NEWBERG, Ore. – A tap-in by Luke Hammer in the second half gave George Fox University the first lead of the game but the Bruins were unable to maintain the advantage, surrendering three unanswered goals and falling to the Willamette University Bearcats 3-1 in Northwest Conference men's soccer Sunday afternoon here at the Austin Sports Complex.

Both teams' defenses held sway in a scoreless first half.  Willamette had 12 total shots but only three on goal in the opening period, while George Fox had eight shots, just one on target.  The Bearcats had two shots with the space of about 15 seconds eight minutes into the game which first hit the left post and rebounded back into play, then hit the crossbar and deflected over and out of bounds.

The Bruins got on the board first three minutes into the second half.  Angelo Florez drove into the box from the left side and lined a shot toward the net that was slowed by Willamette's Braydon Calder, but the ball slipped through the sprawled keeper's fingers and rolled slowly behind him toward the goal mouth.  Hammer was in the right spot at the right moment to nudge the ball across the line for his fourth goal of the season, tying him for the team high with Sawyer Meek.  

An inadvertent hand ball by the Bruins in the box at the 55:51 mark resulted in a penalty kick opportunity for Trevor Jensen, and he connected into the left corner of the net past a lunging Luke Ridder to knot the game 1-1.  It was his fourth goal of the season.

The Bearcats went ahead at 61:31 when Tyler Yates sent an indirect free kick from outside the upper left corner of the box toward the right side of the box for Will O'Neil, who headed it back inside the far left post for his first goal of the year.  The visitors added an insurance goal three minutes from the end when Jensen crossed from the top of the keeper's box to the right side for Yazan Hishmeh , who drilled his fourth goal of the season back into the left corner for the final score of the game.

Willamette wound up with 28 total shots, nine on goal, to 14 total shots, three on goal, for George Fox.  Ridder kept the Bruins in the game with six saves, while Calder had to make only two saves.  Jensen took seven shots, four on target, to lead the Bearcats, while the Bruins were led by Sawyer Meek, who had four shots, one on goal.  The corner kicks were even and two apiece, while Willamette committed 13 foulls to seven for the Bruins.  Six yellow cards were whistled in the game, four against the Bruins and two against the Bearcats.

NEXT: George Fox (1-11, NWC 0-6) hits the road for its next three games, starting with a 2:30 p.m. game on Saturday against Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore. … Willamette (6-3-2, NWC 2-2-2) hosts Linfield College on Saturday, also at 2:30 p.m.