A Whitman goal was disallowed and a controversial Evergreen goal was permitted to stand, sending the Whitman men to a 1-0 season-opening defeat in their first game of the Evergreen State College Tournament in Olympia, Wash.
In the 60th minute of play, a shot by Whitman senior Damian Hoffman skipped through a crowd of players in the penalty box, snuck through the legs of teammate Mark Csepreghy and found its way into the net. The score was disallowed, however, when the official called Whitman for obstructing the keeper, a ruling that Whitman's coaching staff disputed.
With less than 12 minutes left in the game and the score still knotted at 0-0, Evergreen scored on another controversial call. A linesman called the ball out of play at Whitman's end of the field and some players stopped running, but the referee did not see the flag and allowed the play to continue. A quick crossing pass allowed Evergreen to score on an uncontested, point-blank shot on Whitman goalie Joe Capp.
While frustrated by his team's misfortune, Whitman coach Mike Washington was pleased with its play. "The game was well played by both teams and Whitman showed a tough never-say-die attitude," he said. "The defense was solid and we had a strong edge in fitness and depth."
Whitman senior Hollis Erikson scored one goal and assisted on two others as the Missionaries rolled to a 5-1 victory over Trinity Western University on the second day of the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash.
Whitman's first goal came off a corner kick taken by Olaf Lakin. Hoffman booted the goal after a series of quick shots that ensued once Lakin's corner kick sailed into the penalty box area. The first half ended with Whitman leading 1-0.
"At halftime we made some adjustments to pressure Trinity higher and put more pressure on their back players," said coach Mike Washington. The adjustments worked as Whitman erupted for four more goals in the second half.
In the 61st minute, Andy Yates scored Whitman's second goal when he beat the keeper from 40 yards out after an errant clearance attempt by Trinity defenders.
Later in the half, Erikson assisted freshman Tyson Ayers for Whitman's third goal. When Erikson fired a shot that bounced off the post, Ayers was there for the rebound and his first collegiate goal.
Soon thereafter, Erikson notched his own goal, unassisted. Whitman then closed out the scoring when Lakin found the net with an assist from Erikson.
"The game ended a great start for Whitman and we hope to continue to build momentum this weekend," said Washington. "The freshman class is giving us some great depth off the bench, which will give us a big boost all year."
Geir Thune, a sophomore forward from Norway, scored in the 23rd minute of overtime toŒgive Pacific Lutheran University a 4-3 Northwest Conference victory over visiting Whitman. PLU improved to 2-0 in conference action and 3-0 overall, while while Whitman fell to 0-1 in conference and 1-2 on the season.
The Missionaries scored first, just five minutes into the contest, when Rob Tonnsen scored with an assist from Brandon Wright. Whitman keeper Joe Capp then held the Lutes scoreless until a PLU goal in the 63rd minute knotted the score at 1-1.
Two minutes later, however, Whitman senior Damian Hoffman regained the lead for the Missionaries with an unassisted goal. After PLU tied the score at 2-2 in the 85th minute, Whitman freshman Scott Burns notched his first collegiate goal (also unassisted) to give Whitman a 3-2 advantage.
According to Whitman coaches, Burns scored about 30 seconds into the "stoppage time" referees in some cases add to the 90 minutes of regulation time. The amount of stoppage time varies from game to game and is intended to compensate for playing time lost to injuries and the retrieval of balls from out-of-bounds areas.
About two minutes later, with only seconds remaining, PLU's Olav Lindebo -- also from Norway -- scored off a corner kick to send the game into overtime.
"While the loss was obviously very disappointing, I thought we performed above expectations and showed a side of play that has missing from Whitman men's soccer for a long time," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "There was a real willingness to play and a belief that we can win these games."
Washington also credited Capp with "several outstanding saves in goal that gave us the opportunity to stay close in the final minutes of the contest."
With five minutes left to play, Brandon Wright nailed a shot from 30 yards out as Whitman rallied for a 3-2 victory over Whitworth College on Ankeny Field. Wright, a senior forward from Eastlake High School in Redmond, Wash., was unassisted on his game-winning goal.
"Brandon got all of it," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "Their keeper got a hand on the ball, but it trickled through. The shot also came through a crowd of people, so I think the keeper got a late break on it."
Whitman's Damian Hoffman, a senior forward and teammate of Wright's at Eastlake High School, opened the scoring with an unassisted goal in the 23rd minute of the first half. But Whitworth responded with two goals to take a 2-1 lead at the break.
A Whitworth defender was ejected from the game late in the first half for kicking, forcing the Pirates to play a man short the rest of the way. "That certainly effected the way we were able to play," Washington said. "We made some adjustments at the half, and our players responded well."
Whitman knotted the score at 2-2 when senior Hollis Erikson off a rebound shot in the 24th minute of the second half. Olak Lakin, a sophomore, got the assist when his attempt banged off the right post to set the stage for Erikson.
Whitworth outshot Whitman 10-9, although the Missionaries had four corner kicks to just three for the Pirates. Whitman keeper Joe Capp had four saves.
Whitman played without two key seniors, forward Mark Csepreghy and defender Mike Zotter, due to injuries. "They were both banged up a bit in the PLU game Sunday," Washington said. "We wanted them to heal up this week so they could play in the two games this weekend."
John Mackay slipped into Zotter's spot on defense and was "outstanding," WashingtonŒsaid.
Pacific University outlasted Whitman 4-3 in Forest Grove on Saturday afternoon.
After a scoreless first half, Whitman grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first minute of the second half when Rob Tonnsen scored off a pass from freshman Scott Burns. Two minutes later Scott Siler scored off an assist from John Mackay and Whitman had a 2-0 lead.
After two Pacific goals, Senior Hollis Erickson scored Whitman's third goal with an assist from Freshman Stewart Tracy. Whitman couldn't hold the lead though as Pacific sophomore Ty Kovatch scored the final two goals for the win.
Behind strong defense, the Whitman men raised their Northwest Conference record to 3-4 with a 2-0 win over the University of Puget Sound on Ankeny Field Saturday afternoon.
Whitman scored first with two minutes left to play in the first half. Rob Tonnsen scrambled loose on the right side and cut a pass back to Olaf Lakin, who deposited the ball in the top corner of the net for his second goal of the season.
Whitman's second goal came in similar fashion in the game's 65th minute. Tonnsen again got loose and this time dumped the ball to Damian Hoffman, who scored his fourth goal of the season.
Whitman received a boost from defenders Mike Zotter and Dan Millikan, who returned after missing last week with injuries. "It was nice having Mike and Dan back in the lineup," said Whitman coach Mike Washington. "They really raised the level of play for us to follow."
Sophomore keeper Joe Capp had six saves to help preserve Whitman's second shutout ofŒthe season.
"We went out there with the intention of playing good strong defense and limiting their scoring chances," said Washington. "We worked all this week on not overcommitting to tackles and trying to be patient. Our goal was to stand them up and make them work hard for what they got. We did all of this and the result was a good win for us."
Whitman lost goalkeeper Joe Capp to a dislocated finger in the 11th minute of Sunday's game against Seattle University, and the defending NAIA national champions took advantage to post a 6-0 Northwest Conference victory on Ankeny Field.
Seattle started the scoring in the ninth minute on a penalty kick. Two minutes later, after making one save, Capp deflected a rebound shot and dislocated his right pinky finger in two places. He was replaced in goal by senior John Mackay.
"Losing Joe was a big blow to us," said Whitman coach Mike Washington. "We replaced him with Mackay, which also hurt us because we lost John's play in the field."
Within four minutes of Capp's injury, Seattle had piled on two more goals to lead 3-0 at halftime. The Chieftains added three more goals in the second half.
Seattle, which was coming off an upset loss at Whitworth a day earlier, "played very well," Washington said. "We have to give all of the credit to them."
Capp, who could miss as many as four weeks with his injury, might be ready to return by next weekend's games, Washington said.
The Willamette University men, ranked 17th in the nation, rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Whitman 4-3 in Northwest Conference soccer action on Ankeny Field Saturday afternoon.
Whitman jumped to a 1-0 lead when Damian Hoffman scored in the 22nd minute, thanks to an assist from Rob Tonnsen. Taking a pass from Mike Zotter in the 32nd minute, Scott Siler headed the ball into the goal to give Whitman a 2-0 lead.
"The game should have been out of reach at this point," said Whitman coach Mike Washington. "We weren't sure how to hold onto the lead."
Willamette battled back, scoring on a penalty kick in the 34th minute and again in the 43rd minute. The half-time score was tied at 2-2.
"A team does one of two things when they are down," said Washington. "They either roll over and die or they battle back. We waited for them to give up the game and they didn't. They fought back to tie it and eventually win it."
The Bearcats took the lead at the 70-minute mark when Kenji Wright scored an unassisted goal. Trever Frank added their fourth goal with three minutes to play in the game.
Olaf Lakin notched Whitman's third goal with one minute left in the game when he headed a ball into goal off a pass from Mark Csepreghy.
The Missionaries fired 11 shots on goal in the losing effort. Goalkeeper Garth Giles added nine saves for Whitman on 18 Willamette shots.
"I was happy with how we competed with this team," said Washington, "but there comes a time when you have to stop being satisfied with competing, and start winning."
One day after pushing nationally-ranked Willamette to the limit, the Whitman men stumbled through a 5-1 Northwest Conference loss to Linfield College on Ankeny Field Sunday afternoon.
"Linfield outplayed us in every facet of the game," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "This might have been our worst team performance of the year. Usually there are a few bright spots to look towards, but not in this game."
Greg Postel scored the only Whitman goal in the 89th minute of play. He was assisted by freshman Stewart Tracy.
Washington was hopeful his team would learn a few points from lopsided loss before heading to Whitworth for a mid-week game. "We need to show better organization in our play and more determination in understanding what it takes to win some games," he said. "The loss to Linfield could be the turning point of the season for us if we look towards the things that we can do well. We have competed in most games this season, we have scored some quality goals, we have defended for long periods of time, and we have shown great character that never gives up. Those are the points we must remember if we are to bounce back on the right track."
Avenging an earlier 3-2 loss to Whitman, the Whitworth Pirates handed the visiting Missionaries a 2-0 Northwest Conference in Spokane Wednesday afternoon.
After a scoreless first half, Whitworth took a 1-0 lead three minutes into the second half when Jon Gary Guenther headed in the rebound from his own missed shot on a penalty kick. Whitman keeper Joe Capp made a tremendous save on Guenther's penalty shot but was unable to stop the follow-up header.
The Pirates added an insurance goal with less than seven minutes to play to complete the scoring.
Capp kept the Missionaries close in the first half, stopping three point-blank shots. Whitworth enjoyed an 18-5 advantage in shots on goal in the first 45 minutes.
Pacific Lutheran scored two goals in the final 17 minutes of play to post a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over the Whitman men on Ankeny Field Saturday afternoon.
Whitman enjoyed a 1-0 lead at intermission, scoring one minute before the break. Freshman Stewart Tracy scored his first collegiate goal for the Missionaries on an assist from senior Scott Siler.
Whitman held the Lutes scoreless until a PLU goal in the 73rd minute knotted the score at 1-1. Missionary defensive lapses with four minutes left led to PLU's second game-winning goal.
The game marked the fifth time this season that Whitman has suffered a one-goal loss in conference play.
Whitman coach Mike Washington was anything but displeased with his team's overall play, however. "Today Whitman played the kind of soccer for 73 minutes that I want to be associated with," he said. "We were very disciplined, we had quick and aggressive defending, and our all-around team play was very good."
Washington said his team still struggles at times after giving up a goal. "There are moments when we lose confidence in our play and forget about our team responsibilities. That happened again today."
"Yet we made PLU look very ordinary for a long period of time and their team is ranked 15th in the nation," Washington added. "We made them adjust to our play in their half of the field,and in general we kept them in check."
Washington said his defense allowed just one corner kick in the first half and was guilty of just three fouls. "That showed how much we dominated," he said. "I would hope we can build on this effort for the coming week."
A hard-luck season for the Whitman men's soccer team continued Saturday afternoon when visiting George Fox University scored a goal with three minutes left in overtime to escape with a 2-1 Northwest Conference victory on Ankeny Field. It was Whitman's fifth one-goal loss of the season against conference opponents.
After George Fox took a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute of play,ŒWhitman's Damian Hoffman evened the score seven minutes later with his fifth goal of the season. Scott Siler had the assist.
With the game deadlocked at 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes of regulation play, the two teams battled through 27 minutes of sudden-death overtime before George Fox picked up the game- winning goal.
Whitman coach Mike Washington was pleased with his team's continuing improvement. "We're starting to put more good minutes together," he said. "Other than the final score, we played a compete game against George Fox. I have been very happy the past few weeks with our ability to put pressure on some of the better teams in the league. Our players are starting to realize we can dominate any team on any given day."
Washington was also pleased with the play of freshman defender Scott Burns, who held George Fox's Wade Fleming -- the leading scorer in the conference -- to just one assist and no goals.
George Fox outshot Whitman 27 to 19 and enjoyed a nine to four edge in corner kicks. Whitman keeper Joe Capp was injured two minutes into the game, but Garth Giles filled the gap and finished with 16 saves.
Despite committing 29 fouls and attracting three yellow cards, it was Pacific University that ended up with two penalty kicks en route to a 3-0 Northwest Conference victory over Whitman on Ankeny Field Sunday afternoon.
Pacific scored off its first penalty kick just three minutes into the game. After a pass was floated into the box area in front of Whitman's goal, a number of players went airborne in attempts to head the ball. Missionary players gained possession, but when a Pacific player fell to the ground, the visitors were awarded the penalty kick. "Sometimes it's hard to figure out the calls against our squad," Whitman coach Mike Washington said.
Pacific upped its lead to 2-0 later in the first half and then scored its third goal on another penalty kick early in the second half. The linesman handed out Pacific's second penalty kick after Whitman keeper Garth Giles knocked away one shot and then dove at a Pacific's player feet in trying to stop the rebound shot.
"It is hard for any team to come back from those kind of calls," Washington said. "It devastates your confidence, but our players gave it all they had."
Both teams took 11 shots on goal. Whitman was whistled for 15 fouls, almost half the number as Pacific. "We knew they would be a strong, physical side," Washington said.
Giles had seven saves in goal for Whitman.
"We have tweaked our system a little bit, which has started to give us better possession up front," Washington said. "We are a lot smaller than other teams in the conference, but we have better speed than most. With the changes we've made, we feel we can compete now."
Seattle University scored three goals in the first 15 minutes of play en route to a 6-1 Northwest Conference victory over the visiting Whitman College men. The win was the seventh straight for the Cheiftains, who are ranked 12th nationally in the NAIA.
With 11 minutes left in the game, Hollis Erickson scored Whitman's only goal with an a pass from Brandon Wright.
"Seattle played like the defending NAIA national champions," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "The fact that they are playing with scholarship athletes shows. They are just better than any other team in the conference.
"We tried to play low pressure against them, but when they scored early it changed the complexion of the game," Washington added. "It forced us to come out of our defensive mode, which gave them even more space to play."
Whitman keeper Garth Giles faced 18 shots from Seattle and made ten saves. Whitman took eight shots on goal.
The Whitman men suffered their sixth one-goal loss of the Northwest Conference season Sunday afternoon at the University of Puget Sound. The Loggers prevailed 3-2.
After UPS scored first in the ninth minute of the game, Dan Millikan notched his first goal of the season at the 26-minute mark to pull the Missionaries even. Hollis Erikson and Rob Tonnsen assisted on the play. The Loggers responded 11 minutes later, scoring off a penalty kick to take a 2-1 halftime lead.
Ten minutes into the second half, Erickson tied the game at two with his second goal of the weekend. Freshman Loren Anderson got the assist.
UPS scored its game-winning goal in the 64th minute. The Missionaries applied some late pressure but were unable to find the net. "We put forth plenty of fight, but it was another one-goal loss," Whitman coach Mike Washington said.
The Linfield Wildcats took a 1-0 lead at halftime and added a pair of second-half goals to to take a 3-0 Northwest Conference men's soccer victory from visiting Whitman Saturday afternoon.
"We were down 1-0 at the half and actually playing quite well," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "Then we made a couple of mental mistakes in the second half and they made us pay for it."
Linfield outshot Whitman 15-10 and a 5-0 edge in corner kicks. Whitman keeper Joe Capp registered four saves.