UPS Gets by Wildcats, 2-1

Linfield’s two-game winning streak ended and the Wildcats slipped to 3-5-2, but still have six games to try for their best season since 2003.

Stephanie Caster Photo courtesy: Linfield College

McMINNVILLE - Nationally ranked Puget Sound had its hands full defeating scrappy Linfield 2-1 Saturday in Northwest Conference women’s soccer.

UPS improved to 6-1-2 in the conference and leapfrogged Whitworth (6-2-1) into second place when Whitworth lost to first-place , 13th-ranked Willamette (8-1) .

Linfield’s two-game winning streak ended and the Wildcats slipped to 3-5-2, but still have six games to try for their best season since 2003.

Puget Sound used superior speed to build a 20-9 advantage in shots over Linfield, including 12-8 on goal.

Puget Sound’s Adrienne Folsom, leading scorer in the conference, made her 10th goal of the season from the front of the goal after a short pass from Caroline Milleson 11:35 into the game.

UPS took six of the first seven shots, but Linfield’s Stephanie Caster evened the score at 1-1 in the 21st minute from 15 yards after assists by Rachel Miles and Kate Franklin. It was Caster's second goal of the season and of her career.

Katie Gillette put the Loggers back in front, 2-1, at 35:40 with her short tap inside the right post after a pass across the goalmouth from Lea John.

That score held up, although UPS peppered Linfield with seven on-goal shots in the second half to the Wildcats’ three.

Linfield defender Brianne Robinson made two daring plays in the second half, racing in front of the goal to block shots in the 10th and 21st minute. After the second one, she crashed headlong into the left post and spent the next 10 minutes recovering on the sideline.

Linfield goalkeeper Allison Cartmill stopped a point-blank shot in the 10th minute of the second half, just before the first of Robinson’s crowd-pleasers.

Folsom, running Wildcat defenders ragged, took six shots, all but one on goal. Caroline Milleson added five shots for UPS. Kate Franklin was Linfield’s most prolific shooter with three, all on goal.

UPS goalkeeper Kallie Wolfer was denied her sixth shutout, but contributed seven saves, well over her 4.55 average.

Linfield’s Cartmill made 10 saves, giving her a season total of 80 – No. 1 in the NWC.

UPS was ranked 24th in the nation and fourth in the West in this week’s poll of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Overall, the Loggers’ record is 8-1-3.

The Wildcats beat Pacific 1-0 on Friday to equal their victory totals of last season. Linfield’s overall record is 5-7-2.

Folsom of UPS has 23 points, 10 goals on 48 shots and six game-winning goals and leads the NWC in points, goals and game-winning goals.

NEXT: Linfield travels to eastern Washington next weekend, playing at Whitman in

Walla Walla on Saturday and at Whitworth in Spokane on Sunday. Both games start at noon. . . . . Puget Sound plays at Lewis & Clark Sunday at noon and meets rival Pacific Lutheran on Wednesday in a 5 PM game in Tacoma.

Adding comments to these stories has been disabled. View the current sports stories Salem-News Sports