NEWBERG, ORE. -- George Fox University pulled away from a 1-1 halftime tie with goals at 66:14 and 70:20, then held on to defeat visiting Willamette University, 3-2, in a Northwest Conference game on Tuesday, Oct. 24. Willamette pulled within a single goal when Nick Forbes (So., F, Carbondale, CO/CRMS) scored at 83:05, then had a chance to force overtime with 30 seconds left, but a header by Casey Dineen (Fr., MF, Portland, OR/Jesuit HS) went wide left.

George Fox improved to 7-7-2 on the season, 3-7-1 in the NWC. Willamette dropped to 1-14-1 overall, 0-10-1 in the NWC. The Bearcats have lost 10 consecutive games, despite scoring one or more goals in four of the last six contests.

The Bruins opened the scoring with a header goal by Matt Gurlides at 28:45. Gurlides, who scored for the seventh time this season, was assisted on the goal by Keith Marshall.

Willamette equalized at 40:20, when Austin Buell (Jr., F, Ashland, OR/Ashland HS) scored his first goal of the season. GFU goalkeeper Kyle Putnam left his goal to deflect a pass on the scoring play, but couldnt keep the ball close, as it bounced behind him. Buell scored from close range into an empty net. The unassisted goal created a 1-1 tie at the intermission.

The score remained 1-1 until Dylan Durrell scored at 66:14 on an assist from Gurlides. Durrells goal was scored from 15 yards in the middle of the field. GFU extended its lead to 3-1 on a goal by Kyle Story at 70:20. Garrett Blizzard earned an assist on the play.

Forbes gave Willamette a chance to rally when he scored with just 6:55 remaining, but the Bruins held on to record the win. Willamette, which earned a 9-5 edge in total shots during the first half, was outshot by George Fox 16-6 in the second half. The Bearcats, however, finished the game with an 8-7 advantage in shots on goal. Both teams recorded four corner kicks during the game, with WU earning three in the first half and GFU creating three in the second half.

Goalkeeper Mark Bennett (Fr., Salt Lake City, UT/West HS) registered four saves for the Bearcats. Putnam was credited with six saves for the Bruins.

Willamette will play another NWC road game on Saturday, Oct. 28 at Linfield College. Game time in McMinnville, Ore., is slated for 1:30 p.m. (PDT).