PORTLAND, Ore. – Four different Wildcats found the back of the net as Linfield men's soccer (5-8-3, 4-6-2 NWC) jumped out to a three-goal halftime advantage and cruised to a 4-1 victory over Lewis & Clark (2-13-1, 2-10-1 NWC) on Sunday afternoon on the road.
Linfield wasted little time taking possession, generating a shot on goal from Aaron Nowack just 19 seconds into the match. The Wildcats broke through in the sixth minute when freshman Beckham Poirot scored his fifth goal of the season off an assist from Jaren Nishikawa, giving Linfield an early 1-0 lead.
The Wildcats doubled their lead less than four minutes later when Oli Gaines found the back of the net in the 10th minute. Poirot provided the assist on Gaines' third goal of the season, extending Linfield's advantage to 2-0 before the match reached the 10-minute mark.
Linfield continued applying pressure throughout the opening half, adding a third goal in the 25th minute. Simon Patel scored his first goal of the season off an assist from Dani Paz, giving the Wildcats a commanding 3-0 advantage heading into halftime.
Lewis & Clark responded early in the second half, finding the back of the net in the 52nd minute to cut Linfield's lead to 3-1. However, the Wildcats answered just over six minutes later when Caleb Ishizaka scored his first goal of the season in the 58th minute. Jose Yanez provided the assist, restoring Linfield's three-goal cushion and putting the match out of reach.
The Wildcats maintained their offensive pressure into the second half, generating 12 shots and putting eight on goal after the break. Linfield finished with 21 shots, including 13 on target, while Lewis & Clark recorded 12 attempts and five shots on goal.
Johann Singh Sanchez led Linfield with four shots, while Ishizaka and Nowack each contributed three attempts. Gaines and Rylan Richter added two shots apiece. Poirot finished with a team-high three points on a goal and an assist, while Nishikawa, Paz and Yanez each recorded an assist.
Jacob Toves played all 90 minutes in goal for the Wildcats, making four saves, including three in the opening half, to help preserve Linfield's early advantage.Â
The Wildcat's offense looks to roll into a road trip against a pair of the conference's top teams, set to face Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran next weekend in Tacoma, Washington.
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