SALEM, Ore. – The George Fox women's soccer team's rally fell short on Wednesday night, falling to the Willamette Bearcats, 3-1.
How it Happened
Willamette came out hot, taking two shots in the first minute; though both missed, they set the tone for the half. Their next attempt occurred in the fourth minute; the Bearcats aimed for the lower center of the net, but
Myann Johansen made the save. Both teams pushed back against the other's attack, going six minutes without recording a shot.
Ten minutes in, the Bearcats threatened on a corner kick. Though the first shot was saved by Johansen, the second one—taken by Bailey Watland—snuck past Fox's defense, with Willamette now seeing a 1-0 lead. In the 17th minute, Johansen notched another save to keep the score tight. Willamette took another shot within the next 10 minutes, but it missed high and left. The first shot from Fox took place in the 28th minute, when freshman
Anya Gula aimed for the bottom left of the goal, but the shot was saved by the Bearcat goalkeeper. The next two shots were launched by
Sarah Burkes and
Chloe Rocha, but neither found the back of the net. With two minutes left in the half, Willamette took one more shot, but it went high, keeping the score at 1-0.
While Willamette outshot the Bruins, 9-3, in the first half, Fox would turn the tables in the second — outshooting the home team, 9-5. The 60th and 61st minutes brought several scoring opportunities for Fox.
Morgan Phalen tried to get one in, but her attempt was blocked.
Maci Bowman's shot was also blocked.
Isabella Hector then took a chance on goal, aiming for the bottom left, but Willamette's goalie kept her from scoring.
64 minutes in, Bearcat Samantha Rodriguez fired an arcing shot into the back of the net, increasing Willamette's lead to 2-0. In the next minute, a Willamette player fouled, leading to a free kick for Fox. Phalen took the kick, and Hector found the upper corner of the goal, cutting Willamette's advantage to 2-1. A few minutes later, Phalen vied for the bottom left of the goal, but the goalie stopped her attempt. Seconds later,
Lindsey Kong's shot went over the crossbar. The teams grappled back-and-forth for the next nine minutes before Kong took another shot which was saved by Willamette's keeper. In the ensuing minutes, the Bearcats tried to score again, but the ball flew above the net. Rocha took one last shot for the Bruins; her strike was blocked.
Willamette sealed its lead with a late goal, finding the back of the net on a free kick. The game ended with a score of 3-1 in favor of the Bearcats.
Top Performances
Isabella Hector scored for the Bruins, assisted by
Morgan Phalen. Hector, Phalen and
Lindsey Kong all took two shots. Hector had two shots on goal, while Phalen and Lindsey each had one.
Erin Lam,
Sarah Burkes, Phalen, and Kong each played for 90 minutes.
What it Means
The Bruins fall to 2-9-1 (1-8-1 NWC), while Willamette improves to 6-5-1 (4-5-1 NWC).
What Happens Next
Fox will face PLU in Newberg, Ore. on Friday, October 16 at 7:45 pm.
