Men's Soccer Falls to College of Idaho 2-1 in Defensive Battle
WWU Sports Information
College Place, Wash. – Walla Walla University (WWU) hosted the Coyotes of College of Idaho (C of I) Friday afternoon at the WWU Soccer Complex. The Coyotes (6-5-0, 4-4-0 CCC) used a goal in each half to claim a 2-1 victory over the Wolves (3-10-0, 1-7-0 CCC). Despite the loss, the two goals scored by the Yotes were the fewest goals the Wolves have allowed to C of I in the five-year history since WWU joined the Cascade Collegiate Conference.
The teams played even for the first 27 minutes before Ben Bechor took a deflection, made a few dribbles with his back to a Wolves’ defender, and successfully found the bottom right of the net for the Yotes first goal of the match, just out of the reach of Wolves' goalkeeper Kudzai Mhondiwa. The Coyotes continued to limit the Wolves attack and went into the half holding a 1-0 lead.
Both teams started the second half in a defensive battle, as each team had opportunities in the first 13 minutes, but neither could capitalize while both defenses held their ground. It was not until the 58th minute that the Coyotes found their second goal of the match. After Cole Fuller put a shot on goal that was saved by Wolves goalkeeper but not secured, Coyotes’ midfielder Bekir Cinac took the deflection and found the left side of the goal to extend the Coyotes lead 2-0.
With a 2-0 lead, the Coyotes defense continued restricting the Wolves from finding their first goal for the next 30 minutes, despite some excellent opportunities by the Wolves. In the 88th minute, however, the Wolves were able to finally break through the Coyotes defense. A Coyotes foul gave the Wolves a free-kick and Emmett Semple was able to cross a through-ball into the box that Vincent Weibel was able to head into the back of the net, scoring his first collegiate goal. Unfortunately for the Wolves, the clock was against them and they ran out of time. The win extends the Coyotes winning streak to two games while the Wolves losing streak hits six games.
The Wolves continue their season Sunday, October 20 when they host the Mounties of Eastern Oregon University (4-7-1, 2-5-0 CCC) for senior day. The match is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. on the WWU Soccer Complex. The Coyotes continue their road trip, traveling to (RV) Rocky Mountain College for a 2:30 p.m. MST matchup on Sunday, October 20.