Evergreen Falls to Linfield on Late Goal
Emma Smith scored the only goal of the match in the 75th minute on a hot Saturday afternoon to lead the visiting Linfield College Wildcats to a 1-0 non-conference women's soccer victory over The Evergreen State College at Geoduck Pitch.
Smith took a pass from Taylor Cole, beat a defender with a crossover dribble and fired into the back of the net from about 12 yards out at the 74:05 mark. The goal came on Linfield's 22nd shot of the match compared to just two at the time for the Geoducks.
After the Linfield tally, the Geoducks pushed up the field and came close to scoring the tying goal several times in the remaining 16 minutes. They took six shots during that time, three of which forced saves from Linfield keeper Sarah Bailey. The biggest of those saves came on the game's closing kick. With the final seconds winding down, Evergreen's Hunter Thomson Terrel hit a 30-yard shot that looked goal bound until Bailey got her hand up and knocked the ball over the bar. The horn sounded a second later, ending the contest.
The Wildcats finished with a 23-9 advantage in shots and also took nine corner kicks to just two for the Geoducks.
Though under heavy pressure for the majority of this contest, the Evergreen defense and goalkeeper Rachel McClure one again kept the opposing offense at bay. The Geoducks have allowed only two goals in 200 minutes of action this season.
Evergreen returns to the field on Friday, Sept. 8, when they face the Pacific Lutheran Lutes in Parkland. Kickoff for that non-conference contest is slated for 5:30 p.m.