Box Score By: Ryan Lackey
NEWBERG, Ore. --- A few good looks on goal from Caitlyn Connor and Savannah Moisan were not enough to lift the Bruins over Linfield Wildcats on Sunday afternoon, as the visiting Bruins wrapped up their 2015 regular season with a 2-0 loss.
Recap:
The Bruins, despite the loss, were very much in the match and gave the competitive Wildcats all they could handle: overall, the Bruins had 15 shots and forced Wildcats keeper Elisa Randel into eight saves. However, the Bruins could do little about Emma Vukic's standout day – her brace proved Linfield's margin of victory.
Though Linfield claimed the first few attempts of the match, the Bruins came awfully close to opening the scoring in the 13th minute, when Caitlyn Connor's driven shot was parried well by Randel. Minutes later, Connor, with another open look, put her foot through the ball again but this time fired high. Soon after, Bruin keeper Morgan Bars passed her first real test of the day, diving to keep out Yasmeen Ramos' effort.
In the 25th minute, Bars was left helpless when Ally Bushman found Vukic in the box; Vukic smashed Bushman's cross into the corner well beyond the bereft Bars, and Linfield led, 1-0. Just moments later, Vukic nearly had an early brace, but her shot was blocked well; Bars then made a fine save on a shot from Bushman. Flying down on a counterattack, Savannah Moisan then nearly equalized for the Bruins, but Randel was alert and kept out Moisan's curled shot.
In the 36th minute, the Wildcat doubled their lead and Vukic snagged her brace. This time, Sami Moellmer was the creator, slipping a pass into Vukic, who placed her shot perfectly, again leaving Bars helpless. The 2-0 scoreline held through the halftime whistle.
Early in the second half, the Bruins were unlucky not to score: in the span of four minutes, Moisan, Michelle Young, and Sarah Tuemmler all had shots saved by Randel, and Hannah Harder rocketed an attempt just over the crossbar. The Bruins defense did well to limit the space allowed to the Linfield attackers in the second half, but nothing seemed to trick the in-form Randel, who did well to keep a clean sheet against the determined Bruins.
Top Performers:
Both Connor and Moisan were unfortunate not to get on the scoresheet – both had two shots on goal. Ashley Behrens also came close. In goal, Morgan Bars had a solid game despite the two unreachable goals, making eight saves.
What It Means:
The Bruins wrap up their regular season with a 5-13-2 record; in the Northwest Conference, they finished 3-12-1. Encouragingly, the Bruins were fifth in the conference in overall goals scored, a sign of their increasingly dynamic offensive play.
What Comes Next:
The Bruins head into the winter offseason.
