NEWBERG, Ore. – The Whitman College men's soccer team traveled to George Fox University Friday night for a Northwest Conference game under the lights. The Missionaries played tough, but were unable to tally a win, eventually falling to the Bruins 3-1.
 
Friday night's loss moves Whitman to 1-4 in conference play and 1-7 overall, while George Fox improved to 2-3 and 5-6 respectively.
 
The Missionaries started hot, firing shots in both the second and seventh minutes. Unfortunately, Ben Freedman's and Paal Nilssen's shots both missed wide, leaving the game scoreless early.
 
In the 17th minute, George Fox jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Luis Rangel's goal, but Whitman found an answer in the 31st. Daniel Kim's pass found Marcos Medina who converted the equalizer for the Whitties, tying the contest 1-1.
 
Whitman was able to fire off three more shots before the half, but two missed wide and the Bruins' goalkeeper Ricardo Sotelo saved Nilssen's second shot of the game. There were several positives to pull away from the first half, as Whitman outshot Fox 9-7 over the first 45 minutes and entered the break tied 1-1.
 
One minute and 50 seconds into the second half the Bruins grabbed the lead on Sean Owens' goal. Again, the Missionaries wasted little time trying to answer. Medina's equalizer was saved by Sotelo just 31 seconds after Fox's goal and Gabe Jacobson's shot to tie missed just wide in the 50th minute.
 
Jacobson tallied two more shots on goal over the next 11 minutes, but Sotelo was able to maintain the Bruins' one-goal lead. In the 63rd minute, Owens struck again for GFU who extended its lead to two at 3-1.
 
Like the first half, the Missionaries took nine shots in the second, combining for a season-high 18 in the contest. Whitman goalkeepers, Milo Cantor, who got the start, and Baker Conte combined for seven saves on the night, which tied a season-high for saves in a single game.
 
Whitman will have a day off Saturday before heading to Forest Grove, Ore. for a 2:30 p.m. game against Pacific University.