By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
NEWBERG, Ore. -- Shelby Sawyer (Jr., GK, Marysville, WA/Bio Med Academy) earned 15 saves for Willamette University -- one short of the school record -- against Northwest Conference power George Fox University in a 12-5 loss on Saturday, March 12 at the Austin Sports Complex. Lily Bachiochi (Fy., ATT, Henderson, NV/Coronado HS) scored two goals for the Willamette, while Catie Kawamura (Jr., ATT, San Diego, CA/San Diego International Studies) contributed one goal and one assist.
The Bearcats kept pace with the Bruins in the first 15-minute quarter and trailed 3-2 entering the second quarter. George Fox outscored WU in the second quarter 6-0 to grab a 9-2 lead at halftime. Each team registered three goals in the second half.
George Fox remained undefeated at 5-0, while improving to 3-0 in the NWC. Willamette dropped to 3-1 on the season, 2-1 in the NWC.
Sawyers' 15 stops were just short of the school record of 16 saves credited to Kara Phillips ('19) at Linfield College (now Linfield University) on March 31, 2019.
Carliegh DeLapp led GFU with five goals, while Andrea Garcia-Milla provided two goals and three assists. Olivia Geyling scored two goals to go with one assist. Marena Tharpe finished with one goal and two assists. In addition to Bachiochi and Kawamura, other Willamette players who scored a goal were Laura Kelly (Sr., ATT, Mountain View, CA/Mountain View HS) and Analise Wilson (So., MID, Temecula, CA/Chaparral HS). Maddie Garcia (Jr., MID, Encinitas, CA/San Dieguito Academy) provided one assist.
After Geyling tallied the first of the game for the Bruins with 12:50 left in the first quarter, Wilson responded just under two minutes later with an equalizer at the 10:54 mark. Garcia assisted on the play. The Bruins moved in front with a goal by Bailey Faust with 8:16 to go in the period. WU tied the score for a second time on a goal by Kelly, assisted by Kawamura, with 7:27 on the clock. The Bruins took a 3-2 lead with 1:28 remaining in the quarter on DeLapp's first goal.
DeLapp tacked on the first goal of the second quarter on a free-position shot with 14:21 to play in the half. The next two goals were scored within 15 seconds, as Tharpe converted a free-position chance at 12:19 and DeLapp earned her third goal at 12:04. Also scoring for GFU in the second quarter were Geyling, Kyra Barnes, and Garcia-Milla.
Garcia-Milla added the first goal of the third quarter at the 9:57 mark to increase the Bruins' lead to 10-2. Kawamura scored for Willamette about three minutes later, but DeLapp put in a goal with 5:22 on the clock. GFU carried an 11-3 lead into the fourth quarter.
Willamette earned the first two goals of the final period, both on shots by Bachiochi. She hit the net with 6:52 and 2:41 remaining. DeLapp completed the scoring with her fifth goal for GFU with 1:50 to play.
While reaching double figures in saves, Sawyer also led WU with six ground balls. Kawamura registered two draw controls, while Emma Canchola (Sr., DEF, Oregon City OR/Oregon City HS) caused two turnovers by the Bruins. For George Fox, Barnes and Geyling each produced five ground balls. Barnes and Tharpe were both credited with four draw controls. Hayley Hensley caused three WU turnovers.
GFU achieved a 36-22 advantage in total shots. The Bruins finished with a 15-6 lead in draw controls and a 26-14 edge in ground balls. Goalie Ella Rand and Emma Webb each played 30 minutes in goal for the Bruins, with Rand recording six saves and Webb providing four saves.
Willamette will host Linfield University at Sparks Field on Sunday, March 13. Game time is set for 1 p.m. (PDT).