Bearcats Surge Early, Hold Off Whitworth for 5–4 Victory

SALEM, Ore. — Willamette University edged Whitworth University 5-4 on Saturday at Sparks Field. The Bearcats secured a commanding lead in the first half, scoring all five goals before Whitworth mounted a comeback attempt with three second-half goals. Despite Whitworth's late rally, the Bearcats held on for the victory.

Rory McKee led Willamette with two goals and an assist, taking four shots with all on target. Ky Iliev contributed with a goal and an assist, converting one of his three shots into a goal. Cody Stark scored the game's only game-winning goal, finding the net once from his three attempts. Mikkel Jensen, in goal, recorded two saves across 90 minutes, facing 15 shots.

The first half began with Whitworth taking an early lead when Dominic Gusman scored in the 4th minute. Willamette responded decisively, as Iliev equalized in the 17th minute, assisted by Paddy Bell and Brenden Pineda. Momentum shifted further when Lorenzo Trejo De Dios put the Bearcats ahead at the 24th minute, with assists from McKee and Haydn Duncan.

The Bearcats continued to build on their lead with McKee scoring in the 28th minute, assisted by Iliev. McKee struck again in the 33rd minute, assisted by Josiah Jakab, extending the advantage. Stark further solidified the Bearcats' position by adding a goal in the 40th minute, assisted by Daniel Hirai. The half closed with the Bearcats leading 5-1, demonstrating strong offensive control.

The second half began with the Bearcats maintaining their lead, but Whitworth quickly shifted momentum. Bell and Stark both tested the opposition with shots on goal early, but Whitworth's goalkeeper, Aiden Chase, made crucial saves to keep Whitworth in contention. Jensen responded with a key save in the 72nd minute to preserve the Bearcats' advantage.

Whitworth found the net in the 77th minute to narrow the gap, and they continued to press, scoring again in the 80th minute with Connor Bly capitalizing on an assist from Chase. Despite Whitworth's late goal in the 87th minute by Ethan Bell, the Bearcats held strong defensively. The half concluded with the Bearcats maintaining a narrow 5-4 victory, despite Whitworth's aggressive attempts to level the score.

The Bearcats hold a record of 4-5-7 overall and 4-2-6 in conference play. Whitworth stands at 5-3-3 overall and 5-2-3 in conference play.

Looking ahead, the Bearcats will travel to Tacoma, WA, to face the University of Puget Sound on October 25. The match is set to begin at 2:45 p.m.