FOREST GROVE, Ore. --- Linfield men's soccer kicked off Northwest Conference play on Friday night under the lights, although creating six on-target chances, the 'Cats were bested by the Boxers 1-0.
The Wildcats began attacking early, in the 13th minute,
Jamis Gonzalez forced the Pacific goalkeeper into his first save of the evening, followed by another stop on a shot from Danny Paz in the 26th minute.
Defensively, Linfield held firm against Pacific's pressure. Goalkeeper
Jacob Toves made three first-half saves, including a crucial 38
th minute save. With both defenses standing tall, the teams went into halftime scoreless.
Linfield continued to battle after the break but fell behind in the 57th minute when Pacific took a 1-0 lead.
The Wildcats looked for an equalizer, earning multiple corners and pushing numbers forward.
Ross Vargo and
Aedan Carroll both had looks from distance, while Gonzalez and Lara-Martinez continued to apply pressure up front.
The match featured heavy physicality, with three Linfield players receiving yellow cards:
Don Moss in the 20th minute,
Sam Haynes just before halftime, and
Joe Hetherington in the 73rd minute.
In the closing stages, Linfield earned late corners and sent extra players into the attack, but Pacific's defense held firm to take the match, 1-0. The Boxers outshot the Wildcats 11-7, but the 'Cats earned six attempts on-target to the Boxers five. Lara-Martinez led the team with two shots, with five others adding one a piece. Toves made four saves over his 90-minutes in goal for the Wildcats.
Men's soccer aims to bounce back on Sunday afternoon down in Salem, Oregon, against the Willamette Bearcats at 2:45 p.m.
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