Bearcats to Host Pioneers on Wednesday Night at Sparks Field

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. -- After playing six of their last eight games on the road, starting nearly a month ago at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore., the Willamette University women's soccer team will host the Pioneers at Sparks Field on Wednesday, Oct. 15. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. (PDT).

Willamette took on L&C at Griswold Stadium in a night game on Sept. 17. The Bearcats lost to the Pioneers, 2-0, as L&C received goals from Annelise Coxeff (Fr., F) and Emily Thompson (Jr., F). Coxeff scored just over five minutes into the second half and Thompson added an insurance goal with just under three minutes remaining. Coxeff earned an assist on Thompson's goal.

Lewis & Clark outshot Willamette, 15-8, in the first meeting on the strength of a 10-2 advantage in shots during the second half. The Pioneers finished with a much slimmer lead in shots on goal, as L&C placed six shots on target, compared to five for the Bearcats.

The Pioneers enter the game with a 6-4-2 overall record and a 4-3-1 mark in the NWC. Willamette is 2-9-1 on the season, 1-6-1 in the NWC.

Willamette will have the home field advantage in Wednesday's rematch. That could make the difference in a series that has often featured close, highly-competitive games. Even so, all four games over the past two seasons were won by the visiting team.

Last year, Lewis & Clark won 3-2 in Salem and the Bearcats claimed a 1-0 win in Portland. In 2012, Willamette won 4-3 in overtime in Portland, while L&C earned a 3-1 win in Salem with an insurance goal in the 87th minute.

Junior midfielder Jill Phillips (Fairbanks, AK/West Valley HS) is Willamette's leading scorer with three goals and three assists for nine points. She registered game-winning goals against Northwest Christian University and Whitworth University.

Veronica Ewers (Jr., MF, Moscow, ID/Moscow HS) has scored two goals for the Bearcats, while Kinsey Keene (So., MF, Eagle, ID/Eagle HS) and Rachel Fleener (Jr., F, Olympia, WA/Olympia HS) and have each earned one goal and one assist.

Goalkeeper Emily Sewall (So., Petaluma, CA/Casa Grande HS) has played all 1,100 minutes in the nets for Willamette this year. She has achieved a 1.80 goals against average, while providing the Bearcats with 46 saves. She has led the defense to three shutouts this season after recording four shutouts in 2013.

Willamette has battled injuries throughout the season, with only four players starting all 12 games. They are Sewall and Phillips, along with midfielders Sarah Desautels (Sr., Snohomish, WA/Glacier Park HS) and Emma Sanders (So., Kennewick, WA/Southridge HS).

Sanders has logged 1,084 minutes this year, while Phillips has seen 1,057 minutes of action. Desautels has played a total of 922 minutes.

Phillips, Sanders and Desautels will be out to combine their efforts with Ewers and Keene in the offensive third against the Pioneers.

Willamette has not scored in four games since a 5-2 loss at the University of Puget Sound on Sept. 28, but the Bearcats earned seven goals against Northwest Christian earlier this season and blasted 28 shots at George Fox University in a 0-0 tie on Oct. 4.

Lewis & Clark has outscored its opponents by a combined 22-20 margin. The Pioneers have lost three of their last five games, including a 4-0 loss against Puget Sound in a home game on Oct. 11 and a 3-2 loss in two overtimes against Linfield College at home on Oct. 12.

The top scorer for the Pioneers is Thompson with five goals and three assists for 13 points. Coxeff has produced four goals and four assists for 12 points, while Anna Thorndike (Jr., F) has scored four goals and three assists for 11 points.

Geena Fong (Sr., GK) has played all 1,172 minutes in goal for L&C this season. She has registered a 1.54 goals against average and has accumulated 69 saves and a .775 save percentage. She has earned three shutouts.

After playing at home on Wednesday, the Bearcats will close out the week with a pair of road games. Willamette is set to take on Linfield on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 12 p.m. (PDT). The Bearcats will play at George Fox on Sunday, Oct. 19, also at 12 p.m.