Springfield, Ore. – The Walla Walla University men's soccer team traveled to a neutral site in Springfield, Ore. to face the Red Hawks of Simpson University (Calif.). For both teams, this contest served as their first official match of the season.
Coming off a scrimmage against the local community college last week, the Wolves were looking at continuing to develop their young core.
Coach Burns and his staff brought back 12 players from last year's roster. Additionally, the Wolves are extremely young, as the team has three upperclassmen currently on the 2018 roster.
In the first half, Walla Walla started the game off with high pressure in the first five minutes. Unfortunately, the Wolves were not able to capitalize on their early opportunities. The Red Hawks center midfielder, Joseph
Colmenero, scored the game's first goal in the 30
th minute off a cross from wing Bradley
Manivong. The Red Hawks quickly added to their lead, scoring another goal in the 35
th minute, leading to a 2-0 halftime deficit for the Wolves.
In the second half, the Wolves looked to come out strong and make a push to get back in the game, but gave up two additional goals to the Red Hawks in the 46
th and 54
th minutes. The Red Hawks were able to respond to the Wolves second half push and be more assertive on offense, totaling 26 shots on goal compared to four by the Wolves.
Walla Walla and its young core would eventually fall to the Red Hawks, 4-0.
Coach Burns believes the game today was a great learning experience for his young team. "Today was a good game," said Burns. "We improved defensively and overall our effort was better."
Up Next:
The Wolves will play again on Sunday vs.
Soka University (Calif.) in front of their home crowd. The game will kick off at 1:00 p.m. at College Place High School in College Place, Wash.
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