PORTLAND, Ore.—Despite a career-high nine saves from sophomore goalie
Declan Cloutier, including a penalty shot save, Lewis & Clark College men's soccer couldn't keep up with Linfield University in their Northwest Conference home opener.
THE BASICS
Linfield 5, Lewis & Clark 0
(Lewis & Clark 0-6, NWC 0-2)
(Linfield 1-4-2, NWC 1-1-1)
HOW IT HAPPENED
In their first home NWC game since 1991, Lewis & Clark came out in a front of a large crowd, including alumni from the original men's soccer program, but the Pioneers conceded three quick goals in a 6:14 span of the first to see their hopes of a win squashed.
Cloutier was the story for the Pioneers. In his second start of the season, Cloutier made a career-high nine saves, including several highlight-reel stops. His best save of the day came in the 42
nd minute. After the Pioneers were whistled for a foul in the box, Cloutier dove to his right and parried a hard shot from Romario Mendoza-Alatriste out for a corner. He was mobbed by his teammates after the play.
Sophomore
Aashir Walson and freshman
Nathaniel Pi-Sunyer created the best chances for the Pioneers on the offensive end. Walson created a pair of chances through his strong footwork and speed, but his first shot was saved and his second was blocked for a corner kick. Pi-Sunyer nearly put the Pioneers on the board in the 83
rd minute. With a lot of traffic around him, he curled a shot with his left foot from the top of the box that was destined for the top-left corner of the goal. Linfield keeper Colby Reese made a full-extension jumping save to keep the shot out.
Linfield took control of the game midway through the first half.
The visitors took a 1-0 lead in the 17
th minute. Cameron Gaines sent a shot from the far side of the box that was deflected and forced Cloutier to have to re-adjust and make a save while staggering backwards. The rebound fell to Sam Haynes who managed to just keep his balance and slip the shot inside the near post.
Patrick Moes added a goal 1:44 later. Aedan Carroll whipped a cross in from the near sideline and Moes half-volleyed the shot in from eight-yards out for a 2-0 lead at 18:04.
The Wildcats put the game away at 22:34. Sid Kosaris managed to stay just onside and scored from in tight off passes from Haynes and Moes.
Linfield added two late goals (77:01 and 85:31) to account for the final 5-0 scoreline.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Linfield outshot Lewis & Clark 16-8 and held a 14-4 edge in shots on goal.
- Cloutier's nine saves in a game are the most by a Pioneers goalie this season and tied for the third-most by a Lewis & Clark keeper since the start of last season. Fellow sophomore Ben Tallent posted games with 15 and 11 saves last October.
- Lewis & Clark posted season-highs for shots (eight) and shots on goal (four) in the loss.
- The Pioneers had a number of players return after missing last weekend's NWC opener. Lewis & Clark was still missing three members of their starting lineup.
WHO'S NEXT
Lewis & Clark will host the University of Puget Sound at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. It will be the first-ever conference matchup between the two schools, before the Loggers didn't join the NWC (formerly the Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges) until 1996.