By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- Sean Kim (So., M/F, Sunnyvale, CA/Homestead HS) scored midway through the first half and Mack van der Velde (Sr., D, Voorhout, Neth./Summit HS, Bend, OR) added an insurance goal eight minutes into the second half, as Willamette University shut out Whitman College, 2-0, in a Northwest Conference men's soccer game on Sunday, Sept. 19. Willamette improved to 3-2 on the season, 1-1 in the NWC. Whitman lost for the first time to fall to 5-1 overall, 1-1 in the NWC.
Kim opened the scoring at 22:43 on an assist from Ardem Baronian (Jr., M/F, Los Altos, CA/St. Francis HS). The second goal was recorded by van der Velde at 53:13. Luke Varav (Fy., M/F, Newbury Park, CA/Newbury Park HS) provided an assist on the play.
"We fell short of our goal of six points (three per win) this weekend, but the team played well in both contests," Willamette Head Men's Soccer Coach Sam Adelman said. "Whitworth (2-1 loss for Willamette) will always have quality and give us trouble, and they got the better of us on Saturday. I'm proud of the response from the group today against Whitman. It shows we can be resilient, which is an important trait of any successful team. 'The Whits' is always a tough trip, and the team should feel good about their performances."
The Bearcats won despite taking just three shots during the game, but all three shots were on target. Ryan Sato (Sr., M, Sunnyvale, CA/Homestead HS) took Willamette's first shot at 6:23, but Whitman goalkeeper Lucas Haigh registered a save.
WU goalie Pierluca Carnovale (So., GK, Seattle, WA/Ballard HS) was credited with four saves while playing all 90 minutes. He provided WU with three saves in the second half. Haigh finished with one save for the Blues.
Whitman outshot the Bearcats, 11-3 overall, but the Blues held a slim 4-3 edge in shots on goal. Each team earned four corner kicks and both teams were called offside twice.
The Bearcats will host Pacific University on Saturday, Sept. 25 at Sparks Field in Salem, Oregon. Game time is set for 2:30 p.m. (PDT).
