SALEM, Ore. – Closing out the first half of Northwest Conference slate, the Willamette Bearcats recorded their fifth shutout of the season, edging Linfield 1-0 Saturday night at Sparks Field.
1st Half
The Bearcats got on the board 15 minutes into the match when Sodai Takayanagi cushioned down a cross and netted his first goal of the season.
Linfield was held quiet for much of the opening period as the Bearcats afforded the Wildcats just two shots. Both strikes came off the foot of
Isaias Flores, who followed up his initial free kick attempt after it struck the wall in the seventh minute.
After Takayanagi's goal, Willamette was limited to one shot. The effort, produced by Hijiri Iijima, was blocked by an oncoming Wildcat defender with just under eight minutes to play.
2nd Half
Linfield's
Malachi Stalberg had a chance to level the match 10 minutes into the second period. However, Flores' corner kick found the head of Stalberg, only to see his attempt go awry.
Linfield's left-footed striker had another chance to force overtime late on, when his shot in the 83rd minute found the hands of Willamette goalkeeper Marco Gonzalez-Yanez.
Top Wildcats
Linfield finished with nine shots, four of which came from Flores. Stalberg saw one of his three attempts hit the frame. Goalkeeper
Eli Peckham ended the night with four saves against 15 shots. The six goals of rookie
Ryan Kister remain second among NWC scorers.
Leading Bearcats
Liam Main, Marco Gonzalez and Iijima led the trio of Bearcats with two shots each. The match did become a bit chippy, with Willamette conceding 28 fouls and seeing five of its players receive yellow cards. Gonzalez-Yanez finished with two saves.
What It Means
With the first half of conference play complete, Linfield continues to search for its first NWC win, falling to 0-7 in the league and 2-9 overall. Willamette remains unbeaten in its last seven matches, maintaining its position atop the NWC standings at 6-0-1. The Bearcats started the season 1-3.
Next
With its only contest of weekend in the books, Linfield returns home for a two-match homestand. The Wildcats host Whitworth Saturday at 2:30 p.m., following the women's match which kicks off at noon.
