McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Kristen Burke's first career Linfield goal came up just short against Northwest Conference frontrunner Whitworth and the Pirates sunk the Wildcats 3-2 Saturday afternoon at the Linfield Soccer Field.
 
1st Half
Opening the first half with frequent hustle plays, the Wildcats were gifted a goal five minutes into the match when Sydney Kuehn picked off a Pirate pass 25 yards from goal and lobbed it over Whitworth netminder Molly Webster for her first goal of the season.
 
Whitworth's McKenzie Hemp leveled the contest in the 13th minute as Arielle Van Peursem's right-footed attempt skipped past Linfield goalkeeper Sarah Bailey and caromed off the post, finding Hemp for the easy tap-in.
 
Owning the majority of the possession in the opening stanza, Whitworth was presented with an ideal opportunity late in the half. The Pirates doubled their advantage with 3:22 remaining after Kathryn Bischoff launched a free kick toward Bailey's far post and snuck in her third goal this year.
 
2nd Half
Kelly Wucherer extended Whitworth's lead at the 59-minute mark, finishing a pass from teammate Leah Corra from six yards out to put the Pirates up 3-1.
 
Dominating possession for nearly the entire match, it looked as though the Wildcats needed a lucky break to have another chance at a goal.
 
Linfield got that break during the 72nd minute. Carole Thomas won a ball in the midfield and chipped the ball to Burke. The freshman forward tallied her first collegiate goal, lifting a left-footed effort past Webster to bring the 'Cats back within one.
 
Seconds after Linfield nabbed its second goal, Wildcat reserve goalkeeper Madi Reimer came up huge for the 'Cats, getting a foot on a one-on-one shot by Courtney Potter to preserve the one-goal deficit. Not only did the deflection keep her side within striking distance, it was Reimer's first collegiate save.
 
The Wildcats had two late chances to force overtime off free kicks, but the hosts were unable to get any shots on goal in the closing minutes.
 
Linfield Ledger
In her 26:20 of action and NWC debut, Reimer allowed no goals and produced two saves. Kuehn picked up a majority of the Wildcats' shots, attempting three of the Linfield's seven strikes. Burke's only shot of the contest resulted in the Wildcats' second goal. Bailey ended the day with seven saves in 64 minutes of action.
 
Top Pirates
Of the Pirates' 24 shots, Van Peursem has six. Along with her assist, Corra recorded three shots. Webster had little to do on the day, recording just one save. Whitworth took five corner kicks to Linfield's one.
 
What It Means
The Wildcats drop to 5-5-1 on the season and 3-3-1 in NWC play, moving to fifth in the standings. Whitworth remains atop the league at 8-3-1 (7-0-1 NWC).
 
Ahead
Linfield continues its five-game homestand Sunday with a match against the Whitman Blues at noon. Live broadcast and audio with Graeme Fineman begins at 11:45 a.m.