SPOKANE, Wash. – Three defensive breakdowns led to three goals to lift visiting Willamette as to a 3-0 win over Whitworth in a Northwest Conference women's soccer match on Sunday afternoon.
Willamette improved to 3-3-4 overall and 2-2-2 in the NWC while the Pirates dropped to 5-3-1, 3-2-1 heading into matches next weekend at Puget Sound and conference-leading Pacific Lutheran.
Nina Krassner-Cybulski scored only three minutes into the match when Whitworth keeper Paige Broadrick passed the ball directly to her only yards away from goal. Krassner-Cybulski took one dribble before easily finishing her team-leading fifth goal of the season.
Natalie Rodriguez De La Torre made it 2-0 in the 33rd minute when she was able to corral the ball near the corner and work around a defender before scoring from a severe right-side angle.
Willamette got its final goal in the 42nd minute when Maddie Reid sent a long crossing pass forward to a wide-open Ella Abraham and Broadrick was caught between coming out to intercept the ball and staying in goal. Abraham calmly finished her first goal of the season.
Whitworth dominated possession and shots in the second half (10-1), but could not find the net. The Pirates had two shots miss inches wide of the goal and Sam Borngasser made five saves for the Bearcats.
Anna Boyer played goal in the second half for Whitworth, but she did not have to make a save and Willamette only got one shot off target.
