WALLA WALLA, Wash. --- Linfield men's soccer saw their final road trip out of Yamhill come to a close on Sunday, falling to the Whitman Blues (10-0-5, 9-0-2 NWC), 5-1, the Blues continue to sit atop the Northwest Conference standings.
The Wildcats opened the match on the front foot, earning an early shot from
Tate Bliss in the first minute that sailed just wide. But the unbeaten Blues countered quickly, finding the back of the net twice in a three-minute span to seize momentum. Whitman scored twice in the 11th minute and added another in the 18th, stretching their lead to 3-0.
Linfield showed resilience after the early surge. In the 25th minute, midfielder
Ross Vargo slipped a through ball to forward
Sam Haynes, who slotted a shot inside the right post to cut the deficit to 3-1.
Goalkeeper
Colby Reese made four first-half saves to help stabilize the defense, including a crucial stop on a low strike in the 24th minute.
Don Moss and
Anderson Kelly anchored the back line through a physical stretch that saw Linfield collect its first yellow card in the 43rd minute.
Linfield entered halftime trailing 3-1 but carried momentum into the second period, pushing forward with improved possession and two early corner kicks.
Caleb Ishizaka fired just wide in the 52nd minute as the Wildcats sought to close the gap.
Whitman, however, regained control midway through the half. The Blues extended their advantage in the 64th minute from the right edge of the box, followed less than two minutes later by a fifth goal that made it 5-1.
Despite the deficit, Linfield continued to fight. Reese and substitute goalkeeper
Hayden Sciera combined for seven total saves, with Sciera making two in relief over the final 18 minutes. Defenders
Nick Reggiani and Kelly were each shown yellow cards in the second half.
Whitman outshot Linfield 22-9 overall and 12-5 in shots on goal. Reese logged five saves in 73 minutes before Sciera took over late, making two stops in his 17 minutes of action. Haynes' goal came on one of Linfield's five shots on target, while Bliss, Ishizaka, Rowe, Moss, and Stafford also registered attempts.
The Wildcats will compete in Yamhill county for each of their final four matches, with the next three matches set to start at 2:45 p.m. on campus next weekend and the following Saturday.
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