SALEM, Ore. – The Whitman men’s soccer team remained perfect in Northwest Conference play after downing Willamette 3-0 here Sunday.
The Missionaries improved to 3-3 overall, 2-0 in conference. The Bearcats fell to 2-5, 0- 2 in the NWC.
John Rue capitalized on a Stephen Phillips pass at the 12:20 mark to kick off the scoring. Rue leads all Missionary scorers this season with four goals, while Phillips has delivered a team-leading three assists.
Whitman kept the heat on the Bearcats with 13 first-half shots, while Willamette managed eight. Missionary first-year keeper Brett Axelrod, coming off a shutout at George Fox Saturday, blanked the Bearcats with four saves.
The second half was filled with chances for both sides, but neither capitalized until Whitman got a second goal in the 80th minute by freshman Mark Nabelek on a pass from senior Peter Randall. It was Nabelek’s first college goal.
Whitman’s third goal came five minutes later on sophomore Craig Yuen’s unassisted effort. It was Yuen’s first score of the season.
Axelrod now has three shutouts in his first six games, already surpassing Whitman’s season total of two shutouts in 2004.
The Missionaries return home this weekend for two Northwest Conference against Linfield Saturday and Pacific Sunday. Start times are 2:30 p.m.
