Men's Soccer Team Aiming for Most Wins Since 1991

By Evan Giddings, Student Assistant Athletics Communications Director

SALEM, ORE. -- In their final weekend, the Willamette University men's soccer team will try to cap off a great season. On Saturday, Nov. 8, the Bearcats will aim for their 13th win of the year, which would be the program's highest total since going 13-6-2 in 1991.

Yet, in order to accomplish that feat, they must go through Northwest Conference rival, Linfield College. The Wildcats are 6-10-1 overall and 4-8-1 in the Northwest Conference. Willamette is 12-5-2 overall and 9-2-2 in the NWC.

This match-up will take place on Sparks Field at 1:30 p.m. (PST). It will be Willamette's Senior Day. Bearcats taking to the field for their last regular season game will be Luke Falcone (Sr., D, Boulder, CO/Colorado Rocky Mountain School), Adam Lewis (Sr., MF, Corvallis, OR/Crescent Valley HS/Pomona-Pitzer), Kevin Martin (Sr., D, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA/Francis Parker School), and Andrew Woods (Sr., MF, Eugene OR/Marist Catholic HS).

Last Sunday (Nov. 2), WU fell out of first place in the NWC after losing to Whitman College by a score of 2-1. On Saturday, Nov. 1, the Bearcats tied nationally ranked Whitworth University 0-0, in a double-overtime thriller. Whitworth was ranked #22 in NCAA Division III.

Throughout the match, it was Willamette who held possession for the majority of the contest, but Whitworth held the edge in total shots with a 20-9 advantage. The Pirates had nine shots on goal, each of which was stopped by Braydon Calder (Jr., GK, Philomath, OR/Philomath HS) for a career-best nine saves.

The Bearcats only registered one shot on goal, but maintained their defensive intensity in order to stop the highest scoring offense in the NWC. The Pirates nearly scored with just seconds remaining in the second-overtime, but Calder made two saves and then time expired just before a shot was sent into the net.

Willamette is still in the running for the NWC championship and an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament. In order to reach the postseason, the Bearcats must defeat Linfield and Whitworth must lose or tie against Whitman College. The Pirates and Missionaries are playing in Walla Walla, Wash., at 1:30 p.m. (PST).

If Willamette ties Linfield, Whitworth loses to Whitman, and University of Puget Sound loses or ties Pacific Lutheran, the Bearcats will tie Whitworth for the NWC title. Whitworth, with a 1-0-1 record against Willamette, would win the tie-breaker for the NWC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Linfield's top scorer this season has been Moi Diaz (Fr., MF), who has scored seven goals and dished out one assist, good for 15 points. Between the pipes for the Wildcats will be Grant Loriaux (Sr., GK). He has recorded 39 saves and one shutout while playing 941 minutes this season.