SPOKANE, WASH The Willamette University Bearcats scored first and went into halftime with a 1-1 tie, but Whitworth College tallied three goals in a 4:15 span in the second half, as the Pirates claimed a 4-1 victory in Northwest Conference mens soccer action on Sunday, Sept. 17. Whitworth, which outshot Willamette 13-2 in the first half and 13-0 in the second half, improved to 3-2-1 overall and to 2-0 in the NWC. Willamette fell to 1-5-1 on the season, 0-1-1 in the NWC.
The Bearcats took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Trevor Jones (Jr., MF, Portland, OR/Grant HS) at 12:53. Austin Buell (Jr., F, Ashland, OR/Ashland HS) received an assist on the play. Willamette earned the goal on a break-away attack shortly after a corner kick by Whitworth at the other end of the field.
Whitworth evened the score late in the first half. Ali Seyedali scored unassisted on a free kick at 41:21 and the teams remained tied until the 66th minute.
At 65:22, the Pirates moved into the lead on a goal by Niko Varlamos form the left side of the penalty area. Chris Johnson and Jordan Lister were credited with assists on the play.
Whitworth quickly tacked on two insurance goals. Johnson scored on a header at 67:58, following a cross from Seyedali. Lister recorded the final goal at 69:37, with Matt Friesen earning an assist.
The Pirates achieved an 11-2 edge in shots on goal, including 5-2 in the first half. Whitworth also gained a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Bearcat goalie Mark Bennett (Fr., Salt Lake City, UT/West HS) registered seven saves. Beck Lance, who earned the win in his first start for Whitworth this season, was credited with one save.
Willamettes next four games are NWC contests at Sparks Field in Salem, Ore. The Bearcats will begin the homestand on Friday, Sept. 22, against the University of Puget Sound at 7 p.m. (PDT).