SPOKANE, Wash. – Puget Sound's late equalizer pulled the Loggers even with Whitworth in Saturday's 1-1 Northwest Conference men's soccer match at Whitworth Soccer Field.
The Pirates (4-2-2, 4-1-2 NWC) allowed just two shots on goal in the match, but a late turnover gave the Loggers (5-3-2, 4-2-1 NWC) an opportunity to capitalize with the game-tying goal in the 88th minute.
An evenly played first half finished scoreless with both squads battling for chances. Each team had four total shots, one shot on net and two corner kicks in the first 45 minutes.
The Bucs broke through in the 57th minute with a Dom-to-Dom connection. Dom Schauman got past a defender and dribbled all the way down to the goal line before dishing a pass to the middle where Dominic Gusman was waiting to net his team-leading fifth goal of the season.
Whitworth thought to have an insurance goal in the 78th minute when a ball was deflected to the top of the box and fired into the net by Jaxsen Teeter, but the play was called offside.
Hanging on to a one-goal lead with under three minutes to play, a bad Pirate pass was intercepted and pushed forward into the Logger attacking third. A cross was punched out by Whitworth goalkeeper Dax Flanders, then collected and sent back towards the goal by Logan Tracy. Tracy's shot was blocked to the middle of the box and found the foot of Edgar Tamayo Gallegos, who didn't miss the open look.
Puget Sound edged Whitworth with an 8-7 shot advantage. The Pirates finished with three shots on goal and had five corner kicks to the Loggers' three.
Gusman led the Whitworth attack with two shots on target. Noah Whitman fired the third Pirate shot on goal. Johnny Finnegan and Ethan Bell each played a full 90 minutes to lead the Pirate defense. Dax Flanders made one save.
Puget Sound's Rhys Foote finished with four shots to lead all players. Parker Duncan-Norris and Luke Mamiya each made one save in 45 minutes of action.
The Whitworth men wrap up homecoming weekend with a match against Pacific Lutheran on Sunday.
