By Mark Colachico, Interim Assistant Athletics Communications Director

SPOKANE, WASH. -- Willamette University earned its first Northwest Conference win of the season with a 1-0 victory over Whitworth University (Wash.) Sunday at the Whitworth Soccer Fields.

With the win, Willamette improves to 2-5 overall and 1-2 in Northwest Conference games. Meanwhile, Whitworth falls to 1-5-1 overall and 0-3-0 in NWC matches.

In the 62nd minute,Jill Phillips (Jr., MF/GK, Fairbanks, AK/West Valley HS) broke a scoreless tie with her third goal of the season at 61:40 to put the Bearcats ahead by the eventual final margin.

Over the opening 45 minutes of play, both teams tallied four total shots with Phillips getting a pair of golden opportunities for the Bearcats at 12:38 and 32:28. Phillips' first chance forced Whitworth's keeper to make a save before her second shot came via a header that went wide right keeping the game scoreless.

Willamette would push the offensive flow over the opening 20 minutes of the second half, as the Bearcats earned back-to-back corner kicks at 60:31 and 61:00. At the 61:20 mark, Emma Sanders (So., MF, Kennewick, WA/Southridge HS) would unleash a shot off a corner kick by Sarah Desautels (Sr., MF/F, Snohomish, WA/Glacier Park HS) that was blocked by a Pirate defender. Twenty seconds later, Phillips would registered the game-winning shot that netted the unassisted goal.

Forty seconds later, Desautels would nearly extend the Bearcats' lead when her shot hit the cross bar before being cleared away from danger by Whitworth's defense.

Over the final 27-plus minutes, Willamette's defense would step up to the challenge that Whitworth provided. The Pirates pushed the offense registering the game's final eight shots with four being blocked by a Bearcat defender and two being saved by Willamette's goalkeeper en route to securing the hard-fought victory.

WU goalkeeper Emily Sewell (So., GK, Petaluma, CA/Casa Grande HS) picked up her second shutout of the season behind a game-high six saves, while Whitworth's Andrea Stump tallied a pair of saves in suffering the loss.

Overall,Whitworth ended the game with athree-shot advantage (13-to-10) that included a 6-to-3 difference in shots on goal. Willamette earned the edgein corner kicks (6-to-4), while Whitworth was whistled for 10 fouls compared to Willamette's five.

Willamette will return to action in the fourth and final game of its conference-opening road trip on Sunday, Sept. 28, against the University of Puget Sound (Wash.). Game time is slated for 12 p.m. (PDT) in Tacoma, Washington.