FOREST GROVE, Ore. —
Matt Kimball scored his seventh goal of the season and
Keola Norton notched his first career counter as the Pacific men's soccer team took down Linfield in a Northwest Conference match on Friday night at Hanson Stadium, 2-0.
With the win, Pacific moved to 3-6-1 in conference play and to 5-9-1 on the season. The Wildcats fell to 3-7 in conference action and to 7-9 on the year.
The Boxers struck first on Norton's shot from 15 yards out, off a pass from
Peter Vizzoni in the 23rd minute. Pacific took that 1-0 lead into the halftime break. In the second half, Kimball's insurance goal found the far post from 13 yards away, assisted by
Elan Yogi at 69:46.
With the win, the Boxers gained a measure of revenge after falling to the Wildcats in McMinnville on September 27 (1-0), earning the season split in front of 317 fans under the lights.
"I thought we possessed the ball better tonight than we have at any other time this season," said Boxer head coach
Eric Mild. "We are settling into a system that will serve us well in these weeks of the season."
Leyton Thommasen earned the shutout in the goal for the Boxers and was credited with five saves.
Both teams had eight shots on the night, with Linfield sending five on goal and Pacific three.
"I was really pleased with our work rate and effort," Mild continued. "I thought that we controlled play through our defense.
Ryan Yoshida was outstanding for the second week in a row and I thought our center backs were very good as well."
The Boxers will have a little over 24 hours to rest before taking on Willamette on Sunday in Salem. Start time for the match is 2:30 p.m.