MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – A wild turn of events made for an interesting match Sunday afternoon as Linfield scored a 1-1 draw with Puget Sound at the Linfield Soccer Complex. The match featured seven cards shown and an eye-popping 20 shot differential between the two squads. Puget Sound came out on top in September in the first meeting of the season between these two teams with a 3-2 score.
E.J. Sablan scored the Wildcats' two goals in that match.
The Wildcats got to work early and often.
Aedan Carroll broke away from Loggers defense down the sideline and sent a beautiful cross into the middle of the field. Freshman
Oli Gaines took care of the rest as he fired a shot off his right foot that hit the back of the net.
Puget Sound responded in the 35th minute when Pema Globus netted the equalizer, slotting a shot into the top left corner after a defensive breakdown by the Wildcats.
The second half saw increased physicality, with the Loggers receiving two red cards, leaving them down two men in the final minutes. Linfield took advantage of the situation, piling on pressure with 13 second-half shots, but Puget Sound's goalkeeper, Ryan Saunders, was a brick wall, recording 11 saves in the match, including several key stops in the closing moments.
Despite dominating possession and shots (23-3), the Wildcats were unable to break the deadlock. Linfield keeper
Jacob Toves made one save in the match.
Keegan Brooks spearheaded the Linfield attack with six shots while
Sid Kosaris added four and Sablan finished with three. The Wildcats' 23 shots and 12 shots on goal are the most in any match this season.
For the 'Cats, Carroll, Brooks, Toves,
Blake Tasci and
Radule Bozovic played all 90 minutes of Saturday's match.
NEXT
Linfield enters the home stretch of the 2024 season with a road game against Whitworth on Saturday at noon.
