Bearcats Claw to 1-0 Double Overtime Win over Whitman
With the win, Willamette improves to 4-3 overall and 1-0 in Northwest Conference games.
(WALLA WALLA, Wash. ) — After tying a 32-year-old single-game record for goals, Willamette University went just over 117 minutes without scoring a goal before coming through with the game-winner near the end of the second overtime in a 1-0 victory over Whitman College (Wash.) Saturday at the Whitman Athletic Fields.
With the win, Willamette improves to 4-3 overall and 1-0 in Northwest Conference games. Meanwhile, Whitman falls to 3-3 overall and 0-1 in NWC matches.
After being outshot 13-to-9 during regulation, Willamette registered both shots in the extra frames with the final one coming on a header by Yazan Hishmeh (Jr., F, Ventura, CA/Saint Bonaventure HS) at 117:06 off an assist by Stefan Wutte (So., D, Perrydale, OR/West Salem HS). The Bearcats' game-winner came via a free kick by Wutte that found Hishmeh's head for his fifth goal of the season.
The first half featured a combined 11 shots, as Whitman unleashed six compared to Willamette's five. Neither team could find its intended target, as both keepers were forced to make just one save during the opening 45 minutes of play.
Over the second 45 minutes, Whitman began to find its offensive flow with the Missionaries tallying seven shots with four being on-target. Willamette would get off four shots in the second half, as two of them were on-target.
Willamette's best scoring chance in regulation came at 64:40 when Julian Hanlon-Austin (So., F, Portland, OR/Grant HS) unleashed a shot that eluded Whitman's goalkeeper only to be cleared away by a Missionary defender before the ball crossed the goal line.
With neither team scoring in regulation, the game was sent into extra time, where Willamette posted the only aforementioned shots that included the game-winner near the end of the second overtime.
Willamette's goalkeeper Braydon Calder (Jr., GK, Philomath, OR/Philomath HS) picked up the victory behind a game-high five saves, while Whitman's Stuart Ellsworth was forced to make three saves in the heart-breaking loss.
Overall, Willamette tallied 11 shots in the game, while Whitman registered 13 shots. The Bearcats held the advantage in corner kicks (6-to-1), while both teams were whistled for two offside calls.
Willamette will return to action tomorrow - Sunday, Sept. 21 - against Whitworth University (Wash.). Game time is set for 2:30 p.m. (PDT) in Spokane, Washington.
Source: Willamette Athletics
