SALEM, Ore. — Paddy Bell scored in the 36th minute and Willamette goalkeeper Mikkel Jensen stopped a second-half penalty kick as the Bearcats edged the Whitman College men's soccer team 1-0 in Northwest Conference action Sunday at Sparks Field.
Whitman still leads the NWC standings, one point ahead of Pacific Lutheran will likely set up a winner-take-all showdown next Sunday, when the Blues and Lutes meet in the regular-season finale with the conference title likely on the line.
The Blues, however, could seal their second straight title should they beat Puget Sound on Saturday and PLU loses at Whitworth.
Whitman outshot Willamette 13-7 and earned four corner kicks to the Bearcats' two. But only two of the Blues' shots were on target, and Jensen saved both.
The Blues' best chance came in the 63rd minute. Whitman drew a foul in the box, but Jensen saved Keegan Chapko's penalty kick to keep the Bearcats in front.
Willamette took the lead at 35:03. Dillon Smith set up Bell, a defender, for his third goal of the season.
Kevin Serrano led Whitman with five shots. Nathan Alvarado had two shots, including a 72nd-minute attempt that Jensen saved. Serrano and Braxton Nemes both went wide in the final two minutes as the Blues pushed for an equalizer.
Niclas Isensee played all 90 minutes in goal for Whitman and made two saves. His second save came on a Brenden Pineda shot in the 81st minute that kept the Blues within a goal.
The match was physical as the teams were whistled for 25 combined fouls, and officials showed five yellow cards, three of them to Whitman.
#GoWhitman
