NEWBERG, Ore. – The George Fox men's soccer team tried to hold Whitman—the defending NWC champions—off, but dropped the game, 4-0.
How it Happened
Whitman took their first shot three minutes into the game which was blocked by
Luke Lidington. Three minutes later, the Blues took another shot down the center, but Joshua Vakulenko held the offense back. In the 13th minute,
Cameron Wind got his hands dirty with a shot on goal, but it was tipped by Whitman's keeper. The Blues followed with a shot of their own, missing high and left.
A slide tackle in the Bruins' 18-yard box led to a penalty kick for Whitman. Keegan Chapko took the shot for the Blues, sending it into the lower-left corner of the net to make the score 1-0.
Raiden Renggli tried to even the playing field two minutes later; his shot went high and right, however. In the following minute, Vakulenko recorded another save on a high-center shot. With 19 minutes left,
Carson Tapia was fed a pass into the attacking third and nearly scored, though his shot was deflected by the Blues. On the ensuing corner kick,
Wilson Fresh chanced a shot, missing high.
In the 30th minute, Fox found trouble yet again. Vakulenko was able to fend off a near-goal, but Whitman's Pablo Gonzalez Jr. nailed a lofty header on the corner kick that followed, increasing his team's lead, 2-0. Vakulenko saw three impressive saves between the 34th and 35th minute, all on shots aimed for the high center of the net. Fresh made another attempt 37 minutes in, but was blocked.
Talon Wagner took one last shot for Fox, but missed high, keeping the first half's score at 2-0.
Early in the second half, Vakulenko stopped a shot from reaching the lower-left corner of the goal. In the 49th minute, Whitman took another shot that missed left. The next shot from the Blues occurred in the 55th minute, flying far away from the goal. Possession shifted constantly for the next eight minutes until Fox earned a free kick near the box.
Zac LeVin aimed for the lower-right corner of the goal, but Whitman's goalie stopped the ball. Lidington blocked another shot in the 66th minute.
Four minutes later, Whitman's Remy Marcks broke away from GFU's defense and drilled the ball into the lower-left corner of the net, bringing the score to 3-0. With five minutes remaining, Whitman took another shot but missed. Maxwell Visser looked to score on a free kick; Whitman's goalie stopped the shot, however. 30 seconds later, Eli MacIntyre tried a chest shot, and nearly notched a goal, but Whitman's goalie completed a diving save. The Blues were nearly given another penalty kick, but officials ruled that the foul occurred just outside the box, so the Blues did not get a shot off. A minute later, a shot from the Blues was blocked.
Whitman capitalized on a corner kick in the 88th minute, with Diego Roman Villalba hooking a shot into the upper-left corner of the net to set the score at 4-0. The Blues launched one final shot with four seconds left in the game, but missed high. Whitman outshot George Fox 18-9.
Top Performances
Joshua Vakulenko stuck seven saves. Defenders
Talon Wagner,
Luke Lidington, and
Cameron Wind all played for the full 90 minutes.
Wilson Fresh led the team with two shots.
What it Means
Fox slides to 3-10-3 (3-8-3 NWC) and Whitman moves to 12-2-3 (10-1-2 NWC).
What Happens Next
For Senior Day on Sunday, November 1, the Bruins will face off against the Whitworth Pirates at 11:00 am in Newberg, Ore.
