NEWBERG, Ore.-- The George Fox men's soccer team hung tough against Puget Sound on Sunday afternoon, coming alive in the second half but falling short to the Loggers, 2-0.

How It Happened
The teams played close, competitive defense after the opening kick, with more cards than shots in the opening 16 minutes. While the Bruin defense held off the Loggers on three consecutive corner kicks in the 25th minute, it was a throw-in three minutes later that gave Puget Sound the edge. A high Logger throw-in was headed from Lincoln Schell to Diego Alvaro, who put the shot in to give Puget Sound the 1-0 lead.

The remainder of the first half featured only one more shot, a ball from the Loggers that Bruin goalie Cade Matsumoto saved. But when the second half rolled around, the intensity of the Bruin attack ramped up. After recording only one off-target shot in the opening half, Fox applied constant pressure to the Logger back line with eight shots, three of them on goal. Kellin Aguiar had the best chance of the day for the Bruins when his shot in the 58th minute was barely saved by goalie Ryan Saunders.

While the Bruins outshot the Loggers by four in the second, it was Puget Sound's Etienne Polak who scored; the freshman wrapped the ball into the back of the net from 20 yards out in the 79th minute. Though the Bruins worked to keep their energy up, the goal proved to be the final one of the game, a 2-0 victory for the Loggers.

Top Performers
Eight different Bruins recorded a shot on Sunday – Santiago Munevar the lone Fox player to total two. Munevar, Munevar, Aguiar, and Kilinahe Waring each notched a shot on goal, while Matsumoto recorded two saves.

Coach's Thoughts
"This afternoon certainly stings," Bruin head coach Paul Karver, "UPS did a good job of putting their chances away. We need to be more consistent in the way we start but there is growth happening and when the tide turns we will be better for it."

What It Means
The Bruins fall to 1-7-2 on the season, with a 0-4-2 mark in the Northwest Conference. The Loggers improve to 6-4-2, with an even 2-2-2 NWC record.

What Comes Next
The Bruins will return to Austin for the third time in four days, taking on the Lewis & Clark Pioneers in a non-conference matchup – 2022 marks the first year for Pioneer men's soccer.