WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Despite a strong effort on the road, Linfield fell to Whitman 4-1 on Sunday afternoon at Whitman Athletic Fields. The Wildcats held their ground early, with goalkeeper
Jacob Toves turning away several attempts. Toves recorded 12 saves on 31 shots faced, including six saves in each half, but the Blues capitalized on their chances, converting four of their 18 shots on goal.
Whitman opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a goal from Jude Clum-Stockton, assisted by Kevin Serrano. The Blues doubled their lead in the 21st minute when Serrano found the net off assists from Oliver Dickson and Adrian Valencia. Linfield entered halftime trailing 2-0 but regrouped to pressure the Whitman defense after the break.
Linfield's lone goal came shortly into the second half. Midfielder
Sid Kosaris scored in the 49th minute, assisted by
Keegan Brooks, to cut the deficit to 2-1. Kosaris' goal was one of six Linfield shots on target, while the team finished with 11 total shots and earned five corner kicks, an indication of Linfield's persistent offensive push. Kosaris,
E.J. Sablan and
Cameron Gaines each contributed two shots with one being on goal.
However, Whitman responded decisively in the 65th minute as Serrano netted his second goal, assisted by Jacob Burrill, restoring the two-goal margin. Serrano completed a hat trick in the 74th minute to seal the win for the Blues. Despite Linfield's efforts, including standout defensive work from Toves and a handful of promising offensive plays, Whitman's high shot total and effective scoring proved too much for the Wildcats.
NEXT
Linfield prepares for a rematch with Lewis & Clark on Wednesday after beating the Pioneers earlier this season. The match begins at 5 p.m. at the Linfield Soccer Complex.
