News Release Date:
Sunday, October 25
WALLA WALLA, Wash. - The formula was a familiar one as the Whitman College women's soccer team blanked George Fox 3-0 in Northwest Conference action Sunday afternoon in Newberg, Ore.
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| Corina Gabbert |
Corina Gabbert continued her torrid scoring, Kristin Innes booted her second goal in as many days, Amy Hasson and Libby Watkins added to their assist totals, and Courtney Porter and the Missionary defense posted their fourth shutout in five games.
Add it all up and Whitman has outscored its opponents by a combined 10-0 in winning its last three games.
The latest victory raises Whitman's record to 6-7 in the NWC (7-8-1 overall) and vaults the Missionaries into fourth place in the conference standings, just one victory behind third-place Willamette.
"We've won five of our last six games, all by shutout," Whitman coach Scott Shields said. "We're really on a roll and starting to click as a team. This is the way we want to continue and finish out the season."
It took the Missionaries just under three minutes to score their first goal against the Bruins. Gabbert lofted a ball from the right side to the near post, where Innes and Hasson were waiting with attempts at diving headers. "Kristin just happened to beat Amy to the ball," Shields said.
The header gives Innes four goals on the season.
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Libby Watkins |
With less than four minutes left in the first half, Gabbert took a pass from Hasson and scored from eight yards out to extend the Whitman lead to 2-0.
"Our offense picked it up a little in the second half," Shields said. "We generated a few more shots and all three of our corner kicks."
Whitman converted one of those corners at the 85:14 mark when Gabbert headed home a Watkins kick from the right side. It was Gabbert's team-leading 14th goal of the season and the fifth assist for Watkins. Hasson's assist earlier in the game gives her a team-high seven.
The Missionaries finished the game with a slight 13-11 in shots, which included a 6-4 edge in shots on goal. Porter made four saves, three in the first half, to register her third straight shutout and sixth of the season. She has 24 shutouts in her four seasons as Whitman's keeper.
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| Courtney Porter |
In conference-only games this fall, Porter's five shutouts ties her for the NWC lead. Her six shutouts on the season ranks her second in the overall stats.
"It was great to see Courtney and the defense put together another shutout," Shields said. "It was rainy and wet, and the field was muddy, but we still played a good game."
With 14 goals and six assists in 14 games, Gabbert is No. 2 in the NWC in scoring with 34 points. She trails only Puget Sound's Janece Levien, who has 17 goals and 14 assists in 15 games.
In NWC-only games, Gabbert leads the conference in scoring with 13 goals and four assists in 11 games.
Gabbert, after bouncing back from an early season injury, has bunched 13 goals and three assists into her last eight games. The senior's career scoring totals stand at 40 goals and 12 assists.
Whitman returns to the road next weekend, playing games at Linfield and Willamette.
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CONTACT: Dave Holden
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