PORTLAND, Ore.—Lewis & Clark College men's soccer played visiting University of Puget Sound extremely competitively for the opening 40+ minutes, before the visiting Loggers scored two goals before halftime to secure a 5-0 conference win on Sunday. 

THE BASICS
Puget Sound 5, Lewis & Clark 0
(Lewis & Clark 0-7, Northwest Conference 0-3) 
(Puget Sound 3-2-1, NWC 3-2-1, NWC 1-2-1) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Lewis & Clark played one of their best first halves of the season on Sunday. The Pioneers held the visitors off the scoreboard for the opening 20+ minutes and looked promising going forward throughout the half. The hosts were less than three minutes away from going into the break down 1-0, before Puget Sound scored two goals in less than two minutes to grab control of the contest. 
 
Sophomore goalie Ben Tallent made a season-high eight saves for the Pioneers. Tallent posted five of his eight saves in the first half. Freshman Emmett Olson added a defensive team save, when he held the post and cleared away a shot in the 26^th minute. 
 
Junior Beno Boda, sophomore Aashir Walson and Olson each recorded a shot on goal for the hosts. Sophomores Conor Esler and Akshay Bhatia tacked on shots as well. 
 
A day after falling behind 3-0 early, Lewis & Clark came out on the front foot and were consistently carrying the ball into the Loggers half and putting pressure on the Loggers back line. Esler posted the first shot of the game in the 5^th minute and it was deflected out for a corner. On the ensuing corner kick, Olson rose up and headed a shot on target that was handled by the Loggers keeper. 
 
Puget Sound grabbed the lead in the 21^st minute. The Loggers were using a high press on the Pioneers back four and keeper and that press led to their first goal. They forced a turnover inside the box and Etienne Polak picked up the loose ball just in front of Tallent and poked it home for a 1-0 lead at 20:48. 
 
The visitors added a pair of goals on free kick opportunities late in the half. With exactly 2:30 minutes to go before halftime, Graham Hall stepped up to the penalty spot and sent a shot just over Tallent's outstretched hand for a 2-0 lead. They added a corner kick goal in the 45^th minute, with Hall setting up Liam Elliott right off the corner kick. 
 
Puget Sound added two goals in the second half in the 61^st and 85^th minute. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Puget Sound outshot the Pioneers 21-5 and held a 14-3 edge in shots on goal. 
• Tallent's eight saves were a season-high and the fifth-most of his career. He now has racked up 71 saves in 11 contests (6.5 per appearance). 
• Sophomores Kaushal Riedman and Aashir Walson and freshman Clay Scarth played all 180 minutes for the Pioneers this weekend. 
• Despite splitting his time between forward and center back, Boda is now third on the team in shots (three) and tied for second in shots on goal (two). 

WHO'S NEXT 
 
Lewis & Clark will host George Fox University on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the third game of their season-high, five-game homestand.