McMINNVILLE, Ore. – The tension was palpable late Sunday afternoon at the Linfield Soccer complex in McMinnville. The Wildcats (1-4-3, 1-1-2) welcomed league leader Pacific Lutheran (4-1-3, 3-0-1) to town and matched them in every facet of the match. Both teams made some impressive plays but the match ended in a 0-0 draw which was Linfield's first draw against PLU since 2016.
The Wildcats finished with 15 shots, 10 on goal, three corner kicks (all coming in the first half) and 10 fouls. All but three starters played the full match.
Sam Haynes and
Seamus Miller each accounted for four shots on goal. Miller was the only Linfield player to receive a caution.
Colby Reese continues to be a steady force in between the posts for Linfield, totaling 11 saves.
Lutes goalkeeper Nicholas Gaston saved five Linfield shots in the opening 12 minutes with the 'Cats putting pressure on early.
Pacific Lutheran returned the favor in the second half, forcing Reese into 10 save situations. The biggest saves came in the last few minutes to preserve the draw.
Each side had a goal disallowed due to offsides.
The Lutes finished with 25 shots, 11 on goal, 18 corner kicks and 13 fouls. Pacific Lutheran had two yellow cards with one going on the bench and the other going to head coach John York. Gaston finished with 10 saves.
NEXT
The Wildcats hope to stack more positive results when they are home for the next two matches. Linfield welcomes Whitman on Saturday and Whitworth on Sunday, Oct. 1 both matches are slated to start at 2:30 p.m.
