By Seth Preuss

NEWBERG --- The men's soccer team opened its 2018 Northwest Conference campaign at home with a match against the Whitworth Pirates. The Bruins played hard all night but fell 4-0 to start the 2018 conference slate.

Recap

George Fox had the first dangerous chance of the match, but it was the Pirate who netted the first goal of the night. Whitworth controlled the possession and tempo for much of the night and the Bruins did their best to match up defensively.

Patrick Ehleringer got the start in goal and turned away three shots in the first half before the Pirates found the back of the net in the 24th minute. A save on a Whitworth shot from just outside the six-yard box got away and was put in by Whitworth for the winning goal.

The Pirates put in three more insurance goals in the second half to take the match. The Bruins fought hard all night and did generate several dangerous chances, including two near-misses off the foot of Jorge Huaracha-Canchola.

Top Performers

Ehleringer made three great saves for the Bruins before exiting in the second half and Huaracha-Canchola provided a good spark for the Bruin offence off of the bench.

What It Means

The Bruins' early-season skid continues as they fall to 1-4 and 0-1 in conference, but their freshmen saw plenty of minutes and have more experience to draw on going forward.

What Happens Next

George Fox plays host to Whitman University on Sunday at 2:30 pm.