WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- The first goal, by Park Harmon, was a work of art. The second goal, by Jose Beleche, was a stroke of luck.

The ensuing 2-1 victory for the Whitman College men's soccer team may just have saved the season.

Beleche's goal midway through the second half snapped a 1-1 tie, and Whitman played ferocious defense down the stretch to hold off Pacific Lutheran University Sunday and salvage a weekend that began in misery.

"Losing would have been 'season over,' to be honest," said Harmon. "It's so big for our team; the manner in which we won is why it will change our season."

A different result Sunday could have amplified the nose-dive trajectory charted on Saturday, when the Missionaries (6-5, 3-3 in Northwest Conference) were unfocused and "got what we deserved," head coach Mike Washington said, in a 3-1 loss to the University of Puget Sound.

"We lost our way, lost our shape," Washington added. "Bouncing back is hard, but we got what we deserved today, too. Yesterday, we were static. Today, we had more movement. We kept it very compact.

"We could have gone on a bad slide. If we continue to play like we did today, we'll give any team a game."

Whitman's 1-0 lead at halftime was erased when PLU's Jordan Downing netted the equalizer moments into the second half, a strike that temporarily discombobulated what had been a sinuous, lethal performance by the Missionaries.

Then came Beleche's answer -- a goal that was only slightly less outlandish than his explanation for it after the match. Whitman's Hunter Stopenhangen settled a pass at the top of the area, turned and wound up for a shot attempt, only for a Lutes defender to meet his shot just as he struck the ball.

It squirted along the top of the box to a waiting Beleche, virtually teeing itself up for a unobstructed look at goal. Beleche buried the ball in the net.

How?

"It's a magnet...that you buy," Beleche deadpanned. "It's 100 bucks. For your shoe."

"That stuff happens in soccer," Harmon said. "Jose had a great shot in the first half that should have gone in. (The goal) was a lucky bounce, but not a gift."

Harmon's first-half goal started the scoring for Whitman, which was a marketplace of scoring ideas in the first 45. Fluid in counter, crisp in switching from flank to flank and intricate with their passing triangulations along the sideline, the Missionaries finally broke through with a rare inside-out buildup. Defender Thomas Motzer picked his way through a gauntlet of tacklers and slashed through the center circle before measuring a pass to streaking teammate Riley Paul, who siphoned two defenders before laying off a pass toward the right sideline.

That linked with Harmon, who swooped into range and pulled PLU 'keeper Mike Arguello to his left. Harmon's right-booted screamer back across the goal face was out of Arguello's reach to the goal-minder's right, nestling into the back of the net.

"Anyone could have finished there," Harmon said.

That conversion followed a bevy of chances, included two in rapid succession for striker Daniel Kim. Kim's first offering, from the back-right corner of the area, wicked a hair wide. Kim missed just high moments later.

Those were noteworthy rumblings in a first half pregnant with Whitman scoring opportunity. The Missionaries had 13 shots to PLU's six and earned five corners, a reflection of their commitment to attacking the edges of the Lute defense.

"It was a good game for us," said Harmon. "We have that creativity in practice. We just haven't shown it in games. We weren't manic. It was controlled and aggressive. We had some confidence."

The presence of the latter trait reflected strong team chemistry, especially in the wake of Saturday's debacle.

"Everyone, individually, had a poor game," Harmon said of the UPS loss. "Today's match speaks to our cohesiveness."

Whitman visits Whitworth for an NWC match at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Spokane.