Willamette Women's Soccer team to play at Linfield and George Fox

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

SALEM, ORE. -- The Willamette University women's soccer team will play two Northwest Conference opponents on the road this weekend, as they take on Linfield College on Saturday, Oct. 18 and George Fox University on Sunday, Oct. 19. The Linfield game will start at 12 p.m. (PDT) in McMinnville, Ore., while the GFU game will begin at 12 p.m. in Newberg, Ore.

Willamette heads into the weekend with a 2-10-1 overall record, including 1-7-1 in the NWC. The Bearcats lost to Lewis & Clark College, 1-0, on Wednesday, Oct. 15 after the Pioneers scored directly on a header in the third minute. WU controlled much of the second half, but couldn't find an equalizer, despite dominating the final 14 minutes.

Jill Phillips (Jr., MF/GK, Fairbanks, AK/West Valley HS) is the Bearcats' top scorer with three goals and three assists for nine total points. Veronica Ewers (Jr., MF, Moscow, ID/Moscow HS) has scored two goals. Kinsey Keene (So., MF, Eagle, ID/Eagle HS) and Rachel Fleener (Jr., F, Olympia, WA/Olympia HS) each have contributed one goal and one assist.

Goalkeeper Emily Sewall (So., GK, Petaluma, CA/Casa Grande HS) has played all 1,190 minutes for Willamette this season. She has achieved a 1.74 goals against average with three shutouts and 47 saves.

Willamette will look to continue the outstanding play it exhibited during the second half against Lewis & Clark.

Madelynn Ellis (So., D, Lake Oswego, OR/Lake Oswego HS) was very active, often making lengthy runs into the attack and providing dangerous throw-ings in the final third. Sarah Desautels (Sr., MF/F, Snohomish, WA/Glacier Park HS) linked up with other offensive players and recovered quickly when needed to help on defense. Malia Simpson (Sr., MF, Fairbanks, AK/West Valley HS) provided a boost off the bench.

Linfield begins the weekend with a 9-3 record, including 6-3 in the Northwest Conference. The Wildcats are third in the NWC standings and have scored 24 goals in their 12 games this year.

Emily Fellows (Sr., F) tops the Linfield scoring chart with nine goals and two assists for 20 points. She is followed by Dani Nurmi (So., F), who has provided six goals and one assist. Ellie Schmidt (Sr., F) has added one goal and five assists for the Wildcats, while Marisa Specht (Jr., D/MF) has tallied three goals.

McKena King (Jr.) has played 700 minutes in goal and has achieved a 7-1 record and a 0.64 goals against average. She has made 21 saves and has registered two shutouts. Laurel Huth (Sr.) has seen action in goal for 399 minutes. She has a 1.35 goals against average and has made nine saves, while earning one shutout.

George Fox enters the weekend at 2-7-3 overall and 2-5-1 in the NWC. The Bruins will play Lewis & Clark on Saturday before facing the Bearcats on Sunday.

The top scorer for GFU is Brette Dodson (Fr., D) with one goal and one assist for three points. The Bruins have scored only five goals this season with five players contributing one goal apiece.

Goalie Ally Swanson (Jr.) has played 810 minutes for the Bruins in 2014. She has achieved 83 saves with a .902 save percentage. Morgan Hansen (So.) has supported the Bruins in goal for 340 minutes and has earned 24 saves. Swanson owns a 1.00 goals against average and three shutouts, while Hansen has registered a 1.85 goals against average.

In meeting earlier this season, Linfield defeated Willamette 2-0 and the Bearcats played to a 0-0 tie in two overtimes against George Fox. The Linfield game was very even in the first half, but the Wildcats took a 1-0 lead into halftime by converting a penalty kick. Against GFU, the Bearcats attained a 28-7 advantage in total shots, including an 11-4 edge in shots on goal.