The Whitworthian

Issue date: 10/9/07 Last Updated: 10/13/07

Media Credit: Nate Chute Junior forward Keith Kirsch tries to slip the ball past Whitman goalkeeper Brett Axelrod during Whitworth's 2-1 win on Oct. 6. [Click to enlarge]

Returning from an early 1-0 deficit, the Whitworth men's soccer team stunned the visiting Whitman College Missionaries in an early overtime victory Saturday Oct. 6 at the Whitworth Soccer complex 2-1.

Whitman took an early lead in the game on a goal from junior forward Stephen Phillips. The Bucs responded late in the game as senior midfielder Matt Friesen tied it up with a penalty kick in the 61st minute after a deep run into the Whitman 18-yard box by junior forward Keith Kirsch drew a foul.

"I knew it was probably going to be the best chance for us to go to overtime," Friesen said about the goal. "We didn't play our best game but we did overcome a 1-0 deficit. We got the win and that's what good teams do."

Whitman junior goalkeeper Brett Axelrod made several saves during the final minutes of regulation, and neither team stuck in a goal as the clock dwindled down.

Going into overtime, Whitworth Head Coach Sean Bushey remembered last week's overtime loss to University of Puget Sound.

"We knew that we didn't want the tie, and we felt that we could win the game," Bushey said.

Senior defender Ben Dixon put in the match-winning shot just three minutes into overtime on a corner kick from Friesen, sending the Whitworth fans into a frenzy.

"It was a good goal and a good way to finish," Bushey said.

"It felt good, but Matt played me a great ball," Dixon said. "The whole game I didn't play very well."

Friesen keyed the offense's success, pushing his season point total to 16.

"I was really relieved," Friesen said about his teammate's overtime goal. "I wasn't sure how much work it was going to take [to win]."

During the game, Whitworth outshot the Missionaries 22-7 and finished with a 7-3 advantage in shots on goal.

With the regular season already halfway over, this game had some significance to the Bucs.

"Whitman's the turning point in the season," Dixon said.

As one of 10 seniors on this year's squad, this season holds special significance for Dixon.

"It's tough to believe I'm already a senior. It's nice to go out everyday and play," Dixon said. The wide range of ages on the team has given the group diverse talent.

"It's a great bunch of guys," Dixon said. "The seniors have really made the younger players feel welcome. We are all a team but we are also family. There are 30 guys on the team and that's 30 friends."

Saturday's victory gave Whitworth an 8-2-1 overall record and a 6-1-0 Northwest Conference record. The Whitworth victory, compounded with a University of Puget Sound loss Saturday, helped to put the Pirates back on equal footing in the conference race. Both teams now have one conference loss.

Whitworth will face the Linfield Wildcats Saturday and the Pacific Boxers Sunday.

Contact Ryan Georgioff at ryan.georgioff@whitworthian.com.

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