Box Score TACOMA, Wash—Creating 21 shots on the day and holding George Fox to three, the University of Puget Sound women's soccer team dominated most of the match against the Bruins Sunday, claiming a 2-1 win over its Northwest Conference rival on East Field in Tacoma, Wash.
Despite a second-minute shot on target by Annie Jonsson, the Logger offense took awhile to warm up, only managing one shot in the first 10 minutes and failing to connect in the attacking third. They saw two more shots on goal in the 12th and 14th minutes, but George Fox Goalie Alyssa Montero got her hands on both.
George Fox managed two shots on target in the span of five minutes, with Hannah Harder testing Logger keeper Casey Thayer in the 22nd minute, and Becca Allen firing on frame in the 26th. Thayer made saved both shots, the only two saves she'd need to make in the first half.
In the final 20 minutes of the first half, the Logger offense started to click, taking six shots and earning three corners. Kylie Beeson attempted three of those shots, but the Bruin defense all blocked them before they could threaten the net. Amalia Acorda-Fey added two more, but saw one blocked and the other turned away by Montero. Jill Shimabuku also ripped a shot on net, but again, Montero stopped it for her fifth save of the period.
The Loggers weren't to be denied, however, as two minutes after halftime, Robin Vieira lined up for a shot only to see it hit the post and bounce back into play. Vieira was the first player to reach the loose ball, however, and knocked it into the net. The goal, Vieira's third of the season, put Puget Sound up 1-nil.
Four minutes later, the Loggers added a second when Acorda-Fey finished a cross from Beeson. Beeson held possession 15 yards out when Acorda-Fey started making a run towards the right post. Beeson drove it to the streaking Acorda-Fey, who promptly finished it for her team-leading fifth goal of the season.
George Fox faced pressure for nearly the entire second half, as the Loggers tallied 12 shots and three corners in the half as opposed to only one shot for the Bruins. George Fox played much of the half with numbers in the box, blocking three Logger attempts in the second half and forcing three wide. Montero also made one save in the period as she got her hands on another shot on frame by Acorda-Fey. The numbers could have been even worse for George Fox; five Puget Sound attacks were called offside, with three of those coming in the final 45 minutes.
In the last 10 minutes, the Bruins were able to break down a couple Logger advances, even bringing the ball out of their own end. With just 13 seconds on the clock, the Bruins' Tenlee Holser launched a shot from distance. Puget Sound keeper Lauren Thomas was able to get her hands on the ball could couldn't get a good grasp on it. The ball bounced off Thomas' hands and into the Logger net, giving George Fox a last-minute consolation. The goal against Puget Sound snapped the Loggers' scoreless streak at 637 minutes. Before Holsers' first of the year, the Loggers had not allowed a goal since Oct. 6 versus Whitworth, a streak spanning five complete games and the majority of two more. Also, the goal allowed was Thomas' first since Sept. 1 at Trinity.
"This was a team that we were looking forward to playing again because last time we had a lot of opportunities but didn't score," said Logger head coach Randy Hanson. "Give them credit in the first half; they did a good job in the first part of the first half of organizing themselves to make it difficult to attack. We grew into the game, though, and we figured out ways to go beyond what they were doing, especially in the second half. It's difficult to sustain a full game of defending, so I thought in the second half we were able to break them down and get the chances we needed."
Overall. Acorda-Fey led all players with six shots and three shots on target. Beeson offered up four shots, and Veiera went for goal three times in the match. The Bruins' Montero made six saves on the day while Thayer made two for the Loggers. George Fox was whistled for 10 fouls, while the Loggers fouled George Fox three times.
The Loggers (11-2-2, 9-1-2 NWC) continue their final homestand of the season with a match against cross-town rival Pacific Lutheran on Wednesday, Oct. 30. That match will kick off at 3:00 p.m. on Peyton Field.
