Kurtis Williams – For the Review. Despite losing its starting goalkeeper last weekend, the Linfield women’s soccer team beat Whitman College on Oct. 31.
Sophomore Kelsey Bishop replaced junior Kelsey Hasselblad after Hasselblad was ejected and suspended for one game for an incident in the team’s previous match.
The Oct. 31 contest was an exciting 4-3 overtime game against Whitman. Linfield, however, was shutout by Whitworth University the following day.
Linfield has a 9-8-1 overall record, 6-7-1 in Northwest Conference play, placing it fourth in the league.
Although the Wildcats have been hindered by slow starts throughout the season, senior forward and co-captain MacKenzie Doty scored in the fifth minute on a pass from sophomore defender Jenna Quiring.
Doty added to her immense scoring totals by netting another in the 25th minute. This puts her in third place in the Linfield record books with 12 goals in a season.
The contest was far from finished, however, as Whitman put in two goals of its own to tie the score at halftime.
Junior midfield co-captain Sara Blake scored in the 61st minute to again put the ’Cats back on top.
Twenty minutes later, the Missionaries earned a penalty kick and scored to tie the game at three.
In overtime, Linfield demonstrated a desire to control the game.
After three shots and three corner kicks, the team’s effort paid off when senior co-captain forward Rachel Miles scored four minutes into overtime.
Throughout the game, Linfield outshot Whitman 12-9. Bishop recorded two saves, just enough to put her name in the win column for her only game of the year.
Bishop planned on playing before the season started but said she decided to focus on academics instead.
Head coach Dominic Doty e-mailed her early in the week, hoping she could get a physical and join the team for the match against Whitman.
Bishop said she got the required physical Oct. 27 and practiced with the team the following day.
She was sore by Oct. 30, she said, but she had to put it out of her mind in order to help the team.
“I’m not as in shape as I should have been,” she said. “I don’t think about not being in shape. I just work as hard as I can.”
While she will stay with the team, Bishop’s Oct. 31 win will most likely be her only contribution this year. Bishop said she thinks that Hasselblad is in the better position to help control the team’s defensive chemistry.
“I don’t think I’m mentally prepared to do that,” Bishop said. “[Hasselblad] knows the team a lot better; I still don’t know everybody’s name.”
Bishop is practicing and will be on the roster for this weekend’s games.
“I had the option to stay, leave or not even help them out,” Bishop said. “But I felt like it was something I needed to do.”
The team faced second-place Whitworth University on Nov. 1. Hasselblad allowed a fourth-minute goal, but that was sufficient because the Pirates defeated the ’Cats 1-0.
Whitworth controlled the game, outshooting Linfield 15-5, forcing Hasselblad to make eight saves.
Linfield next hosts George Fox University at 11 a.m. Nov. 6. The last game of the season will be away against the fourth-ranked University of Puget Sound.