By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Senior forward Emmy Manset (Ventura, CA/Foothill Technology HS) scored two goals and one assist in a 3-0 win for the Willamette University Bearcats over Whitman College on Sunday, Oct. 15 at Sparks Field. Manset now has seven goals on the season to match her career-high from 2016. The Bearcats improved to 9-3-2, including 6-3-1 in the Northwest Conference. Whitman fell to 1-12-1 overall, 1-8-1 in the NWC.
Willamette is 4-1-1 in its last six games. The Bearcats are fourth in the NWC standings with 19 points and are just one point behind University of Puget Sound, which holds third place at 6-2-2 and 20 points.
Manset provided WU with an early 1-0 lead when she scored a goal just 9:15 after the kickoff to start the game. She shot from an extreme angle on the left side, but sent the ball into the low right corner of the goal. The play began with a through ball down the left sideline by Shanna Keil (So., M, Danville, CA/San Ramon Valley HS), who earned an assist for the Bearcats.
The Bearcats advanced the score to 2-0 on a goal by Caroline Adams (Fr., M, Snohomish, WA/Archbishop Murphy HS) at 34:34. Manset took a shot three seconds earlier that was blocked by a Whitman defender. The ball went to Adams, who shot from 15 yards outs and score into the right side of the goal.
Manset completed the scoring by converting a penalty kick at 89:28. Manset was tripped in the penalty area to set up the spot kick.
"I'm really proud of how the team performed this weekend (two shutout wins)," Manset said. "As a senior, this has been my favorite season so far because of how supportive the team is on and off the field. I can't wait to see what the team can do the last few weeks of the season."
Willamette took 37 shots against the Blues, including 21 shots on target. Manset led the Bearcats with eight total shots and six shots on goal. Keil took a total of five shots, while Lacey Jones (Fr., F, Portland, OR/David Douglas HS) added four total shots with two shots on goal. Kelsey Walker (Sr., M, Westerville, OH/Westerville North HS) and Fionn Fortune (So., M, Alexandria, VA/St. Stephen's & St. Agnes/Hamilton Coll.) each took three shots and placed every shot on target.
The WU defense limited Whitman to five shots during the game and only two shots on goal. Bearcat goalkeeper Kristen Barclay (So., GK, Kenmore, WA/Cedar Park Christian School) registered two saves while recording the shutout. She now has four solo shutouts and three shared shutouts this fall. Whitman goalie Allie Seracuse made 14 saves and defenders for the Blues were credited with four saves.
"Building off the momentum of Saturday's win (2-0 over Whitworth), I thought we did a great job of remaining focused on what we needed to do to improve," Willamette Head Coach Hillary Arthur said. "We are always working to improve, and I think we did, both offensively and defensively, and especially in our mentality."
Shortly after moving in front on Manset's first goal, the Bearcats put together an offensive flurry that included a corner kick and five shots in 11 seconds. The sequence began with Keil taking a corner kick at the 12:00 mark. Jenae Arnold (So., M, Poulsbo, WA/North Kitsap HS) headed the ball off the crossbar from five yards. Fionn Fortune (So., M, Alexandria, VA/St. Stephen's & St. Agnes/Hamilton Coll.) followed with two shots from close range that were kept out of the goal by defenders for Whitman. Marley Duncan (Sr., F, Pukalani, HI/Kamehameha School) added a shot from 10 yards out that was deflected by a defender. Hannah Deighton (So., M, Long Beach, CA/Long Beach Polytechnic HS) missed wide left on a shot to complete the outburst.
Willamette produced 20 shots in the first half (12 on goal) and created 17 shots in the second half (9 on goal). The Bearcats ended the game with a 5-3 edge in corner kicks.
The Bearcats will host archrival Linfield College on Saturday, Oct. 21. Game time at Sparks Field is set for 12 p.m. (PDT).
