News Release Date:
Sunday, October 25
WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- Despite outshooting George Fox by a decisive margin, the Whitman College men's soccer team surrendered a disputed goal to the Bruins late in the second half and suffered a 2-1 Northwest Conference setback on a cold, wet Sunday afternoon in Newberg, Ore.
The Missionaries peppered the George Fox defense with 25 shots, putting 11 on goal. The Bruins managed just two shots on goal in the second half, but one proved to be the game winner when Geoffrey Wacker scored his first goal of the season with 14 minutes left to play.
 |
| Todd Wallenius |
The goal came less than five minutes after Todd Wallenius tied the game at 1-1 with his sixth goal of the season. Conner Bottomly triggered the scoring play, and got the assist, when his shot from the right post was deflected by George Fox keeper Danny Gamma. Wallenius collected the rebound and knocked it home.
"It was a frustrating day," Whitman coach Mike Washington said. "We outplayed them in the first half and were just a little shocked to find ourselves down 1-0 at halftime."
The Bruins took that lead in the 40th minute of the opening half when Jon Gutierrez scored his first goal of the season.
"That was probably their first chance of the first half and it went in for them," Washington said. "We responded in the right way in the second half. The play was a bit more even, but we kept working hard and plugging away, and we finally got the equalizer."
Frustration mounted for the Missionaries when George Fox regained the lead on what Washington felt was an offsides play. "We stopped on the play, but the linesman didn't call it. We can't afford to stop. We need to play until there is a whistle."
Whitman got off six more shots down the stretch, forcing the Gamma to make two of his 10 saves.
"I can't complain about the effort today," Washington said. "We worked hard, put out a lot of effort and put the other side under a lot of pressure. We created a lot of chances but didn't get the bounces."
Four minutes into the game, Whitman missed a golden opportunity to take the early lead when Gamma was called for catching the ball immediately after a George Fox throw-in. Wallenius took the free kick about 10 yards from the right post, but his rocket was blocked by Gamma. Whitman's Chris Reid corralled the rebound and missed wide right with his rebound shot.
 |
| Conner Bottomly |
Bottomly put each of his game-high six shots on goal to lead Whitman's offense. Wallenius and Reid took four shots apiece and Beau Morton added three more. The Missionaries also got two shots each from Jed Jacobson, Cooper Crosby and Andy Clark.
Nic McDonald made five saves in goal for Whitman, which also worked its way to a 5-2 edge in corner kicks.
"This is a tough place to play," Washington added. "The field is small, bumpy and it doesn't drain very well when it's wet like today. George Fox has upset a few teams here. They took Whitworth to overtime yesterday."
Whitman, which has lost six NWC games this fall by a single goal, is 2-7-2 in conference play and 3-9-3 overall. George Fox is 2-9 and 5-11.
The Missionaries return home to host a non-conference game on Tuesday against Montana's University of Great Falls. The game starts at 4:30 p.m. and is Whitman's last home game of the season.
- 30 -
CONTACT: Dave Holden
© Whitman College | 345 Boyer Ave. Walla Walla, WA 99362 | Contact us