NEWBERG, Ore. - Cory Druffel scored the only
goal of the game three-and-a-half minutes into the first overtime,
giving the visiting Whitworth University Pirates a 1-0 victory over
the George Fox University Bruins in a Northwest Conference women's
soccer match Saturday afternoon here at Morse Field.
Coming off a 1-0 upset of the second-ranked University of Puget
Sound in their last game, the Pirates (13-3, NWC 10-2) stayed right
on the heels of the league-leading Loggers with their win,
remaining one game out in the standings. George Fox (6-9, NWC
3-8) suffered its third straight setback and second in a row by a
1-0 score in overtime.
Whitworth held a sizeable advantage in offensive plays in the
first half, taking 12 shots to three for George Fox and creating
five corner kicks to none. The Pirates could not put one in
the net, however, as Bruin goalie Becka Doyle made
six first-half saves, including four in the space of four minutes a
little over 11 minutes into the match. One of then was a
spectacular punch over the crossbar of a looping shot that appeared
certain to go in.
The second half was a bit more even as the Pirates held a 9-3
edge in shots while the Bruins collected a pair of corner
kicks. Whitworth's best shot in regulation came at the 49:23
mark when Sarah Berentson sent a high shot from 20 yards out
straight toward the goal that hit the crossbar and bounded back
into the field of play. The Bruins had three shots on
goal in regulation, all good opportunities by Jenny McKinsey, Kayla
Corn, and Kassie Vanderkwaak, but Pirate keeper Callie Bergstrom
made nice saves on all three to preserve the shutout and the tie.
The Pirates finally broke through in the first overtime.
Mackenzie Grow took a shot from just inside the 18-yard line that
was blocked by a Bruin defender, and in the ensuing scrum in front
of the net, the ball rolled out toward the right post, where
Elizabeth Mattila gathered it in for a shot opportunity. When
Doyle stepped toward her to challenge the threat, Mattila crossed
to Druffel, who had an easy tap inside the left post for her second
goal of the season from point-bank range.
Whitworth finished with 24 shots, 11 on goal, to six and three
for the Bruins. Doyle kept the Bruins in the game with a
career-high 10 saves.
George Fox hosts Whitman College and Whitworth goes to Pacific
University Sunday, both conference contests starting at 12:00 noon.
