After kicking off their fall season two weeks ago, the men’s and women’s soccer teams at The Evergreen State College have gotten off to a sluggish start in improving their performances on the pitch. They participated in their first set of friendly matches to not-the-best results in preparation for conference soccer beginning September 20.
Preseason expectations for the Geoducks’ soccer programs varied. Last year, the men’s team clinched a playoff tournament spot, finishing the season in 6th place out of 14 schools with 19 points before bowing out in the first round. Meanwhile, the women’s team placed 11th of 13 teams after garnering seven points, far from playoff qualification.
Nevertheless, both teams will vie to finish better than last season. Their preseason form will set the tone for their 2024 campaigns.
The Geoducks will kick off their conference season proper with a double-header against Eastern Oregon University at La Grande, OR, on September 20. The women’s teams will have a 4 p.m. kickoff, while the men’s teams will follow right after.
After their opening defeat against Fraser Valley, Evergreen State battled to a 1-1 draw with Saint Martin’s University in an exhibition match at Lacey on August 29 as part of both teams’ pre-conference preparations.
After a goalless first half, Evergreen took the lead after Breanna Dell received a free kick from Danean Wurlitzer, before the Saints later equalized and held the scoreline until the final whistle.
“We received good performances from Emma Stock at center back and from Cayla Muenchow in the midfield,” Evergreen Head Women’s Soccer Coach Kate Green said.
The Geoducks men’s soccer team followed up their season-opening 4-0 home-field defeat to the University of Victoria with another crushing loss, but this time they avoided being blanked. Sage Scheuerell and Kolby Juarez put Evergreen on the scoreboard in the 4-2 loss against NCAA D-III team Whitman College on August 31.
Whitman’s Jacob Burrill played with machine-like efficiency after scoring a hat trick and an assist for the hosts in Walla Walla. He netted the two opening goals of the match in just under 30 minutes of action before the Geoducks pulled one back. Scheurell’s solo effort found the lower left corner of the goal to keep it close at halftime.
After more than 30 scoreless minutes in the second half, Riki Kobayashi had the breakthrough for the Blues to make it 3-1. Five minutes later, Evergreen responded to keep it close as Juarez rocketed the ball to the upper right corner of the goal from a Raymundo Curiel assist.
Unfortunately for the Clams, Burrill completed his hat trick with an insurance goal to seal the 4-2 result. Whitman won its first match of the preseason, while the Geoducks remain winless.
The Greeners’ final game before the conference regular season will be against Pacific University on September 7 at Forest Grove, OR.
After their confidence-boosting draw against the Saints, the Lady Geoducks were brought back to earth by Linfield University as they were slapped with a 2-0 defeat on September 2, Monday evening, at Linfield Soccer Complex at McMinville, OR.
Evergreen goalkeeper Anna Varela kept the match close as she made nine crucial saves while being peppered with shots by the Linfield side. The final stats indicated 21 Linfield attempts compared to Evergreen’s four, with 11 shots on target for the hosts compared to the three by the Gooey-ducks.
Linfield took a 1-0 lead in the middle of the first half after Rae Gerkin converted a corner. The Lady Wildcats doubled their advantage early in the second half on a shot from Sidra Griffin, assisted by Mia Curtaz.
Chloe Bafus provided the best opportunity for the Geoducks as her attempt near the 60th minute was just palmed out by the Linfield keeper.
The Evergreen Women’s team will continue with their final friendly match before conference action as they travel to Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma on Friday, Sept. 13.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here