Senior’s Goals Help Boxers Claim Victory Over Linfield On Senior Day
Box Score
FOREST GROVE – Seniors
Sarah Tuffey (Sr., Valencia, Calif.) and
Kaitlyn Harper (Sr., Oregon City, Ore.) scored two goals in their last home match to help the Pacific women's soccer team claim a 2-1 victory over the Linfield Wildcats on Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Park Stadium.
“No win thus far in our tenure here has been sweeter than this one,” said Associate Head Coach Dane Joseph. “Linfield is the top team in the conference and very well organized. But so are we and we emphasized taking the game to them today with confidence and without fear. That's what we did, and we did it very well.”
The Boxers opened the scoring in the 24
th minute, when Tuffey dribbled on the left side of the field for 35 yards. Tuffey fired past Linfield goalkeeper Taylor Collinsworth from 15 yards out to take a 1-0 lead.
Linfield (14-2-2, 10-2-2 NWC) saw most of the offensive action for the match, outshooting the Boxers 20-4. The Wildcats tied the match up in the 75
th minute after a foul on Pacific inside the 18-yard box, resulting in a penalty kick for Linfield. Emily Fellows shot the penalty kick for the Wildcats past
Brittany Hartmann (Sr., Beaverton, Ore.).
The Boxers secured the victory in the 83
rd minute after a Linfield foul, resulting in a free kick for the Boxers. Harper took the free kick between the pipes to find the back of the net from 35 yards out.
Linfield would attempt to tie the match up in the 86
th minute. Emma Vukic took a corner kick for the Wildcats to find Stephanie Socotch. Socotch headed the ball towards the goal, but Hartmann made the save to keep the Boxer lead.
Harper, Tuffey,
Emily Tuffey (So., Valencia, Calif.) and
Caitlin Castillo (Fr., Eugene, Ore.) all recorded a shot for the Boxers. Hartmann (6-6-3) collected the victory between the pipes, tallying seven saves. Collinsworth took the loss in the net for the Wildcats.
“It was a total team effort,” said Joseph. “We were positively speechless about our tenacity and drive to compete. If we are doing this day in and day out, there's only great things in-store for our future.”
Today's match marked the final home match for four Pacific seniors. The seniors were honored before the match started and all four were accompanied by their parents and siblings who made the trip to Pacific. Harper,
Sarah Tuffey, Hartmann and
Kristen Dick (Sr., Auburn, Wash.) are all four-year letter winners for the Boxers.
“What a great way to say goodbye to the seniors,” said Joseph. “Harper and Tuffey scored fantastic goals and Brittany was, well, her amazing self. What Kristen did with her well-time runs was give us a big chance to climb the field. A brilliant run from her was missed by the officials after she was brought down in the box.”
“We couldn't be more thankful crowd,” said Joseph. “The produced an electric atmosphere and spurred us on with their support. The parents, students, and friends of Pacific hugely helped us today. Go Boxers!”
The Boxers (8-7-3, 6-7-1 NWC) finish the 2012 season next weekend traveling to Willamette on Saturday and to Puget Sound on Sunday. Both of the matches begin at noon.
