Tough Road Loss for Willamette
Olivia Austin with 15 saves
REDLANDS, Calif. — Willamette University fell to the University of Redlands with a final score of 15–3 on Monday at Farquhar Field. The Bearcats managed to find the net three times, including a player-up goal, but struggled to contain Redlands' offense, which scored five goals in both the first and second quarters. Willamette's goalkeeper, Olivia Austin, recorded 15 saves despite the high volume of shots faced.
The game began with Redlands taking an early lead as Cailin Walker scored the first goal at 13:25, marking her fifth goal of the season. Emily Webster extended the lead to 2-0 with a goal assisted by April Bryant shortly after. Redlands continued to dominate, with a player-up goal from Gwenyth Guico, assisted by Webster, at 8:32, pushing the score to 3-0. Mallory Morrissey added to the home team's tally with a goal at 7:09, assisted by Ruby Czajkowski. The Bearcats responded when Shelby Wilkinson scored a player-up goal at 6:38, assisted by Alex Warfel, narrowing the gap to 4-1. However, Redlands maintained its momentum, with Czajkowski scoring a player-up free position goal at 4:49, concluding the quarter with a 5-1 lead.
Redlands took control in the second quarter with a series of effective plays that increased its lead. Sophia Rangel opened the scoring with a goal at 10:56, assisted by Nicole Sanders. April Bryant quickly followed with an unassisted goal at 9:37, marking her 19th of the season. Redlands continued its offensive push with goals from Mallory Morrissey at 2:47 and Nicole Sanders at 2:09, both assisted by Ruby Czajkowski. Willamette's Priya Mistry responded with a free position goal at 1:09, but April Bryant closed the quarter with another goal from a free position shot at 0:07, bringing Redlands' lead to 10-2 by the end of the quarter.
The third quarter saw Redlands extend its lead over the Bearcats with two goals while maintaining a strong defensive presence. Redlands' Sophia Rangel scored at 7:15, with an assist from Natalie Schumann, marking her seventh goal of the season. Despite numerous turnovers and fouls, Willamette's Austin made several crucial saves, including stopping a free position shot by Cailin Walker at 12:05. Redlands continued to press, and with under a minute left, Emily Webster netted her 22nd goal of the season on an assist from Nicole Sanders, concluding the quarter with a 12-2 advantage over Willamette.
In the fourth quarter, Redlands extended its lead with an early goal by Emily Webster at 6:51, assisted by Mallory Morrissey, capitalizing on a player-up opportunity. The Bearcats responded with a goal from Warfel at 5:34, assisted by Alexandra Miller, marking Warfel's seventh goal of the season. Despite this effort, Redlands maintained control, with Analiese Casillas scoring at 1:54, assisted by Lizzy Weaver, even while a player down. Gwenyth Guico added another for Redlands with just four seconds left, sealing a 15-3 victory.
The Bearcats have a record of 2-4. Redlands has a record of 7-2.
In their next game, the Bearcats will face Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Wednesday, March 25 at 7 p.m. The team will travel to Claremont, California, for this matchup.