BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's soccer team surrendered three first half goals and dropped a 4-1 contest to No. 22 nationally-ranked Regis University Saturday afternoon at Harrington Field.
The Vikings dropped to 1-3-0 on the season, while Regis improved to 4-1-0.
The Rangers set the tone early scoring in the 3rd minute at the 2:40 mark when Sam Gardner headed home the go-ahead goal off a 40-yard free kick from Kevin Cela.
Regis added first-half goals in the 24th and 42nd minutes to take a 3-0 lead into halftime.
WWU cut the lead to 3-1 with a goal early in the second half when junior forward
Gilbert De La Luz tallied his first career goal at the 49:57 mark. De La Luz took a long lob through ball from defender
Mitchell Hutter and dribbled around the Regis goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation with a short-range finish.
Regis added its fourth goal in the 60th minute to bring the game to the final score of 4-1.
WWU was playing without four starters due to injury, including starting senior center back
Camron Miller, who played a key role in Thursday's 1-0 victory over Colorado School of Mines.
The Vikings held a 13-6 advantage in shots, but Regis was efficient with five of its six shots landing on frame. The chippy affair featured 26 combined fouls (Regis 14, WWU 12) and three yellow cards (Regis 2, WWU 1).
"It was really good to see the response by the team in the second half," said WWU head coach
Greg Brisbon. "Unfortunately, at this level with the strength of schedule we play, the margins are very slip, especially when we came out and played the way we did in the first half. Hopefully as a group we learn from this game and keep getting better. We will prepare for a tough two weeks ahead with five consecutive road games."
SERIES HISTORY
WWU dropped to 1-2-1 all-time vs. Regis, with the two schools meeting for the first time since the 2008 season.
UP NEXT
WWU (1-3-0) will head to the road for a three-game trip to Hawai'i, playing Chaminade on Tuesday (9/21), Hawai'i Pacific on Friday (9/24) and Hawai'i Hilo on Sunday (9/26). WWU opens GNAC play the following week with road contests at Northwest Nazarene (9/30) and Saint Martin's (10/2). The Vikings next five matches will be on the road, followed by a season-high five-game homestand October 9-30.
QUICK STATS
#22 Regis 4, Western Washington 1
Date: September 18, 2021
Field: Harrington Field Site: Bellingham, WA
Weather: 65-degrees, Sun Breaks Attendance: 203
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
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#22 Regis.................. 3 1 - 4
Western Washington......... 0 1 - 1
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 2:40 REG Gardner (Cela)
2. 23:07 REG Jimenez
3. 41:35 REG Kaldal (Halter
4. 49:57 WWU De La Luz (Hutter)
5. 59:06 REG Carre (Halter)
Shots: WWU 13, REG 6
Shots on Goal: REG 5, WWU 3
Saves: WWU 1 (Restum – 0), REGIS 2 (Erickson – 2)
Corners: WWU 5, REG 1
Fouls: REG 14, WWU 12
Offsides: WWU 4 , REG 0
Kits: WWU (Black), REGIS (White)
