WALLA WALLA, Wash. – For the second straight game, the George Fox University Bruins took an early lead, this time on a score by Luke Hammer, but again could not sustain the advantage as the Whitman College Missionaries rallied for a 3-1 win in Northwest Conference men's soccer action Sunday afternoon here at the Whitman Athletic Field.

Hammer collected his third goal of the season at 15:42 in the opening period when a ball deflected off of Whitman goalkeeper Stuart Ellsworth.  The Bruins' forward was able to beat Ellsworth to the loose ball and played it into the net to give the visitors the lead.

The Missionaries knotted the game 15 minutes later when Alex Barsher scored his sixth goal of the season and the first of two on the day.  Junpei Tsuji sent a through ball ahead to Barsher, and he beat the Bruin defense to score into the left side of the net.

The score remained 1-1 until the second half, when Whitman took a 2-1 lead at the 51:26 mark.  Tsuji again sent a through ball left to Daniel Kim, who put it to the top of the box for Riley Paul, who then connected for his first goal of the season inside the left post.  Barsher added an insurance goal four minutes later when he intercepted a ball rolling through the box and followed it in for his seventh goal of the year.

Whitman controlled the offense with 34 shots, 11 on goal, to four for the Bruins, Hammer's score being the only one on goal.  The Missionaries also held a 15-0 advantage in corner kicks.  Tsuji led Whitman in shots with six, three on goal, while Hammer had half of the Bruins' four attempts.

Ricardo Sotelo made five saves in the net for the Bruins in the first half, and Luke Ridder had three saves while working the second half but suffered the loss.  Ellsworth got the win for the Missionaries by playing the first 61 minutes before Niko Contos finished up, with neither recording a save.

NEXT: George Fox (1-9, NWC 0-4) hopes to snap an eight-game skid when the Bruins host Linfield College Saturday at 2:30 p.m.  The game will be part of a doubleheader, one of only two on this year's George Fox scheduld, with the Bruin women hosting Willamette University at 12:00 noon … Whitman (3-4-2, NWC 3-0-1) visits the University of Puget Sound Saturday at 2:30 p.m.