McMINNVILLE, Ore. –
Patrick Moes' two-goal performance highlighted a 5-2 loss for the Linfield men's soccer team against La Verne Sunday afternoon at the Linfield Soccer and Lacrosse Complex.
The junior from Boise, Idaho, notched his first collegiate goal in the 27
th minute off an assist by
Cameron Gaines to tie the match at 1-1. He wasn't finished there, finding the back of the net again in the 68
th for his second goal in a Linfield uniform.
Rigoberto Laguna opened the scoring with a header in the 13
th minute that sailed over the head of Linfield goalkeeper
Christian Saenz. Asher Smith gave the Leopards a 2-1 lead in the 34
th before Owen Osagiede and Joel Trejo tacked on insurance goals in the 50
th and 68
th, respectively, to put the match on ice. Smith also notched the Leopards' fifth goal in the closing minutes.
Linfield finished with 18 shots and 10 shots on goal but struggled to find scoring opportunities. The Linfield backline was tested early and often as much of the match was spent on the Wildcats' side of the pitch.
Seamus Miller led the 'Cats with three shots, two on goal. Moes, Gaines,
Marques Herrera-Kuehn,
Sam Haynes and
Owen Schoner all had two shots.
Logan Clizer,
Angel Hernandez and
Evan Stafford all played the full 90 minutes.
Saenz made his first appearance of the season in goal for the 'Cats. He played the entire match, making five saves. La Verne goalkeeper Matthew Logan Reese came up with eight saves.
There were a combined 22 fouls called in the match, 12 on the Leopards and 10 on the 'Cats. Head referee Lucas Brooks had quite the busy day himself, handing out six yellow cards in the contest.
NEXT
Linfield will take an 0-4-0 record into Monday's non-conference matchup with Lewis & Clark, which starts at 7 p.m. in Portland. The Pioneers have brought back a varsity men's soccer program for the first time since 1991. They will not compete in NWC play in 2022.
