By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
NEWBERG, Ore. -- Willamette University controlled much of the action, but the Bearcats trailed George Fox University late in regulation before Omar Dominguez Pascasio (So., M/D, Madras, OR/Madras HS) scored a goal at 85:15 to send the game into overtime on Sunday, Oct. 21. Neither team scored during the two 10-minute, sudden-death overtime periods, as the game ended in a 1-1 tie.
The Bearcats moved to 11-2-3 overall, 8-1-2 (26 points) in the Northwest Conference. George Fox ended the game at 2-10-3, 1-7-3 in the NWC. Willamette remained in first place in the NWC standings, one point in front of Pacific Lutheran University, which stayed in second at 8-2-1 (25 points). The Lutes tied Whitman College, 2-2 in two overtimes, on Sunday in Tacoma, Washington.
Against GFU, the Bearcats amassed a 26-12 advantage in total shots and a 15-3 edge in shots on goal. WU also gained a 12-3 lead in corner kicks, including 10-1 in the second half and overtimes. Anthony Richard-Bassett (So., GK, Salem, OR/South Salem HS) had to make just two saves for Willamette.
It was an unlucky weekend for the Bearcats, who suffered a loss and a tie despite outshooting the Bruins and Pacific University by a combined 50-21 margin, including a 23-6 edge in shots on target. WU outshot Pacific 24-9 with an 8-3 lead in shots on goal in a 1-0 loss on Saturday.
"We did even better today in playing," Willamette Head Coach Lloyd Fobi said. "We dominated possession. I love how mentally tough this group is ... not giving in and remaning true to our commitment."
The Bruins found a chance to take the lead, and kept Willamette off the scoreboard for much of the game, because of plays near the GFU net. Goalkeeper Cole Benton was credited with eight saves during the game, while defenders stopped another six shots from going into the goal.
Jeremy Ravelo-Amano scored to give the the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 71:04. He achieved the goal on a volley shot from the left side of the field.
Dominguez Pascasio equalized the score at 85:15 following passes by Maxwell McKee (Sr., M, Coronado, CA/Coronado HS) and Patrick Charlton (Jr., M, Port Towsend, WA/Port Towsend HS). Dominguez Pascasio sent the ball into the lower right corner of the goal.
Willamette earned a slim 8-6 lead in shots during a scoreless first half. The Bearcats forced Benton to make two saves in the first 45 minutes, including a stop on a shot by Quinn Mello-Bastida (Sr., F, San Jose, CA/Valley Christian HS/U. of Portland) just 1:11 into the game. Benton also earned a save on a shot by Charlton at 41:11 only minutes before a defender stopped a shot by Yuta Suga (So., M, Urawa, Japan/RKU) at 43:42 and another defender prevented a shot by Charlton from crossing the goal line at 44:15.
Benton registered three more saves in the second half before Ravelo-Armano put the Bruins in front.
After GFU took the lead, the next four minutes featured a series of corner kicks and shots by the Bearcats. Mello-Bastida took all four corners, with the final three set plays leading to headers by Hikaru Ichigi (Jr., M, Kobe, Japan/Fujiigakuen Sangawa), Josh Schneider (Fr., F, Washoughal, WA/Camas HS) and Tam Proctor (Fr., D, Seattle, WA/The Northwest School). Ichigi's shot went wide, while Schneider's was saved by a defender and Proctor's was saved by Benton.
Charlton almost gave WU the lead when his shot at 87:37 hit the post. Ten seconds later, Proctor took a follow shot that was blocked. Both teams had a chance to win in the final seconds of regulation, with Jackson Keller shooting wide for GFU at 89:42 and Mello-Bastida missing high at 89:58. Each team had one shot in the first overtime.
The Bearcats controlled the second overtime with a 5-0 margin in total shots. Carter McCleary (So., M, Port Hadlock, WA/Chimacum HS) missed high on one shot and had another shot saved by a defender at 103:13. Mello-Bastida blasted a shot at 107:01 that was saved by Benton. Suga shot high at 108:15. PJ Gibson (Sr., D, Carmel, IN/Carmel HS) nearly won the game at 109:31, but his shot was cleared by a GFU player.
Willamette will host University of Puget Sound at Sparks Field on Saturday, Oct. 27. Game time is set for 12 p.m. (PDT).
Big Moment of the Game for Willamette
Omar Dominguez Pascasio provided the big play for the
Bearcats when he scored on a shot to the bottom right
corner of the net with less than five minutes remaining in
regulation at 85:15. It was his third goal of the season.
Playing in the midfield and on defense, he has taken just
10 shots this year, but eight of his shots have been on
target for an impressive .800 shot-on-goal percentage.