WALLA WALLA, Wash. — The Whitman College women's soccer team opened its 2026 campaign Saturday night with a 3-1 loss to The College of Idaho at James Hayner Field.
The Blues controlled much of the possession through the first half and continued to apply pressure early in the second, outshooting the Yotes 10-4 before halftime. Whitman created four corner-kick opportunities in the opening 45 minutes and forced College of Idaho goalkeeper Molly McCabe into three saves, but the teams went into the break scoreless.
Whitman continued to push after the restart and broke through in the 59th minute. Bailey Bell found Avery Cohen, who finished for the first goal of the season and a 1-0 Blues advantage.
College of Idaho answered quickly, however, drawing even just over two minutes later. Rylee Russell converted a Shaelyn Olsen assist in the 62nd minute, then Olsen scored unassisted at the 63:09 mark to give the Yotes their first lead of the night.
Russell added her second goal in the 82nd minute, finishing a feed from Zoey Takeuchi to seal the 3-1 result.
Whitman finished with a 16-10 advantage in total shots and a 7-3 edge in corner kicks. The Blues also held a 55-45 possession advantage during the first half, while the teams finished even in overall possession.
Cohen led Whitman with three shots and scored the team's lone goal. Nana Tanikawa and Leah Barnes also registered three shots apiece, while goalkeeper Lindsey Pasena-Littlesky made four saves.
Whitman will look to notch its first win on Sunday when they host the University of La Verne at 7:30 p.m.
#GoWhitman
