Linfield’s men’s soccer team traveled to Washington to play games against Whitworth College on Oct. 29 in Spokane, Wash., losing 2-0, and against Whitman College on Oct. 30 in Walla Walla, Wash., also losing 2-0.
The game against Whitworth proved to be difficult as it led the Wildcats to their third shutout loss in a row.
Throughout the first part of the game the Wildcats kept the pace with Whitworth, attempting close to the same number of shot attempts. Whitworth, however, managed to finish the goal first and scored its first goal within the 26th minute.
After halftime, Whitworth let loose and fired 14 shots onto the Linfield defense, breaking down the Wildcats defense while Whitworth’s back line proved to be unbeatable.
Junior goalie Cody Tipton made saves all throughout the first half of the game for the Wildcats, but was taken out approximately three and a half minutes into the second period after using his hands outside of the box and then receiving a red card.
During the 66th minute, Whitworth scored another unassisted goal off a free kick that was placed within the middle of the box.
The Wildcats’ game against Whitman ended with a total of 14 losses, one tie and two wins for the Wildcats, with one being a pre-season game. Whitman scored twice within the first 33 minutes of the game. Whitman managed a total of 11 shots alone within the first period, while the Wildcats only achieved a total of three during the 45-minute time frame.
Sophomore Xavier Reed came the closest to scoring a goal for the Wildcats with a header at the 29th minute, but was blocked by the Whitman goalie. Junior Danny Snelgrow also managed two shots along with senior Wil Hiles, who achieved one. However, this was not enough for the Wildcats, and once again their chance of a win escaped them.
The Wildcats’ next game is the last game of the season against Willamette on Nov. 5 at home, where they hope to end the season on a better note.
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Samantha Sigler/Copy editor
Samantha Sigler can be reached at [email protected].