The Colorado College Tigers tallied the 422nd victory in the 50-year history of their men's soccer program Saturday, but the visiting Whitman Missionaries made their latest triumph a difficult one. With less than 15 minutes left to play, the host Tigers scored a pair of goals in a two-minute span and eventually posted a 2-1 victory. It was the season opener for both NCAA Div. III schools.
Colorado's Martin Quinn broke a scoreless tie at the 76:06 mark when he beat Whitman goalkeeper Travis Exstrom one-on-one. Two minutes later, Gem McLaughlin scored off a penalty kick to give the Tigers a 2-0 cushion.
Both Colorado goals were suspect, Whitman coach Mike Washington said. The Tigers were clearly offside in scoring their first goal, he said, and they were given a penalty kick on a play in which there was virtually no contact made between the players invollved, Washington said. "Calls like that happen, and it's unfortunate. Sometimes they help you, and sometimes they don't."
Whitman averted the shutout when freshman Niels Larson scored with 23 seconds left in the game. Sophomore Ross Good, who led the Missionaries in scoring a year ago, provided the assist.
Colorado outshot Whitman 26 to 10 and had a five-to-four edge on corner kicks. Exstrom, a sophomore, had eight saves in going the distance in goal.
Despite the loss, Washington was pleased with level of his team's play. "We controlled the tempo for much of the second half. We had several scoring opportunities that could have put us in front. Colorado has been a ranked team, and we were pleased with how we met our first test of the season."
Colorado was 14-6-1 last season and qualified for the NCAA Div. III playoffs for the sixth time in eight years.
Junior Tyson Ayers scored in the 50th minute of play to give Whitman a 1-0 soccer victory of Carleton College (Northfield, Minn.) Monday in a game played in Colorado Springs, Colo. The game's only score was assisted by freshman Niels Larson, who had notched his first collegiate goal Saturday in a 2-1 loss to Colorado College.
Monday's Labor Day game followed a Sunday encounter between Colorado College and Carleton. Colorado squeezed out a 2-1 overtime victory over Carleton.
Ayers scored against Carleton after Larson pressured its goalkeeper with two shot attempts. After Larson's first shot, a header, bounced off Carleton's keeper, he collected the rebound and booted another shot off the keeper. "At that point Tyson got the loose ball and buried in the top of the net," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "It was a good finish."
Sophomore Nathan Davis started in goal for the Missionaries and played most of the way. After Davis pulled a groin muscle with about 18 minutes remaining, however, Travis Exstrom came off the bench to finish the shutout. While stats were not kept during the game, Davis probably had five or six saves, Washington said. His saves included one diving effort that negated what had seemed to be a certain Carleton score in the first half. Exstrom had two saves in his limited time.
"It was a good game all around," Washington added. "Carleton is a hard-working group that never quits. After we scored, the rest of the game was a real battle. We had to defend with a lot of passion for the last 15 to 20 minutes. Our guys came through with a tough, gutty effort."
Several players made good contributions in Whitman's first two games, Washington said. Contributors among the returning players included defenders Scott Kilpatrick and Josh Weissman, midfielders Olaf Lakin, Scott Burns and Charlie Schneider, and forwards Ross Good and Calder Hughes. First-year players coming to the fore were defender Will Hallifax, forward Jeff Waggoner, and midfielders Larson, Bryan Logan and Vico Rust.
The Whitman men's soccer team ran its early season record to 2-1 Sunday afternoon with a 3-1 victory over California State University-Monterey Bay in Seaside.
The Missionaries led 2-0 at halftime on the strength of goals by freshman Niels Larson and sophomore Ross Good. Niels scored his goal, his second of the season, in the 15th minute of play with assists from sophomore Calder Hughes and freshman Jeff Waggoner. Good was unassisted on his goal, his first of the season, in the 38th minute.
Whitman stretched its lead to 3-0 at the 60-minute mark when senior Olaf Lakin booted his first goal of the season. Freshman Brian Logan got the assist.
The Otters scored their only goal on a penalty kick with about five minutes left to play. Whitman outshot their hosts 15-9. Missionary goalkeepr Travis Exstrom was credited with three saves.
"It was a good game for us, probably the best of the three we've played so far in terms of controlling the ball and the game," Whitman coach Mike Washington said.
With a 2-0 lead heading into the second half, the Missionaries concentrated on "learning how to play when we've got a lead," Washington said. "We're still a very young team, and knowing how to play ahead will be important once we get into conference play."
The University of California-Santa Cruz won its third straight game Tuesday afternoon with a 7-1 victory over the visiting Whitman men's soccer team. The Banana Slugs, an NCAA Div. III school, broke away from an early 1-1 deadlock and improved their season record to 3-1. Whitman dropped to 2-2 on the season.
After losing 4-0 to the University of California-Berkeley, an NCAA Div. I school, in its opener, UC-Santa Cruz has now outscored its last three opponents by a combined margin of 19-2.
"We were outplayed by a very, very good team," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "They put us under a lot of pressure. We just got beat by a better team."
Whitman notched its only goal in the 15th minute of play when sophomore Scott Kilpatrick, unassisted, drilled a shot from 35 yards out. It was his first goal of the season.
Santa Cruz responded quickly with its second score of the game to retake the lead at 2-1. The Banana Slugs then added two more goals in the minutes preceding halftime to break the game open.
Bryan Chud scored three goals and assisted on a fourth to lead Northwest College to a 5-0 non-conference victory over Whitman Friday afternoon on Ankeny Field. Northwest, an NAIA school, improved to 1-1-1 on the season while the Missionaries dropped to 2-3-0.
Losing by a one-sided margin was frustrating because "we actually controlled the ball and the tempo for a good part of the game," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "Four of their five goals came on long balls over the top. We made some bad tactical decisions on defense to allow that to happen."
Northwest's Chud, a sophomore from Wasilla, Alaska, booted two quick goals in extra time alloted at the end of the first half at the referee's discretion. That gave the visitors a 3-0 lead at intermission.
Seven minutes into the second half, Chud assisted Raymond Misomali, a junior from Malawi, Africa, to give Northwest a 4-0 advantage. Four minutes later, Chud completed his hat trick with an assist from Pavel Kokesniko, a senior from Odessa, Ukraine.
Although failing to score, Whitman outshot Northwest 17 to 13. The Missionaries also had a 6-2 edge in corner kicks.
"We created enough chances on offense, and it was quite frustrating that we couldn't finish even one," Washington said. "Other than that, our ball and player movement was quite good."
Rebounding from a frustrating loss to Northwest College on Friday, the Whitman men's soccer team responded with a solid effort and 1-0 victory over Warner Pacific College Saturday afternoon on Ankeny Field.
The Missionaries evened their record at 3-3. In losing by a single goal for the third time this season, Warner Pacific dropped to 0-6
Whitman freshman Niels Larson, who shifted from midfielder to forward, scored his team-leading third goal of the season at the 20-minute mark of the first half. Larson's shot from 20 yards was assisted by Vico Rust, also a freshman. "For a freshman, Niels is a very strong player," Missionary coach Mike Washington said.
Sophomore Travis Exstrom made five saves to record the shutout for Whitman. Warner Pacific outshot the Missionaries by one, 14 to 13. "Travis is playing well in goal for us, but it wasn't that Nate (Davis) played badly in yesterday's loss," Washington said. "We just had a bad game defensively yesterday."
To shore up his defense, Washington altered his alignment to include a second stopper. What was important, perhaps, was that his team came ready to play. "After yesterday's loss, we could have played without emotion today. It was good to see the boys knuckle down instead and play hard. They put in more effort, and more thought, into the game today."
The Whitworth men's soccer team won its fourth straight game by shutout Wednesday afternoon, blanking the Whitman Missionaries 3-0 as the weather turned wet and chilly in Spokane. Now 5-1 on the season and 1-0 in Northwest Conference play, the Pirates haven't allowed a goal in their last 415 minutes of play.
In losing its NWC opener, Whitman fell to 3-4 on the season.
The Missionaries failed to capitalize on early scoring opportunities. Freshmen Niels Larson and Jeff Waggoner had good shots on goal, only to be turned away by Whitworth keeper Doug Lupton. The Pirates broke the scoring ice in the 39th minute of play and led 1-0 at halftime.
"We had early chances," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "The score at halftime could have been very different from what it was."
Whitworth finally gained some breathing room with a second goal at the 69:41 mark. Less than a minute later, the hosts added a third goal to complete the scoring.
"We had a couple of defensive letdowns in the second half, but we also played very well for long periods of time," Washington said. "It was disappointing to lose, but I wasn't disappointed in our effort."
Whitman keeper Travis Exstrom collected five saves in goal.
Freshmen Niels Larson and Jeff Waggoner scored goals in quick succession midway through the second half to lead the Whitman men to a 2-1 Northwest Conference (NWC) victory over Pacific University Saturday afternoon in Forest Grove, Ore.
The Missionaries kept their won-loss record on an even keel, improving to 4-4 on the season and 1-1 in the NWC. Pacific dropped to 2-4 and 0-2. Whitman plays at George Fox Sunday.
Larson broke a scoreless tie with his team-leading fourth goal in the 74th minute of play, heading the ball into the net with an assist from freshman Vico Rust. Waggoner scored his first collegiate goal four minutes later. Junior Scott Burns got the assist.
Whitman keeper Travis Exstrom came within six minutes of posting his second shutout of the season. Pacific's Kiel Peck scored in the 84th minute. Exstrom finished with six saves.
Defenders Will Hallifax, Scott Kilpatrick and Josh Weissman played the entire game and "deserve a lot of the credit for this win," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "We were fantastic on defense today. Charlie Schneider and Scott Burns also played very well in midfield, but I really go through the entire line-up and say the same thing. This was a good team effort."
Pacific unleashed an all-out attack at the beginning of the second half, Washington said. "They pressured us really hard for the first 10 to 15 minutes. We weathered that pressure, and after that I think we really wore them down. We controlled the game for much of the second half."
Despite playing without three injured starters, the Whitman men's soccer team came close to notching its second Northwest Conference road victory of the weekend at George Fox University Sunday afternoon. The host Bruins escaped with a 2-1 victory, however, when Jamie Johnson scored the game-winner with just over six minutes left to play.
George Fox, listed as No. 7 in this week's NCAA D-III West Region poll, improved to 7-1 on the season and 3-0 in conference. Whitman, which has played its first three conference games on the road, dropped to 4-5 and 1-2.
George Fox grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first minute of play, taking advantage of a misplayed pass by one of Whitman's defenders. "It wasn't anything they earned, that's for sure," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "It was a goal we pretty much gave them."
Whitman evened the score at 1-1 when freshman Niels Larson, assisted by Scott Burns, booted his team-leading fifth goal of the season at the 70-minute mark. Johnson scored with 83:47 showing on the clock to give George Fox the victory.
"Apart from that first goal, I thought we played very well," Washington said. "We outworked them and we outshot them, especially in the second half. It was disappointing to lose, but at least we played well enough to be position to win. We look forward to playing them at our place later in the season because we think that's a team we can beat."
Whitman played without midfielder Brian Logan (ankle sprain) and defenders Will Hallifax (deep leg bruise) and Josh Weissman (groin pull), each of whom was injured in Saturday's victory at Pacific. Dan Gestaut, Tyler Chisholm and Iam McCullough all played well as Washington juggled his line-up. Hallifax, Weissman and Logan are expected to play next weekend when Whitman hosts Linfield and Willamette.
The Linfield College men's soccer team stayed undefeated, running its record to 9-0 on the season, 4-0 in the Northwest Conference, with a 6-0 blanking of Whitman Saturday afternoon on a rain-drenched Ankeny Field.
Linfield is ranked No. 6 in this week's NCAA DIII national poll, and No. 1 in the West Region poll. Whitman saw its record fall to 1-3 in conference, 4-6 overall.
Linfield's Chris McDonald, who leads the conference in scoring, added his 10th goal of the season and two assists in Saturday's game. Tim Bishop, who opened the scoring with a goal in the seventh minute of play, finished with two goals and one assist.
The Wildcats broke the game open with two quick goals in the five minutes prior to halftime. "Those goals right before the half are what killed us," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "After giving up the one early goal, we got back into the game and we're playing quite well until they added two quick ones."
As Whitman made changes and scrambled early in the second half, Linfield took full advantage, scoring three more times over a six-minute span. "When you're down by three, you have to gamble," Washington said. "And when you gamble, you leave yourself open at times."
Poor decisions on defense were key to the loss, Washington said. "We played well enough when we had the ball, but we made some very poor decisions as a team at the defensive end. We let them get way to wide on us."
Linfield outshot Whitman 15 to 8 and enjoyed an 8-1 advantage on corner kicks. Luke Voiles posted the shutout in goal for the Wildcats. Whitman keeper Travis Exstrom had six saves for the Missionaries.
Willamette rolled to a 3-0 halftime lead and then held off a stronger Whitman team in the second half for 3-1 Northwest Conference victory Sunday afternoon on Ankeny Field.
Willamette, which managed a 2-2 tie Saturday at Whitworth, improved its NWC record to 2-2-1 with its Sunday victory at Whitman. The Bearcats are 6-4-1 on the season.
In dropping its third straight game, Whitman fell to 1-4 in conference and 4-7 on the season.
"It was a game of two halves," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "We did a lot of good things in the second half, but not very many good things in the first half."
Willamette, which outshot the Missionaries 9-4 in the opening half, took a 1-0 lead when Ben DeSanno, assisted by Kenji Wright, scored in the 27th minute of play. Scott Tomlins, with an assist from Ricardo Sanchez, added a second Willamette goal at the 31:59 mark. Sanchez booted the Wildcat goal in the 37th minute, scoring off Wright's second assist of the game.
Washington was at loss to explain his team's slow start. "We knew that Willamette was coming off a tough (overtime) game on Saturday, so we talked about making a strong start against them today. But then we didn't really do that at all. We weren't aggressive to the ball, and we didn't seem to have much passion."
After halftime pep talk, the Missionaries turned their game around in the second 45 minutes of play, outshooting the visitors 7-2. "Charlie Schneider played a great second half, and Pat Flanagan also played well when he was in the game," Washington said. "As a team, we outplayed them in the second half. We need to realize we need to bring that much energy and passion to the game in the first half. Every game is going to be a battle, right from the beginning."
Whitman finally broke through for its goal in the final minute of play. Sophomore Billy Pryme-Fuld tallied his first goal of the season with an assist from Scott Burns.
Travis Exstrom made seven saves for the Missionaries.Vince Eggleston collected three saves for the Bearcats.
Six-foot-three freshman Tyler Chisholm used his height to full advantage, leaping high in the air and scoring off a header, as the Whitman men's soccer team handed Pacific Lutheran a 1-0 Northwest Conference defeat Saturday afternoon on Ankeny Field.
Chisholm's goal, his first of the season, came from 10 yards out and with just 3:04 left to play. Josh Weissman got the assist on the play, curling a pass to the front of the goal from about 35 yards out.
The loss snapped Whitman's three-game losing streak and improved the Missionary record to 2-4 in NWC play and 5-7 overall. PLU dropped to 1-5 in conference and 2-8 overall.
"We were a bit disappointed in our effort last weekend, which was something we talked about all week," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "We played with more energy today, and we defended a lot better. The key was for us was to keep the game close in the first half, and then make some changes and go from there in the second half."
The score sheet showed PLU outshooting Whitman ten to five. "This was definitely a game of few opportunities," Washington said. "All of the play pretty much took place from box to box. We did get the one (score), and that's all that counts."
Whitman keeper Travis Exstrom, a sophomore, got his second shutout of the season, while making five saves. "Travis is in good form right now," Washington said. "He's confident and the team feels good with him back there. He's starting to become a leader for us in the back, and when you're as young as we are, you need all the leadership you can get."
Washington said his defense, along with the team as a whole, played a strong game. "It's really not possible to single out any of the players. Everybody worked hard, and they all played well."
After a late rally fell just short in the closing minutes, the Whitman men's soccer team settled for a 2-1 loss at the feet of the University of Puget Sound Loggers Sunday afternoon on Ankeny Field.
The loss drops the Missionaries to 5-8 for the season, 2-5 in Northwest Conference action. UPS, the defending conference champion, remains in third place in the standings this fall with a 4-2-1 record. The Loggers are 7-5-2 overall.
Whitman coach Mike Washington was not disappointed in the loss. "We played a very good game today and came up just short to a team with a lot of tradition and a lot of talent," Washington said.
The Loggers booted several shots on goal in the first half to take a 1-0 lead into the break. Brendan Hanke scored in the 24th minute of play with an assist from Loren Cohen. Hanke also scored the other UPS goal in the 54th minute. Joe Dragoner was credited with that assist.
Freshman Niels Larson scored the lone Missionary goal in the 65th minute. Larson had centered the ball to Calder Hughes before Hughes quickly returned the favor to an open Larson on the right side for a relatively easy score. It was Larson's team-leading sixth goal of the season.
The Loggers outshot the Missionaries 20-7 for the game, which Washington said was due in part to a Whitman game plan that was oriented toward defense. "We came out very defensive in the first-half and meant to keep it close and be able to finish strong," he said. "We played very aggressive and gave tremendous effort in the second half."
Washington noted that Whitman freshman Tyler Chisholm and his teammates on defense held held Puget Sound's all-conference senior, Tye Tolentino, in check all afternoon. Tolentino is a "very good player for them, so for Chisholm to shut him down for 90 minutes is really something," Washington said.
Whitman freshman Jeff Waggoner scored in the final minute of play, but it was too little, too late as the Missionaries dropped a 2-1 Northwest Conference (NWC) decision at Willamette Saturday afternoon in Salem, Ore.
In losing their third conference game of the season by a single goal, Whitman saw its record fall to 2-6 in the NWC standings and 5-9 overall. The Bearcats improved to 4-2-2 in conference and 8-4-2 on the season.
Willamette took a 1-0 lead at the 14:20 mark of the first half, scoring on a 22-yard direct penalty kick.
"We were a little bit sloppy, technically, in the first half," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "We didn't defend very well individually. A couple of times we got caught overcommitting to tackles because the field was so muddy."
The host squad scored again 18 minutes into the second half to extend its lead to 2-0. Oddly enough, Washington said, "their second goal came as a direct result from a goal mouth scramble in front of Willamette's goal. We were putting a lot of pressure on them, but the ball was cleared and came the other way for a two-on-two situation against our defenders. We've got caught in transition before, so we need to work on that."
For the most part, however, the Missionaries "played much better in the second half," Washington said. "We defended better and we pressured better. It was a close, competitive game."
Waggoner's goal, his second of the season, came after Charlie Schneider "made a great run up the right side of the field," Washington said. "Charlie made a crossing pass, which one of their defenders misplayed. Jeff just stuffed it into the net."
Whitman keeper Travis Exstrom was credited with four saves against 24 Willamette shots.
The Whitman men's soccer team battled Linfield, one of the nation's top-ranked teams, on nearly even terms Sunday afternoon before surrendering a 2-0 Northwest Conference (NWC) decision to the Wildcats on their home field in McMinnville, Ore.
Linfield, which began the week ranked No. 6 nationally in NCAA Div. III, raised its first-place NWC record to 8-0-1. The Wildcats are 13-0-1 on the season.
The Missionaries ended the weekend with a record of 2-7 in conference and 5-10 overall.
"Linfield is a very good team, but I thought we made a vast improvement today compared to our first game with them earlier in the season," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "We beat us 6-0 in that first game, so we stayed with much better today."
After scoring their first goal in the 16th minute of play, the Wildcats were left clinging to their 1-0 lead until the latter stages of the contest. Linfield added a second goal with 15 minutes left to play.
"Individually, we did a much better job defending them today," Washington said. "We had individual assignments to carry out and we followed through with them pretty well. At the start of the second half we dominated play for long periods, and we gave ourselves a few chances at their end."
The official stat sheet gave the hometown Wildcats a 21-2 edge in shots in goal, a difference that Washington questioned. "We only had one shot in the first half, but I really think we had four or five more shots on goal in the second half," he said.
Sophomores Travis Exstrom in goal and Charlie Schneider in the midfield were two players who posted good efforts against Linfield, Washington said. Exstrom picked up 10 saves as the Missionary goalkeeper.
"Overall, I thought we played well and worked hard in all areas -- defensively, in the midfield and at the front," Washington said. "We didn't get any wins this weekend, but we lost 2-1 and 2-0 to two very good teams. We think we made some definite progress, and we're looking forward to playing at home next weekend."
Playing in front of a big crowd on Family Weekend, the Whitman men's soccer team shut out George Fox University 1-0 Saturday afternoon on Ankeny Field.
The win moved the Missionaries (6-10, 3-7) to within a half game of the Bruins (7-7-1, 3-6-1) in the Northwest Conference standings.
Whitman coach Mike Washington was pleased with his team's performance, calling it a well-deserved win. "As a team, we played our best overall game of the season today," Washington said. "In the first 45 minutes we played without error and carried that mentality into the second half."
Whitman broke the scoreless tie in the 65th minute of play when Niels Larson scored his team-leading seventh goalm converting a penalty kick. "We talked about getting more free shots in practice this week and it paid off today with Larson's score," Washington said.
The Missionaries outshot the Bruins 19 to 17 and got solid play from goalkeeper Travis Exstrom, who collected a season-high 11 saves in goal. Exstrom, a sophomore, leads the league in saves per game.
"This was a good win for the team," Washington said. "I am really happy for the boys because they deserve it."
By defeating Pacific University 1-0 Sunday afternoon on Ankeny field, the Whitman men's team moved one step closer to its goal of winning four of its last five games.
The win upped Whitman's record to 4-7 in the Northwest Conference and 7-10 on the season. Pacific slipped to 2-8-1 in the NWC and 4-11-1.
The victory also gave the Missionaries back-to-back shutouts and their second two-game winning streak of the season. "We set a team goal to win sweep this weekend, then go out and take two of the last three upcoming games, so this was a big weekend for the team," Whitman assistant coach Hollis Erikson said.
The game was physical throughout with each team collecting 15 fouls. Niels Larson, Whitman's freshman phenom and leading scorer, ended the well-fought battle when he slipped a shot past Boxer keeper Ryan Stanley in the 84th minute of play. Jeff Waggoner, another Missionary freshman, got the assist, breaking free down the south sideline and centering the ball to Larson at the last second between several defenders. The goal was Larson's eighth this season, giving him half of Whitman's 16 Missionary goals on the season.
Erikson was impressed with the defensive presence his Missionaries maintained against a tough Boxer front line. "We played very well defensively," he said. "Pacific came out and pressured hard for the opening 15 minutes, but we weathered the storm and then really turned it on from there."
After a scoreless first half, the Missionaries came out firing in the second half, outshooting the Boxers eight to six over the final 45 minutes. "We have been working on getting more shots in practice," Erikson said. "Today we executed that well. Our work ethic is improving and the team is doing a lot of things well right now."
Travis Exstrom played another solid game in goal for Whitman. He recorded seven saves on 16 Boxer shots in earning his second straight shutout and his fourth shutout of the season. With 18 saves in the last two games, Exstrom is nearly assured of retaining the conference lead in saves per game.
One key to Whitman's score late in the game may have been a change in personnel to start the half. "We put some different people in to start the second period, and it worked out well because we were able to save some of our better players until late in the game, " Erikson said. Whitman sent 18 different players into the game, and nine different players had shots on goal.
"We really utilized our speed today," Erikson said. "This weekend may be a turning point for men's soccer at Whitman. We've got a young, talented team with a lot of promise for the future."
Whitman is currently tied with Pacific Lutheran for fifth place in the NWC standings.
Losing by a single goal for the fifth time this season, the Whitman men's soccer team dropped a 2-1 Northwest Conference decision to the University of Puget Sound Friday afternoon in Tacoma.
The Loggers, the defending conference champions, improved to 8-3-1 in the NWC and 11-5-2 overall. They remained in second place in this year's conference race, a half game ahead of Whitworth.
Whitman, which lost to Puget Sound by the same 2-1 score earlier this season in Walla Walla, dropped to 4-8 in conference and 7-11 on the season. The Missionaries and Pacific Lutheran will break a tie for fifth place in the conference with the two teams meet Saturday afternoon in Tacoma. Whitman closes out its season at home on Saturday, Nov. 4, against Whitworth.
In Friday's Puget Sound-Whitman game, the two sides battled to a 0-0 deadlock in the first half. The Loggers scored eight minutes into the second half, however, then added an insurance goal 12 minutes later. That second goal proved invaluable after Whitman freshman Jeff Waggoner put the Missionaries on the scoreboard just 24 seconds later. Waggoner's goal, his third of the season, was assisted by another freshman, Brian Logan.
"This really was another good performance for our lads," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "They came together and played well. We're starting to learn that we can play with any of these teams. Puget Sound is a very strong side, but we're just a bit disappointed we didn't get this one."
Washington said he was pleased with how his team responded after the Loggers scored their second goal. "We came right back at them with a quality goal of our own. Jeff got behind the defender and Brian got him the ball. After that, we stayed in the game in the game the rest of the way."
Puget Sound finished with a slight edge in shots on goal, outshooting the Missionaries 23 to 20. The Loggers had seven corner kicks, one more than Whitman.
"Our shooting was up again today, which was good to see," Washington said. "Except for giving up that second goal, we played a very good game all the way around. Calder Huges and Jeff Waggoner played hard up front, Vico Rust and Brian Logan were solid in midfield, and Scott Burns played well in the back."
Whitman sophomore Nate Davis went the distance in goal for Whitman and was credited with three saves.
Showing resilience after a tough one-goal loss at Puget Sound Friday, the Whitman men's soccer team bounced back for a 1-0 Northwest Conference victory at Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) Saturday afternoon in Tacoma.
The win gives the Missionaries sole possession of fifth place in the Northwest Conference, breaking a tie with PLU. Now 5-8 in the NWC and 8-11 overall, Whitman wraps up the season next Saturday at home against Whitworth. The loss dropped PLU to 4-9 in the NWC, 5-12 overall.
After a scoreless first half, described by Whitman coach Mike Washington as "a defensive tussle," the Missionaries scored the game-winning goal in the 71st minute of the game, late in the second half. "We played much better in the midfield second half," Washington said. "We created more opportunities downfield and that led to the score."
Niels Larson, Whitman's leading scorer, accounted for the game's only goal, his ninth goal of the season. "Charlie Schneider found Neils over the top left corner, and Larson just picked it up and beat the defense inside," Washington said. Quickly making a name for himself as Whitman's go-to-guy, Larson has the game-winning goal in each of the last three Missionary victories.
Washington credited the Whitman defense with another solid game. It was the second time this season the Missionaries held PLU scoreless. Sophomore goalkeeper Travis Exstrom, who leads the conference in saves per game, recorded his fifth shutout of the season.
In a collision of two Northwest Conference teams making strong runs to end the season, the underdog Whitman Missionaries emerged with a 2-1 victory over Whitworth Saturday afternoon on Ankeny Field.
Giving Olaf Lakin, their only senior, a grand sendoff, the young Missionaries scored first and last to hand the visiting Pirates only their second loss in their last nine games.
By winning four of its last five games, Whitman improved to 6-8 in conference play, nailing down fifth place. The Missionaries, who were 9-11 overall, finished with the same number of conference wins as Willamette, which took fourth place with a 6-6-2 NWC record.
Whitworth ended its regular season in third place with a 7-4-1 record. With an 11-5-3 season record, the Pirates remain hopeful of an at-large berth in the NCAA DIII regional playoffs.
Mike Washington, completing his third season as the Missionary coach, was understandably "ecstatic" about his team's late-season run. "We talked about winning four of our last five games, and it's great to see the players go out and accomplish it," Washington said. "This team has a very bright future. This team is very young, and it's determined."
Whitman jumped in front early, scoring at the 7:45 mark when a run by sophomore Calder Hughes set the table for freshman Jeff Waggoner's fourth goal of the season, a low line shot from 18 yards out. "It was a great strike, and it probably was the earliest goal we've scored all season. Calder made a very determined run to set it up, and Jeff made a great finish."
The Pirates pulled even in the 35th minute of play when Paul Johnson converted a 12-yard penalty kick against Whitman keeper Travis Exstrom. The free kick broke Exstrom's string of 320 scoreless minutes stretching back through the previous four games.
Ten minutes into the second half, the Missionaries capitalized on a Whitworth defensive lapse to score what proved to be the game-winning goal. A split second after one of his defenders cut in front of him near the top of the box, Pirate goalie Doug Lupton was unable to handle a ball that Whitman's Ross Good then popped into the net from 15 yards away. Freshman Niels Larson, Whitman's leading scorer on the season, got the assist.
"Their keeper may have had his vision blocked momentarily by his defender," Washington said. "The next thing Ross knew the ball was right at his feet. He did some great running to get to that spot, but then the ball was just right there for him."
Whitworth outshot the Missionaries 11 to 10, but Whitman enjoyed a 7-1 edge in corner kicks. Exstrom made four saves for the home team, while Lupton had three saves for the Pirates.
"Whitworth is a very good, very dynamic side, and their keeper has several shutouts this season," Washington said. "The fact that we scored two goals and only gave them one is a tribute to just how hard our players worked today. Josh Weissman did a great defensive job on their leading scorer, and Olaf also played well in his last game. Everyone stuck to their assignments and got the job done."