McMINNVILLE, Ore. –
Ross Vargo and
Oli Gaines each found the back of the net as Linfield men's soccer (1-2-1) earned its first victory of the season with a 2-0 shutout of Walla Walla on Sunday at the Linfield Soccer Complex.
Vargo put the Wildcats in front in the 10th minute, scoring his second goal of the season off a touch from Gaines into the box. Linfield controlled the opening half, outshooting Walla Walla 7-2 while generating six corner kicks to take the 1-0 advantage into halftime.
Gaines doubled the lead in the 64th minute, scoring his first goal of the season with
Brody Dalgaard providing the assist. Gaines finished with three points in the victory, while Vargo put both of his shots on goal. For Gaines, it's his first points in two seasons.
Linfield dominated the time of possession, while the defense allowed just one shot on goal, coming from outside of the box.
The Wildcats held Walla Walla to just three shots for the match and a single attempt on goal.
Colby Reese made one save to record the clean sheet, helping Linfield close out the non-conference schedule at 1-2-1 on the season.
The 'Cats now set their sights on the start of Northwest Conference play, coming next weekend during a trip to Eastern Washington. Linfield takes on Whitman next Saturday at Noon before heading to Spokane to face Whitworth at Noon on Sunday.
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