With junior midfielder John Rue providing the scoring and first-year keeper Brett Axelrod making big save after big save, the Whitman men's soccer team kicked off its 2005 season with a 2-1 double-overtime victory over Northwest University Saturday night in Kirkland, Wash.
Rue's first goal came midway through the first half and evened the score at 1-1. After Axelrod surrendered his lone goal of the game in the 18th minute of play, the Missionaries responded five minutes later. Rue took a pass from senior Peter Randall and slipped a shot past the Crusader keeper. Axelrod then posted three key saves to keep Northwest from taking a first-half lead.
Despite taking six second-half shots, the Missionaries could not find the back of the net again in regulation. Axelrod made four more big second-period saves in his college debut, upping his total to seven for the match.
After a fruitless first overtime, the Randall-to-Rue combo struck again in the 115th minute for the game-winning goal.
The Crusaders outshot Whitman 18-12 in a very physical match that featured a total of 38 fouls, 17 by Whitman and 21 by Northwest.
Whitman's next match will be its home opener against Corban College on Thursday, Aug 8. The match will begin at 4 p.m. at the Whitman soccer complex.
An early 2-0 Whitman lead wasn't quite enough as Corban College rallied behind four unanswered goals from Scott Marshall to notch a 4-3 victory over the Missionaries Thursday afternoon at the Whitman Athletic Fields. Corban, formerly Western Baptist College, upped its season record to 2-1-1. Whitman slipped to 1-1.
The Missionaries thoroughly dominated the early going, firing off several shots before Corban managed its first attempt. Freshman Jason Shon set the stage for the first Whitman score in the 25th minute of play, zipping a bullit throw-in from the sidelines to sophomore Andy Huntington, who capitalized for his first goal of the season.
Junior John Rue gave Whitman its 2-0 lead, finishing off a play that originated with a crossing pass from freshman Stephen Phillips and a nifty reverse feed from Huntington. It was Rue's third goal in two games.
The Missionary lead vanished in the final five minutes of half as two Whitman defensive lapses led to two Corban goals. "We outplayed and outworked them for the first 30 to 35 minutes and made them look average at best," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "But then we made two mistakes and got punished for both of them."
With the momentum turning, Corban scored twice in a span of just 45 seconds early in the second half. The first of those scores came on Marshall's penalty kick at the 64:30 mark. Marshall, a junior, had 13 goals and nine assists last season while earning Second Team All-Cascade Conference honors.
Down 4-2, Whitman regrouped and cut its deficit in half when freshman Simon Quay booted his first goal with just over 16 minutes left to play. Huntington and junior Egan Brinkman tallied assists on the play.
Whitman mounted a few more scoring threats in the closing minutes but failed to get the equalizer.
Whitman's starting line-up included five freshmen and three sophomores. "Overall, we gave a good effort," Washington said. "It wasn't a bad loss for us. We can learn from this. We need to get to the point where we feel more comfortable playing with a lead."
The Missionaries outshot Corban 13-7 in the first half, which included an 8-3 advantage in shots on goal. The visitors turned the tide in the second half, outshooting Whitman 9-4.
Corban, an NAIA school, began the week with a No. 4 ranking in the Northwest region. "All of our non-conference games are against tough opponents," Washington said.
Whitman travels to Olympia, Wash., this Saturday to play Evergreen State, an NCAA Div. II school.
The Whitman men's soccer team dropped a controversial 1-0 decision on the road to Evergreen State College Saturday in Olympia, Wash. The win leaves the Missionaries with a 1-2 season record. Evergreen State, an NCAA Div. II school, is 3-1.
Much to the dismay of Whitman players and coach Mike Washington, a goal by sophomore strike Andy Huntington with 14 minutes left in the first half was disallowed by the head referee after a long deliberation. "I really thought that was a great goal, but there's nothing we can do about it," Washington said.
That Huntington's shot found the back of the net wasn't questioned. The referee's ruling, however, was that the shot came through the side of the net and not between the posts.
Refusing to let down, Whitman battled the Geoducks on even terms for the rest of the game. In heart-breaking fashion, the host squad scored with four seconds remaining to win a game that seemed destined for overtime.
Evergreen State outshot Whitman 18-9, although in terms of shots on goal, it was a much more even 5-4 in favor of the Geoducks. Brett Axelrod, Whitman's freshman keeper, made four saves.
"We played hard and I thought we should have won that game," Washington said.
The Missionaries play again at 7 p.m. this Wednesday at the Whitman soccer complex, squaring off against Cal State-East Bay.
Whitman men's soccer team dropped its third consecutive one-goal game Wednesday night, falling 2-1 to Cal State East-Bay at the Whitman Athletic Fields.The victorious Pioneers no doubt could sympathize with Whitman's hard-luck loss, since they had opened their season with a string of four straight one-goal losses.
Wednesday's outcome drops the Missionaries to 1-3 on the season. Cal State East- Bay is 1-4.
Whitman came out firing with 12 first-half shots, but Pioneer keeper Sergio Valle was up to the task in posting eight saves. Junior midfielder Brett Rawson led the Missionaries with three first-half shots, including two which forced diving saves. Sophomore Andy Huntington and freshmen Simon Quay and Stephen Phillips also got off a couple of shots each.
"We had enough chances," coach Mike Washington said. "We just couldn't finish any of them off."
The Pioneers got the first big break of the game in the 60th minute, when a free kick led to an Ivahan Ayllon goal. With just under 11 minutes left to play, Whitman evened the score at 1-1 when a corner kick produced a melee in front of the net, resulting in Kevin Sigley's first college goal.
Valle botched a goal-kick in the closing minutes, setting the stage for a promising Whitman opportunity at the go-ahead score. But Huntington's shot was denied by a sprawling Valle. In the wake of that almost fatal Pioneer mistake, the game slowed and seemed headed for overtime. With just over three remaining, however, a surprising Cal State counterattack ended in Aldo Reyes's 30-yard half-volley that just dipped over the out-stretched hands of Whitman keeper Brett Axelrod.
"There is nothing we can do about that goal," Washington said. "That was a great shot that beat us."
Despite the loss, Washington saw some points he liked. "We worked on a few things in practice yesterday which showed in today's game. We were getting players up well and creating chances. Now we just have to finish."
For the game, Whitman outshot Cal State 22-7, which included a 14-4 edge in shots on goal. The Missionaries also piled up 11 corner kicks, eight more than Cal State.
Whitman hopes to snap its three-game skid this Saturday as it opens Northwest Conference play at George Fox in Newberg, Ore.
The Whitman men's soccer team opened Northwest Conference play with a victory on the road Saturday, shutting out George Fox 1-0 in Newberg, Ore. Snapping a three-game losing streak, the Missionaries upped their season record to 2-3. The Bruins fell to 1-4 overall.
Sophomore forward Andy Huntington got the game-winning goal for Whitman, scoring at the 28:15 mark of the first half. It was Huntington's only shot of the game, with the assist coming from first-year midfielder Stephen Phillips.
"We didn't generate a lot of offense," Whitman coach Mike Washington said, "but we took advantage of the chances we had." The Bruins had a slight edge in shots (14-12), including a 6-5 advantage in shots on goal.
First-year keeper Brett Axelrod was strong in goal for the Missionaries, racking up six saves in posting his second shutout of the young season. "Great effort from Brett," Washington said. "He was playing hurt, but he still managed to come up big."
Whitman completes its first weekend on NWC play on Sunday, playing Willamette at 2:30 p.m. in Salem, Ore.
The Whitman men's soccer team remains perfect in Northwest Conference play after downing Willamette 3-0 Sunday afternoon in Salem, Ore. The Missionaries up their record to 3-3 overall, 2-0 in conference. The Bearcats fall to 2-5, 0- 2 in the NWC.
John Rue capitalized on a Stephen Phillips pass at the 12:20 mark to kick off the scoring. Rue leads all Missionary scorers this season with four goals, while Phillips has delivered a team-leading three assists.
Whitman kept the heat on the Bearcats with 13 first-half shots, while Willamette managed eight. Missionary first-year keeper Brett Axelrod, coming off a shutout at George Fox Saturday, blanked the Bearcats with four saves.
The second half was filled with chances for both sides, but neither capitalized until Whitman got a second goal in the 80th minute by freshman Mark Nabelek on a pass from senior Peter Randall. It was Nabelek's first college goal.
Whitman's third goal came five minutes later on sophomore Craig Yuen's unassisted effort. It was Yuen's first score of the season.
The Missionaries return home next weekend for two Northwest Conference against Linfield and Pacific. Start times are 2:30 p.m.
The Whitman men's soccer team broke through for a pair of late goals, but it was too little too late as the Missionaries droppped a 4-2 decision to visiting Linfield Saturday afternoon at the Whitman Athletic Fields.
It was Whitman's first Northwest Conference loss in three games. The Missionaries slipped to 3-4 overall. Linfield is 2-0-1 in conference play and 3- 3-2 on the season.
The scoring started 13:56 into the game when Linfield's Spencer Hunter scored after a shot bounced off Whitman's first-year keeper, Brett Axelrod. Midway through the half, another promising Wildcat run was turned away when Axelrod slid on the turf to deflect the ball away. Axelrod was injured on the play, however, and had to be helped off the field on a cart. He did not return to action.
With new keeper James Millikan in net, the Missionaries kept Linfield off the board for the rest of the half despite being outshot 16-4.
The Wildcats added a second goal less than three minutes into the second half when Kevin Popich scored on a low drive to the far post. Up 2-0 and with all of the momentum Linfield played a possession game until it struck with two more quick goals. After Popich hit his second goal at the 61:53 mark, Josh Robinson scored just over one minute later to push the Wildcat lead to 4-0.
With the game seemingly in hand, the Wildcats relaxed a bit on defense and Whitman quickly took advantage. The fresh legs of forward Egan Brinkman provided Whitman's first goal, chipping in a masterful shot over the outstretched hands of Wildcat back-up keeper Grant Williams with 17 minutes remaining. Six minutes later a Brinkman long-ball found first-year Cole Rathjen, who easily scored his first college goal.
Two minutes later and back on the attack, Whitman converted another long-ball. Officials disallowed the score, however, and the game ended 4-2.
"We did not possess the ball well at all today," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "We kept on giving it away and Linfield knew what to do with it. We did not deserve to win the game. We'll have to take it out on Pacific tomorrow."
Whitman hosts Pacific at 2:30 Sunday. Linfield plays at Whitworth.
The Whitman men's soccer team handled the undermanned Pacific Boxers in a 2-0 win Sunday afternoon at the Whitman Athletic Fields. The Missionaries push their record to 4-4 overall and 3-1 in Northwest Conference play. Pacific drops to 1-6, 0-3 in the NWC.
The first of two Pacific red cards came at the 19:29 mark when Boxer Todd Gienger's challenge in the box sidelined him for the remainder of the game. Whitman sophomore defender Craig Yuen then converted the ensuing penalty kick to give Whitman a 1-0 lead.
Three minutes later, Whitman sophomore forward Andy Huntington made it 2-0 with an incredible strike after beating a defender one on one. A yellow card was shown to Pacific's Danny Williams following the goal and before the kick-off.
Whitman dominated the remainder of the first half with the man advantage, outshooting the Boxers 10-1, forcing five saves by keeper Jory Shene.
"I thought we played a nice first half," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "We possessed the ball well which was our main problem yesterday against Linfield."
The second half began with lots of energy form the Boxers, too much in the case of the aforementioned Williams. A cleats-up slide tackle resulted in Williams getting a second yellow card and automatic dismissal from the game.
With two extra players Whitman possessed the ball even more in the second half, adding 15 shots to its first-half total, and forcing seven more saves. The 25 shots and 12 shots on goal were both season highs for the Missionaries.
With first-year keeper Brett Axelrod out due to an injury suffered in yesterday's loss to Linfield, sophomore James Millikan got the start in goal for the Missionaries. Millikan gave way to Axelrod once the game was well in hand.
Pacific amassed three shots on goal in the second half despite being two players short. Its best chance came with five minutes to play when Ricky Shinn got loose in the box and sent a shot just wide.
"It's nice to be 3-1 in a tough conference," Washington said. "We didn't play great for being up two men, but I like the way we started. A win is a win."
Whitman will be in Tacoma next weekend to take on conference foes Pacific Lutheran on Saturday and Puget Sound on Sunday. Pacific takes on George Fox next Saturday.
The Whitman men's soccer team fell to Pacific Lutheran 3-2 Saturday afternoon in Tacoma, Wash. The loss drops the Missionaries to 4-5 on the season, 3-2 in the Northwest Conference. The Lutes improve to 6-3 overall, 3-1 in the NWC.
Whitman sophomore Andy Huntington struck first for the Missionaries, giving them a 1-0 lead with just 54 seconds elapsed from the game clock. It was the earliest goal scored this season for Whitman.
Huntington's goal, his fourth of the season, wasn't nearly enough, however, as the Lutes flexed their muscels by scoring three unanswered goals before the first-half horn sounded. Pacific Lutheran's second and third goals came just 30 seconds apart.
Whitman made it close at the end of the game, scoring its second goal with 3:37 remaining on freshman Marc Nabelek's strike. Senior Cole Sherman got the assist on the play.
Saturday's contest featured 12 yellow cards, 11 of which came in the second half. Whitman had six of those 11.
The Missionaries remain in Tacoma tomorrow to face Puget Sound at 2:30pm.
An early goal proved to be Whitman’s undoing as the men's soccer team lost 1-0 to Puget Sound Sunday afternoon in Tacoma, Wash. The loss leaves the Missionaries at 4-6 on the season and 3-3 in Northwest Conference matches. The Loggers are 3-1-1 in NWC play.
Chances were few and far between for both teams. They managed just a combined four shots on goal, one each per half. Puget Sound’s Andrew Hewitt provided the game’s only score with an unassisted goal in the 16th minute.
Whitman played without sophomore starters Craig Yuen and Andy Huntington. Both were serving one game suspensions after drawing two yellow cards apiece in Saturday's game at Pacific Lutheran.
“It was tough to get used to playing without Craig and Andy,” coach Mike Washington said. “I was proud of the way our team came together in their absence and held a pretty good Puget Sound team to a single goal.”
Whitman's next match is this Friday at 2:30 p.m. at Whitworth in Spokane.
The Whitman men's soccer team lost 3-1 to Northwest Conference-leading Whitworth Friday afternoon in Spokane. The loss leaves the Missionaries at 3-4 in the NWC and 4-7 overall. The Pirates are 9-1-1 on the season and 6-0-1 in conference.
After Whitworth built an early 2-0 lead, Whitman cut its deficit in half when Craig Yuen converted a free-kick opportunity at the 35:30 mark. It was Yuen's third goal of the season.
The Pirates added an insurance goal in the 68th minute. Whitworth outshot Whitman 22 to 11, forcing Missionary first-year keeper Brett Axelrod to make six saves to keep the game close. First-year midfielder Stephen Phillips paced the Missionary offense with four shots.
"We really beat ourselves in the first half," coach Mike Washington said. "Our defense made a few mistakes and we got off to a slow start. We finished strong, but now we need to put a whole game together."
Whitman faces cross-town rival Walla Walla College this Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Whitman Athletic Fields.
The Whitman men's soccer team scored a season-high six goals, including a hat trick form first-year forward Marc Nabelek, en route to a shutout of cross-town rival Walla Walla College Sunday evening at the Whitman Athletic Fields. Whitman's last four victories all have come by way of a shutout.
The non-conference victory raised Whitman's season record to 5-7 overall. The Wolves fell to 6-4-1 on the season.
Nabelek started the scoring for Whitman at the 23:39 mark when he headed home a Kirk Thorson cross. A minute later, Nabelek converted a second goal when junior Mike Brown streaked through the WWC defense and left the ball for Nabelek to finish.
Another picture perfect cross by Thorson, a junior, led to the third goal of the match, a volley by junior Egan Brinkman. Whitman went into the half up 3-0.
Just five minutes into the second half Whitman struck again. First-year forward Stephen Phillips netted his first college goal when Thorson bent a corner kick into the box and onto the head of the charging Phillips.
A strong defensive effort by both teams held the score at 4-0 until late in the match. Streaking down the right flank, Nabelek took a pass from junior midfielder Dan Beekman and cracked it to the near-post to complete the first hat trick of the season for Whitman.
The final Whitman goal came five minutes later when Phillips was taken down in the box and rewarded with a penalty kick. He struck it dead center to beat the diving keeper, capping off a great offensive showing.
"I was very happy with the way we played today," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "A lot of people who don't usually play got a lot of minutes and really made the best of them. Hopefully we can keep the momentum going and play like this against stronger competition."
Nabalek's hat trick gives him at a team-high five goals on the season. Andy Huntington and John Rue both have four. Thorson had three assists in the game, his first start since comming back from an injury that had him sidelined all season.
Whitman keeper James Millikan got the shutout in goal for the Missionaries.
Whitman resumes NWC play next Saturday when it hosts Willamette at 2:30.
A single goal was all the Whitman men’s soccer team needed Saturday to slip past Willamette 1-0 at the Whitman Athletic Fields. Shutting out the Bearcats for the second time this season, the Missionaries moved back to .500 in the Northwest Conference with a record of 4-4 (6-7 on the season). Willamette is 1-7 in the NWC and 3-9 overall.
Whitman controlled the first half with aggressive play and strong defending. Outshooting the Bearcats 13-3 in the first 45 minutes, the Missionaries finally capitalized on an opportunity at the 39:14 mark. A Peter Randall cross was flicked the air by John Rue and finished off with a blast by defender Cole Sherman. It was Sherman’s first goal of the season, and a team-high fourth assist for Randall.
The Missionary defense held strong in the second half to preserve the victory. Brett Axelrod, Whitman’s first-year keeper, made all three of his saves in the second half, and the back line held Willamette to just nine total shots for the game. It was Axelrod’s third shutout of the season.
“Today was a good team performance,” Whitman coach Mike Washington said. “Willamette made some nice second-half adjustments which gave us a little trouble, but our defense held and we pulled out a much needed win.”
Whitman first-year forward Stephen Phillips, coming of a two-goal game, had seven shots for Whitman including three on goal. Ryan Powers and Donald Bressler had two shots and one shot on goal apiece for the Bearcats.
Whitman shut out Willamette 3-0 in the first meeting between these two teams last month in Salem, Ore. The Missionaries continue NWC play on Sunday with a home game against George Fox. Willamette plays Sunday at Whitworth in Spokane. Both games start at 2:30 p.m.
A pair of goals 75 seconds apart early in the second half helped the Whitman men's soccer team earn a season sweep of George Fox with a 3-2 victory Sunday afternoon at the Whitman Athletic Fields. Whitman evened its season record at 7- 7 while boosting its Northwest Conference mark to 5-4. George Fox drooped to 2- 11 and 1-8.
The Bruins drew first blood in the match, scoring just past the midpoint of the first half, when Garrett Blizzard put back a rebound off the crossbar. George Fox led 1-0 at the break.
Whitman's offensive flurry began with 41:53 remaining in the second half when Cole Sherman skied over everyone and headed in Kirk Thorson's free kick from the left side. Just over a minute later, Thorson sent a long ball that Andy Huntington chipped into the back of the net after beating the George Fox keeper to the ball. It was Huntington's fifth goal of the season, which ties him with Marc Nabelec for the team lead.
Huntington nearly added another goal a minute later when he guided a header just wide. "We really played a better second half than a first," Whitman coach Mike Washington said.
Whitman added an insurance goal at 85:14 when Kevin Sigley scored his second goal of the season, heading in a Thorson corner. Thorson assisted on all three Whitman goals, marking his second three-assist game in Whitman's last three games.
The insurance goal proved to be necessary when George Fox's Jon Maroni scored from the left side off a free kick with less than three minutes left in the game. The rest of the game saw no scoring as Whitman was able to hang onto a 3- 2 victory.
George Fox outshot the Missionaries 11-7 in the first half. Whitman turned the tide a bit in the second half, firing off six shots, two more than the Bruins. Whitman's freshman keeper, Brett Axelrod, finished with six saves.
In last month's first meeting between the two schools, Whitman scored a 1-0 victory at George Fox.
The Whitman men's soccer team defeated Pacific for the second time this season on Saturday, earning a 1-0 win in Forest Grove, Ore. Whitman's fourth straight victory moves the Missionaries to 8-7 on the season and 6-4 against Northwest Conference opponents. The Boxers fell to 1-9 in the NWC and 2-12 overall.
Junior Egan Brinkman provided the game's only goal. He dribbled right to left across the box and buried his shot in the net with 29:06 remaining. It was his third goal of the season.
Whitman's freshman goalie Brett Axelrod saved all four Pacific shots on goal. Boxers net-minder Jory Shene kept his team in the game, stopping 13Whitman shots on goal.
Despite the victory and a 22-8 advantage in shots, the Missionaries had all they could handle with Pacific, which outcornered Whitman 5-3 overall, including 3-0 in the second half. "It was a good game, a hard-fought win," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "I don't know how many games we're going to win 4-0, so it was a good win."
The Missionaries play again on Sunday, facing Linfield in McMinnville, Ore., at 2:30.
The Whitman men's soccer team had its four-game winning streak snapped in a 4-0 loss at Linfield Sunday afternoon. Now 8-8 on the season, the Missionaries are 6-5 in the Northwest Conference. Linfield upped its record to 8-4-4 overall and 7-1-3 in the conference.
Whitman fell behind early. Linfield's first goal came at 6:58 of the first half when Chris Paradis finished a Mike Grabast near-miss. The Whitman defense tightened up, though, and freshman goalie Brett Axelrod made four first-half saves to keep the Wildcat lead at 1-0 at intermission.
Axelrod made six more saves in the second half, but Linfield's attack produced three more goals, the last one coming with less than six minutes to play.
Whitman had two strong scoring chances in the first half. Sophomore Andy Huntington's shot from eight yards was saved by Linfield keeper Grant Williams, and freshman Stephen Phillips's header went just wide.
The Missionaries play at home twice next weekend. They host Puget Sound on Saturday and Pacific Lutheran on Sunday.
Despite outshooting Puget Sound 14-11, the Whitman men’s soccer team was on the short end of a 2-0 Northwest Conference score Saturday afternoon at the Whitman Athletic Fields.
The setback dropped the Missionaries to 8-9 on the season and 6-6 in conference play. Puget Sound, which was in third place entering Saturday’s games, bumped its records to 8-1-2 in the NWC and 9-1-3 overall.
Both teams had possessions early, but it was Puget Sound who caught the early beak. Mark Conrad’s hard cross from 15 yards out found Jeremy Denman, who hammered it home.
The early goal didn’t discourage the Missionaries, however, who generated 10 first-half shots, six more than the Loggers. Whitman forward Andy Huntington, who did not play in Puget Sound’s 1-0 victory in Tacoma earlier in the season, rapped three shots on goal in the opening half. Puget Sound keeper Brian Lawson was up to the test, posting five of his six saves before intermission.
Puget Sound came out much tougher in the second half, effectively preserving their one goal lead with stifling defense. Greg Swanson later iced the victory for the Loggers with an unassisted strike at the 72:50 mark.
In what proved to be a rough game form the start, Whitman ended up with 18 total fouls. Puget Sound finished with 10 fouls, seven in the first half. The Loggers attempted seven corner kicks. The Missionaries did not have a single attempt.
Whitman’s Peter Randall had three shots for the Missionaries, two on goal. Denman and Byron Conforti led the Loggers with three shots apiece.
Whitman stays home to host Pacific Lutheran at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Puget Sound travels to Spokane to face NWC leader Whitworth.
Mike Ferguson booted a hat trick to power Pacific Lutheran to a 4-2 victory over Whitman Sunday afternoon in Northwest Conference men's soccer action at the Whitman Athletic Fields.
Pacific Lutheran's first two goals came early in the first half, less than two minutes apart. Kevin Murray's spectacular diving header in the 16th minute got the Lutes on the board. Murray assisted on the next goal, a Ferguson shot from just outside the 18.
Whitman cut the deficit in half right before the half. Junior Kirk Thorson took a free kick with less 10 seconds remaining, and freshman Jessie Phillips skied over the PLU defenders and sent a bouncing header into the side netting as time expired. It was the first college goal for Phillips, who became the sixth member of Whitman's talented freshman class to boot a goal this season.
"That goal at the end of the first half was a great boost," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "It should've helped us."
The Lutes pushed their lead back to two goals when Ferguson scored his second goal of the game at 12:19 of the second half, dribbling past Whitman defenders and firing a shot into the net.
Two minutes later, Whitman first-year forward Cole Rathjen was held in the box, and Craig Yuen converted the subsequent penalty kick to again cut the Lute lead to only one at 3-2. It was Yuen's fourth goal of the season.
But Pacific Lutheran added an insurance goal, Ferguson's third of the afternoon, with more than 25 minutes left to play, and that ended the day's scoring.
Ferguson and Murray now lead the Lutes in scoring with 12 goals each. Murray also has seven assists. "Ferguson is a great player," Washington said. "He's scored a lot of goals."
The loss dropped the Missionary men's record to 6-7 in the NWC and 8-10 overall. The Lutes are now 11-7 on the season and 7-5 in the NWC.
The game was a bit on the chippy side with the Missionaries committing 13 fouls and the Lutes 15. Whitman was issued one yellow card and PLU three.
The Whitman men will play their final match of the season next Friday, hosting Whitworth at 6:30 p.m. Pacific Lutheran's next game is Saturday at home against Linfield.
The Missionary men’s soccer team put up a good fight in its final game of the season Friday night at the Whitman Athletic Fields, but Northwest Conference-leading Whitworth escaped with a 2-0 victory. The Pirates, ranked sixth nationally, remained undefeated in conference, boosting their record to 13-0-1 in conference and 16-1-1 overall. Whitman ended it season at 8-11, including a 6-8 record in the NWC.
The Missionaries started the game with an offensive flurry but were left with nothing to show for it. Ten minutes into the match, Whitman sophomore Andy Huntington took a free kick just outside the left side of the box, but his low blast was deflected by Whitworth keeper Kevin Bostock. In the scrum in front of the net following the deflection, a second Whitman shot bounced off the right post.
Three minutes later, a Whitman blast from 40 yards out hit the crossbar and Egan Brinkman's follow was deflected wide right. Finally, with 22 minutes remaining in the half, a Kirk Thorson free kick from just inside the box slipped through Bostock's hands but was cleared off the goal-line by Whitworth defenders.
"We had about four balls bounce off the post or the crossbar in the first 20 minutes of the game," said Whitman coach Mike Washington.
Despite Whitman's pressure, Whitworth drew first blood. In the game's 27th minute, Jonathan Carlson sent a low ball from the left wing to the center of the field and Ali Seyedali slid hard into the ball, slamming it to the back of the net. The first half saw both teams take seven shots, but it was Whitworth leading 1-0 at the break.
"That's where we are now," Washington said. "We put pressure and pressure and don't score -- just can't finish our chances. And then they get a chance and do finish it."
The Pirates controlled the second half, taking eight shots to just two for Missionaries. Whitworth added its second goal 20 minutes into the half when Matt Friesen headed home an Ali Seyedali corner kick.
With just over six minutes remaining, Whitman's last chance was spoiled when a Cole Sherman header was saved by Whitworth goalie Scott Barnum, who had replaced Bostock at the break. Barnum and Bostock combined to make three saves for the shutout. Whitman freshman Brett Axelrod made six saves for the Missionaries.
Before the game, a special presentation was made to Whitman seniors Ryan Porter and Peter Randall.