MCMINNVILLE, Ore. --- Linfield women's soccer (5-0-4, 3-0-2 NWC) battled back from deficits twice in Tuesday night's match, scoring late in both halves to earn a 2-2 draw against the Willamette Bearcats (2-5-3, 1-4-2 NWC). The Wildcats remain unbeaten through nine games to start the season, their longest such streak since the 2012 season.
The Bearcats went in front in the 19th minute, netting a goal that snuck past the diving attempt of Linfield goalkeeper
Alexa Fritz. The Wildcat offense was stymied for 43-minutes of the match, taking just one shot, but, in the 44th minute, freshman
Fia Swanson netted her first collegiate goal. Swanson slotted home the shot after an assist from
Lena Caballero Uhtoff to level the match at 1-1 entering halftime.
Just 36 seconds into the second half, Willamette regained the lead after earning a penalty kick. Linfield's offense began to apply the pressure trialing for a second time in the match, with hopes of keeping their unbeaten streak alive. The breakthrough came in the 76th minute when senior defender
Jenna Stanley powered home her fourth goal of the season off a well-placed ball from midfielder
Mia Curtaz. Stanley's finish tied the score at 2-2 and set up a tense final 15 minutes.
Goalkeeper
Alexa Fritz came up big throughout the match, recording four saves, two in each half. The back line, anchored by Stanley,
Reese Jones, and
Sofia Pietrok, kept the Bearcats from finding a late winner. Linfield's midfield trio of Curtaz,
Ruby Lacktrup, and
Melania Valdez worked tirelessly to maintain possession and keep the score tied late. Linfield took four shots to Willamette's six, with
Amalia Tufts recording two of her own.
The 'Cats are back in action this weekend, heading north to Tacoma, Washington, for two matches against Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran, a pair of the top teams in the Northwest Conference standings.
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