WALLA WALLA, Wash. - Leah Barnes scored in the 10th minute, and the Whitman College women's soccer team opened Northwest Conference play with a 1-0 victory over Linfield on Saturday at James Hayner Field.
"What an awesome way to start conference play," said head coach
Michelle Voiland. "It was a hard fought and well earned victory and three points today. The team was excellent. They executed the game plan, they battled all over the field, they handled a very physical Linfield opponent who put on the pressure in the second half and they took the win."
Barnes finished a pass from Nana Tanikawa at the 9:52 mark for what proved to be the game's only goal. The Blues had an opportunity to add to their lead earlier, but Linfield goalkeeper Tati Zahajko stopped a penalty kick in the fourth minute.
Whitman goalkeeper Lindsey Pasena-Littlesky made three saves to earn the shutout as the Blues improved to 2-1-2 overall and 1-0 in Northwest Conference play. Linfield fell to 2-1-1 overall and 0-1 in conference action.
Whitman controlled the opening stages and recorded three shots in the first half. Barnes' goal came after Tanikawa set up the scoring chance, giving the Blues an early advantage they maintained for the remainder of the match.
Linfield generated five shots overall and put three on frame, but Pasena-Littlesky turned away all three attempts. She made one save in the first half and two after halftime, including stops on shots by Amalie Anderson and Lize Rendon during the second half.
Zahajko kept the Wildcats within reach with three saves, while Whitman finished with four shots, all on goal. The Blues also held a 2-0 edge in first-half corner kicks before Linfield earned two corners in the second half.
The Blues close out the weekend on Sunday against Lewis & Clark at 2:45 p.m.
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