WALLA WALLA, Wash. - Despite playing one of the favorites in the Northwest Conference on the road without their entire freshman class, The College of Idaho gutted out a 1-1 draw against Whitman College in this afternoon’s men’s soccer non-conference tilt at the Whitman Athletic Fields.
The Yotes (0-2-2) withstood a first half barrage of shots from Whitman and after the team traded early second half goals, had chances to come away with the victory. The squad was playing without their freshmen, who were in McCall at the required Wilderness Experience for first-year students.
In the opening 45, the Missionaries (2-1-1) held a commanding 11-4 shot advantage, including four shots on goal, but were turned away by The C of I defense and keeper Colin Benham-Marin. Just four minutes into the second half, the Yotes got the break they needed, as Yan Gioseffi made a great run up the left side of the box, slotting home a shot just to the left of Whitman keeper Stuart Ellsworth for a 1-0 lead.
Whitman didn’t take long to answer, as in the 62nd minute, Leland Matthaeus played a cross into the box to Daniel Kim, who lined a shot into the left corner of the goal for the equalizer – the last shot on goal in the match for the Missionaries.
The Coyotes would put the pressure on the rest of the way – including a flurry in the 64th minute, when Michael Meyer cracked a shot that was knocked away by Ellsworth, with Meyer collecting the rebound and putting a second shot off the crossbar.
In the first overtime, the Yotes had a corner kick and Meyer had another chance inside of 25 yards, but Whitman’s back line held true. The C of I pushed hard in the final 10 minutes, including a breakaway chance that was stopped by an offsides call, settling for the tie.
Benham-Marin made eight saves in the game for the Yotes, while Ellsworth had six stops for Whitman. The Missionaries held a 23-14 edge in total shots, and a 6-2 edge in corner kicks.
The Yotes return to action next weekend, opening Cascade Conference play at Evergreen and Northwest.
