NEWBERG, Ore. – Midfielder Michelle Young assisted on George Fox University's first goal and scored the second, leading the Bruins to their first Northwest Conference women's soccer victory of the season and the first for new head coach Cory Hand, 2-1 over the Willamette University Bearcats, Saturday afternoon here at the Austin Sports Complex.

The first half was controlled offensively by the visiting Bearcats as they out-shot the Bruins 16-1, including nine shots on goal to none, but Bruin goalie Alyssa Montero made all nine shots as the teams battled to a 0-0 halftime.  The shot margin narrowed in the second half to 12 to six, but the game stayed scoreless for 20 more minutes before the Bruins finally broke through.

A corner kick by Young from the left was placed into the middle of the keeper's box and bounced off a Willamette defender directly to Tear'sa Krieger at the center top of the box.  Krieger immediately fired the ball just under the crossbar and over the head of keeper Liberty Siegle at the 65:29 mark for her first goal of the season and a 1-0 George Fox lead.

Young made it 2-0 with her second score of the season at the 81:06 point, taking an indirect free kick from 20 yards out after a Bearcat foul and drilling it into the upper center of the net to make it 2-0 Bruins.  That goal proved to be the game-winner when the madly-scrambling Bearcats got a goal from the top of the box by Sarah Desautels, her third of the year, at the 88:12 mark after a couple of one-on-one moves to get free.  The Bruins kept the ball away from the 'Cats thereafter until the clock expired.

Willamette finished with a 28-7 advantage in shots, including 14-3 in shots on goal.  Desautels had 11 to pace the 'Cats, while Krieger and Junoet Perkins had two shots each for the Bruins.  The corner kicks were virtually even, with five for Willamette to four for George Fox.

Montero, who tied the Bruin record for saves in a game a week ago when she made 21 stops in a 0-0 tie with the University of Puget Sound, had four more saves in the second half to finish with 13.  Siegle had one save for the Bearcats.

NEXT: George Fox (3-5-1, NWC 1-3-1) visits Lewis & Clark College and Willamette (2-7, NWC 0-5) goes to Linfield College Saturday, both games starting at 12:00 noon.