COLLEGE PLACE, Wash. — Walla Walla University men's soccer fell 7-0 to unbeaten Rocky Mountain College on Sunday afternoon in Cascade Collegiate Conference action.
The Wolves (3-7-3, 3-4-3 CCC) faced a strong offensive attack from the Battlin' Bears (11-0-3, 9-0-1 CCC), who finished with a 24-5 advantage in shots, including 17 on goal. Walla Walla goalkeeper Sebas Vargas recorded 10 saves in the loss.
Rocky Mountain applied pressure early, forcing Vargas to make two saves in the opening six minutes. The Battlin' Bears broke through in the ninth minute when Evan Odle scored off an assist from Henry Chalkley to give Rocky Mountain a 1-0 lead.
The Wolves responded with an offensive opportunity just 35 seconds later, as
Eniola Smith put a shot on goal that was saved by Rocky Mountain goalkeeper Anton Wilms. Walla Walla continued to look for an equalizer, with
Jose Roblero putting another shot on target in the 20th minute.
Rocky Mountain extended its lead in the 22nd minute when Jay Herbert scored off an assist from Fynn Sweeting. Herbert added his second goal of the afternoon in the 40th minute, assisted by Chalkley, giving the Battlin' Bears a 3-0 advantage heading into halftime.
The Battlin' Bears carried their momentum into the second half, scoring just 22 seconds after the restart on a goal by Antonio Morales, assisted by Sweeting.
Despite the deficit, Vargas continued to make saves for the Wolves, recording five in the second half. Rocky Mountain added three more goals in the final 24 minutes, with Ralph Jooma Jr. scoring twice and Sweeting adding a goal of his own to secure the 7-0 victory.
Walla Walla continued to battle offensively in the closing minutes. Matthew Jenkins had a shot blocked in the 81st minute, leading to a corner kick for the Wolves.
Oscar Ponce added another scoring opportunity in the 85th minute, but his shot sailed high.
The Wolves finished with five shots, including two on goal, from five different players. Smith and Roblero each recorded a shot on target, while Rocky Mountain held a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Walla Walla moves to 3-7-3 overall and 3-4-3 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play.
UP NEXT - The Wolves will travel to Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech to wrap up conference play.
