MCMINNVILLE, Ore. --- Linfield women's soccer (8-2-4, 6-2-2 NWC) extended their winning streak to three games, thanks to
Sydney Garner's game-winner, putting the Wildcats over the Pacific Boxers (3-4-6, 2-2-6 NWC), 2-1.
After an even opening stretch, Linfield began to take control midway through the first half. The Wildcats earned an early corner in the third minute and continued to pressure the Boxers' back line. Freshman forward
Amalia Tufts registered the first shot of the night just a minute in, setting an early tone for Linfield's attack.
The breakthrough came moments before halftime. In the 44th minute, midfielder
McKenzie Heckman sent a low cross into the box that found freshman
Lena Caballero Uhtoff, who calmly finished from close range to give Linfield a 1-0 lead heading into the break. The goal was Caballero Uhtoff's fourth of the season and Heckman's first assist of the campaign. It also marked the second-straight home match where Caballero Uhtoff scored in the closing minutes of the first half.
Goalkeeper
Alexa Fritz anchored the defense throughout the half, making a key save in the 24th minute to deny Pacific. The Linfield back line—featuring
Reese Jones,
Sofia Pietrok, and
Marley Ells—limited the Boxers to just two first-half shots.
Pacific equalized in the 69th minute, sneaking inside the line after hitting the crossbar on a shot from the top of the box to even the score at 1-1.
The Wildcats quickly regrouped, and less than four minutes later, they reclaimed the lead. In the 73rd minute, forward
Sydney Garner made an immediate impact off the bench, slotting home a cross from senior forward
Julia Alvarez to put Linfield up 2-1. The finish marked Garner's second goal of the season and ultimately stood as the game-winner.
Linfield continued to apply pressure down the stretch, generating multiple corner kicks and shots from Heckman and Kamahie Samudio. Pacific pressed late, but Fritz came up big again with two saves in the final ten minutes to preserve the victory.
Linfield outshot Pacific 10-9 overall and 4-3 in shots on goal. The Wildcats earned five corner kicks to the Boxers' four. Fritz recorded three saves in her 90 minutes of play, earning her eighth win of the season in goal. Garner and Caballero Uhtoff each found the net for Linfield, while Alvarez and Heckman picked up assists.
The Wildcats enjoy a 10-day break, following a stretch of eight games in 18 days. Linfield returns next Saturday afternoon, kicking off a road trip against Whitman and Whitworth.
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