Box Score NEWBERG, Ore. --- After coming off a huge win on Saturday, the women's soccer team put on a show Sunday afternoon, as the Bruins shutout the Missionaries of Whitman College, 2-0.
Brette Dodson and Hannah Harder both scored their first goals of the season, as the Bruins improve to 2-7-3 overall and 2-5-1 in conference. The Missionaries fall to 6-4-2 on the season and 4-2-2 in conference play.
"The girls believed they were going to win, they believed they had to win, and there were no doubts," said head coach Cory Hand. "Whitman was the number #1 team in the conference coming into the game, they're extremely talented, and have had impressive results and run of play against some very strong teams. Don't get me wrong, we have a ton of respect for Whitman and what they're capable of doing. When it came down to it, what's the point of playing the game if you aren't going to fight for the win? We felt prepared, confident in our game plan, and a hungry for another win."
The first period was filled with defensive stops, as the Missionaries put up nine shots. Ally Swanson had a wonderful day in the net recording nine saves on 20 shots.
"The girls were relentless all game, they fought to stay organized, to stay connected, and to stick to the game plan," said Hand. "I am beyond proud of the girls to be able to execute the kind of patience they showed today and the unity that was displayed!"
In the second half, the Bruins came out with a burst of energy and took back possession forcing the Missionaries to play defense. After drawing a foul in the 66th minute, Brette Dodson set up a free kick from 25 yards out. Dodson sailed a ball over the Missionaries' wall and found the back left top side of the net to score the game-winner for the Bruins.
"I knew it was going in, I didn't even want to think about it," said Dodson. "I knew that if I stepped up and took the shot it would go in."
"Immediately after the goal was scored all I could think about was sticking to the plan, getting back, staying tight and staying together," said Dodson. "A 1-0 lead doesn't mean anything, we still had a game to play. We needed another. We weren't done yet."
The Bruins would find what Hand was looking for just two minutes later after Hannah Harder found a pass from Ashley Richards. Harder found herself in open space and fired a shot to the top right side of the net that flew through the hands of WC's goalkeeper to seal the 2-0 victory.
"I knew going into this game that we would win, I had a feeling, we were ready for them," said Dodson. "I knew it was going to be hard, but we could win."
The Bruins will host Lewis & Clark on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 12:00 p.m.
