ccer team is on a roll following a pair of victories this past weekend against Willamette and Lewis and Clark. The triumph on Friday over the Bearcats came after a hard fought battle, which eventually ended after junior Theresa Henle (Issaquah, Wash.) found the back of the net in the second overtime to give the Loggers a 2-1 win.
The Loggers controlled the ball well throughout regulation, but could only manufacture one goal, which came in the 42nd minute from senior Serwaah Fordjour (Shoreline, Wash.). Willamette came back and tied the game at one in the 48th minute. Junior Mikaela Freeman (Alameda, Calif.) narrowly missed a header in the 56th minute that would have given the Loggers a 2-1 advantage in regulation time, but the shot unfortunately fell harmlessly from the crossbar.
The victory in the conference opener over Willamette got the Loggers off to a positive start in Northwest Conference play. The Loggers took the momentum from Friday’s win into Saturday’s match-up with the Lewis and Clark Pioneers. This time Puget Sound would take control early and never relinquish their advantage.
Henle scored the first goal of the day, extending her goal streak to three consecutive games after punching one in after just one minute of play. Sophomore Gabbi Duhl (Oakland, Calif.) had the second goal of the match for the Loggers after finding the net just after the beginning of the second half. Freeman also tallied a goal and an assist on the day as she scored in the 63rd minute and was responsible for the pass that generated Duhl’s goal.
There was a huge discrepancy between the number of shots taken during the match, as the Loggers posted 28 shots compared to Lewis and Clark’s mere five. The shutout posted by the Logger’s goaltenders was the second of the season for Puget Sound and improved their Northwest Conference record to 2-0, a feat the Loggers can be proud of with such a young roster.
“The team’s coming together nicely,” said Henle. “A lot of new players are stepping into major roles, but we’re very excited for the rest of the season.”
The Loggers will go on the road to take on the Whitworth Pirates and Whitman Missionaries next weekend and hope to continue their winnings away from Tacoma. Whitworth currently has a 2-1 record in conference play while Whitman sits at 1-2. The unbeaten Loggers have generated significant momentum going into this weekend’s games and expect nothing less than another pair of victories.
“This is our longest road trip of the year and it’s always a challenge, but one we always look forward to,” said Henle.
She will have a personal challenge this weekend as she attempts to extend her goal-scoring streak to four games as she leads a very potent Logger offense.
If Puget Sound sweeps Whitworth and Whitman on their trip to Eastern Washington this weekend, Northwest Conference opponents will undoubtedly have their work cut out for them to upend the Loggers in conference play.