Women’s soccer played against tough competition during two home games against Whitworth University and Whitman College on Oct. 2 and 3,
respectively.
The battle against Whitworth on Saturday ended in a 0-1 loss. The one Whitworth goal was scored with 4 minutes remaining in double overtime.
“The [Whitworth] game was tough. They are a good team,” head coach Dominic Doty said. “We didn’t show what our team can do.”
On Sunday, Linfield played Whitman. Even though the team had a tough game the day before, the fatigue didn’t set in, and the Wildcats dominated.
Whitman sophomore forward Julianne Masser scored her team’s only goal after 15 minutes of game play. Linfield senior Rachel Miles scored the first Linfield goal 1 minute later.
Nearing the end of the first half, freshmen forwards Emily Fellows and Megan Kearns each scored within 3 minutes of each other and put Linfield at a 3-1 lead at the half.
Fellows and senior forward Emily Schulte scored during the second half. The ’Cats ended the game 5-1.
“Playing Whitworth was tough, but we showed a lot of heart the next day in the game against Whitman,” sophomore forward Julia Vaughan said.
Next weekend, the Wildcats travel to Tacoma, Wash., to play University of Puget Sound on Oct. 9 at noon. They return to McMinnville on Oct. 10 at noon to compete against George Fox University.
“Puget Sound will be a tough game, especially since we play there, but the girls are ready to prove themselves,” Doty said.
Vaughan and sophomore midfielder Anna Sours both said they are eager for the game against Puget Sound.
Sours said that one of the teams main expectations is not only to win at home but to win away games also.
“We want to go and compete,” Sours said. “We’re coming off a good win against Whitman. We have a chance to go and make a statement.”
The ’Cats will continue to take the season one day at a time. Consistency and perseverance are crucial for their success.
“We have a ton of talent; we just need to outwork our opponents,” Vaughan said.
Linfield is ranked second in the Northwest Conference standings — a tie with Puget Sound. They each have 5-1 overall records, just trailing top-ranked Whitworth (6-1).
“After this weekend, we’ll be halfway through the season,” Doty said. “The season has been going the way we want it to, but we can’t get too content. We have high hopes.”