Cats’ Blast Buena Vista 6-0

It was the first victory for new Linfield coach Melanie Langley and her first as a head coach.

Linfield's Rachel Miles Photo Courtesy: Linfield College

McMINNVILLE - Newcomer Rachel Miles scored three goals and Stephanie Gilchrist, back from a season-long injury, got two as Linfield’s women’s soccer team thrashed Buena Vista of Iowa 6-0 Monday in a nonconference game.

In their strongest offensive performance in years, the Wildcats launched 37 shots –- 19 of them on target -- to Buena Vista’s one and controlled the action with crisp passing.

Linfield improved to 1-1 and Buena Vista slipped to 0-2-1, both losses coming on its four-day visit to the Willamette Valley.

Miles scored Linfield’s first goal of the season and the first of her collegiate career 9:39 into the game. Miles took a pretty lead pass from near mid-field from Chelsey Stoltz and drilled a shot from 15 yards in front of the goal.

Nifty passes from Caitlyn Jordan to Gilchrist resulted in two more first-half goals for the Wildcats.

At 34:39, Gilchrist put an eight-yarder into the right corner after Jordan’s pass and at 40:39, Gilchrist took Jordan’s perfect pass from the right corner just to the left of the goal-mouth and tapped it in.

Gilchrist missed the 2005 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Miles scored again on a rebound in the second half at 66:42 after two close shots in succession by Darcy Gard had been blocked. The attack started with a cross to the goal-mouth from the left side by Chelsey Stoltz.

Miles’ third goal came at 71:14 from directly in front of the goal after a pass-back from the baseline by Gard.

Kelli Gillespie beat Beaver goalkeeper Emily Carlson to a pass by Gard in the middle of the penalty box and rolled in the last goal with 41 seconds left to play. It was Gard’s second assist.

The Cats had another chance to score in the final six minutes but Stoltz was wide left on a penalty kick after she had been tackled near the goal.

Buena Vista was scoreless on its road trip; the Beavers lost to Willamette 8-0 in Salem on Friday.

Linfield opened its season Friday with a 1-0 loss to Cal State-Hayward.

NEXT: Linfield travels to Salem Wednesday for a nonconference game against Corban (formerly Western Baptist) at 5 PM. It will be the Wildcats' last tune-up before they start Northwest Conference play Tuesday, Sept. 12th, at Pacific in Forest Grove.

The next home game is Sept. 15th against University of California-Santa Cruz.

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