in.

It was the first win for Willamette in conference play since a 2-0 victory over Pacific University on Nov. 5, 2005.  The Bearcats had gone 0-29-2 since that time.

George Fox (1-5-3, NWC 0-1-2) next goes to Pacific Lutheran University Saturday for a 2:30 p.m. match, following the GFU-PLU women's game at 12:00 noon.  Willamette (2-5, NWC 1-2) hosts Pacific Saturday, also at 2:30 p.m.