SPOKANE, Ore. — After scoring an early goal, the George Fox women's soccer team fell to Whitworth in a late second half battle, 2-1.
How It Happened
Despite traveling all day Friday, you never would have guessed it by the way the Bruins came out to compete. In the first two minutes, Fox already was putting pressure through their offense thanks to
Erin Lam; while Lam's bottom right shot couldn't find the back of the net, it set a tone for the rest of the half. It quickly became a battle on both sides of the field. Whitworth was able to secure a few shots, but none were able to even come close to the goal because of GFU's lockdown defense. In the 24th minute, the 'Bucs snuck in a shot on goal, but Fox goalkeeper
Myann Johansen was able to save the bottom left shot from going any further, 0-0.
It didn't take long until George Fox was answering back with offensive aggression of their own 39 minutes in. After taking the ball up the field, a shot from Addison Wolff off the top woodwork unfortunately missed; however, it was just enough to give the Bruins an opportunity to score. Only seconds later,
Anya Gula recovered the ball and sent the ball to the goal on her first touch; this time around, the ball connected with the back of the net to give GFU the first advantage of the game before the first half ended, 1-0.
The second half got off to a slow start at the start of the second half, but things started to heat up in the 62nd minute. After a Fox foul, the Pirates were given an opportunity for a penalty kick which led to a Whitworth goal to tie the game, 1-1. From then on out, the 'Bucs aggression on offense only continued and while Johansen was able to secure another save for Fox, she couldn't hold them off for long. 12 minutes later, the Pirates managed to sneak in another goal to give them their first lead of the game, 2-1.
Offensively, George Fox remained resilient and didn't back down even with the pressure now on them. Throughout the half,
Mia Kalina and
Maddie Twichell each recorded a shot on goal, but both were saved by the 'Bucs goalkeeper to prevent the Bruins from answering back and the game ended with a Whitworth 2-1 win.
Top Performances
Anya Gula had the goal for the Bruins, while Addison Wolff had the assist. Throughout the game, Fox had many players who brought aggression on the offensive end including
Mia Kalina,
Erin Lam,
Maddie Twichell, and Gula; each player recorded one shot on goal. On the defensive end,
Lindsey Kong,
Sarah Burkes,
Sophia Mapes,
Myann Johansen, and Lam competed the entire 90 minute game; Johansen also secured two saves at the net for GFU.
What It Means
Whitworth rises to 3-4-0 (2-3-0 NWC), while George Fox falls to 1-6-1 (0-5-1 NWC).
What Happens Next
The Lady Bruins have a quick turnaround and will take a short trip over to Walla Walla, Wash. to go head-to-head against Whitman on Sunday, September 4. Kick-off is scheduled for 2:45 pm.
