McMINNVILLE, Ore. – A big week lies ahead for Linfield lacrosse as the Wildcats await three matches still searching for their first win of the season. The 'Cats will host Occidental in a non-conference match at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. They will return to Northwest Conference play this weekend, hosting Pacific on Saturday before playing at Willamette on Sunday. Both matches will start at 1 p.m. 
 
THE RECORDS
Linfield enters the week at 0-2 with both losses coming in Northwest Conference play. Occidental is 1-1 and will play Linfield after their meeting with George Fox the day prior. Pacific is 1-2 overall and also owns a 0-2 NWC mark while Willamette (3-0, 2-0 NWC) is off to a solid start to its season.
 
LINFIELD AT A GLANCE
The Wildcats opened their 2022 campaign with home losses to Puget Sound and George Fox. Abby Ross leads the team with nine goals on 18 shots, 11 on goal. Maia Rezoski has scored five goals on the young season, including a team-leading four goals against George Fox. Amelia Wright has scored four times and dished out three assists while Bethany Shade scored a goal, had an assist and secured 12 draw controls against the Bruins in her first appearance of the season. Caity Babcock started both games for the 'Cats and came up with 12 saves.
 
OCCIDENTAL AT A GLANCE
The Tigers took a 22-8 loss to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps before beating Whittier, 19-9, to open their season and SCIAC play. Bella Litt scored five goals in the Tigers' win over Whittier. Halle Knutson has six goals and four assists while Annie Dolan leads the team with seven goals to go with two assists. Haley Jones started both games in goal and has grabbed a combined 13 saves.
 
PACIFIC AT A GLANCE
The Boxers are coming off back-to-back NWC losses to Whitman and Whitworth. Hyland Cullen-Musengo leads the Pacific attack with 13 goals to go with a pair of assists. She has put 18 of her 23 shots on goal. Vivian Mai has scored eight goals on 10 shots while Katrina Boyd has scored twice and leads the Boxers with three assists. Amelia Haindl has played every minute in goal, making 34 saves.
 
WILLAMETTE AT A GLANCE
The Bearcats opened their season with a 17-6 win over NAIA Eastern Oregon before taking down Whitworth (17-3) and Whitman (18-15) to begin NWC play. Laura Kelly is off to a strong start to the season, leading the Willamette attack with 11 goals on 13 shots. Maddie Garcia and Tati Klenk each have nine goals while Lily Bachiochi has eight goals and eight assists to lead the team with 16 points. Shelby Sawyer anchors the Bearcats in goal, making 31 saves in her three starts.
 
HISTORY
Wednesday will be just the third meeting between Linfield and Occidental. The Tigers won both meetings, the most recent coming in a 22-2 victory during the 2016 season.
 
Linfield and Pacific have met 30 times with the Boxers winning 19 of those matches. The tides have turned in the all-time series with the Wildcats taking the last six meetings dating back to the 2018 season. The Wildcats dominated the Boxers in 2021, winning 17-4 and 13-8 with both victories coming in Forest Grove.
 
Linfield and Willamette will meet for the fifth time on Sunday. The Wildcats are 3-1 in the series and are averaging 15.5 goals per match against the Bearcats. They split their series in 2021 with the Wildcats winning 15-13 and the Bearcats taking the second match with a score of 16-11.