Bearcats give up early goal, fall to Calvin 1-0

Salem, OR - In their final non-conference match of the season, Men's Soccer gave up an early goal and couldn't find an equalizer, falling to Calvin University 1-0.  The Knights' Alex White scored in the 5th minute off a quick change of possession and was able to get the shot past Willamette goalkeeper Ibrahm Garza.

The last eighty-five minutes of the match were very back and forth as the Bearcats worked to tie the game and the Knights challenged to extend their lead.  Each team had some quality opportunities, but both defenses held strong.  Garza had three saves in goal for Willamette before coming off due to injury just before halftime.  Ryan Doyle replaced Garza with a minute left in the first half and had three saves of his own.

The intensity of the play in the second half saw a total of 15 fouls called (10 on Calvin, 5 on Willamette) and eight yellow cards handed out (4 on each team).  For the game, there were a total of 20 fouls called, with 14 on the Knights and 6 on the Bearcats.

Willamette was outshot 18-13 for the match but held an 8-6 advantage in the second half.  Sean Kim, who scored two goals in last night's match, led the way with 3 shots, while Tiago Palhetas, Simon Stein, and Krisna LaFrance had two each.  The Bearcats were called offside five times in the match.

Willamette's next match is at home in their Northwest Conference opener against Lewis & Clark College on Wednesday, September 18th, at 5:00 pm.  The Women's Soccer match against L&C will follow at 7:45 pm.