WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The Missionaries saw overtime for the second time in as many days Sunday afternoon, but the ending was much different. Whitman played to a 1-1 tie with George Fox University. The game seemed to be lost late with Whitman trailing 1-0, but
Brianna Brown lifted the Missionaries to extra time with a late goal in the 88th minute. Both teams battled in overtime and neither was able to score, ending the game in a 1-1 tie.
Whitman came out with energy in the first half, clearly having moved on from Saturday's loss. The Missionaries gained early possession, which led to
Linnea Soo having an early shot that missed high. Ten minutes into the half, the Missionaries had another chance when
Clara Merlino connected with
Kristin Brady on a pass to the right edge of the box. Unfortunately, Brady's shot was saved by George Fox goalkeeper, Morgan Bars.
Minutes later the Bruins had their first opportunity of the game, Hannah Harder took a shot from 30 yards out, but a diving save from Hailey Case kept the score even at zeroes. Half way through the first half, Merlino had a shot on goal but the shot was saved by Bars. Both goalkeepers were solid through the first 45 minutes of play as the game entered the break a scoreless game.
The second half started much more defensive game; neither team recorded a shot until the 57th minute when Whitman's Brown fired a shot from the top of the penalty box that was saved by Bars. In the 61st minute,
Kelsey Peck nearly dropped a shot into the goal, but the ball caught the crossbar and ricocheted off.
Alissa Soo followed Peck's ricochet with a header, but Bars grabbed the shot, keeping the game 0-0.
In the 66th minute, George Fox's Kacie Morgan took a shot just outside the left side of the box and Case was unable to get a glove on it as the ball found the net and gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead. The Whitman offense was unable to get anything going over the next 12 minutes and seemed out of sync with one another. The Missionaries sent several passes into box, but Bruins defenders held their ground and Whitman was unable to even the score.
With three minutes remaining in the game, George Fox had a chance to extend its lead, but Case was able to knock the Bruin shot down and prevent the game get away. Finally with just under two minutes remaining in the game,
Danielle Wieck connected on a pass to Brown who sent the shot to the back of the net from the top of the box, tying the game at 1-1 and sending the game to overtime.
The extra time period saw Whitman with several opportunities to end the game, but Bars was solid for the Bruins as the game entered the second period of extra time. Much like the second half, the second overtime saw little opportunity for each team, Whitman had two opportunities with corner kicks, but were unable to make the most of the opportunity.
