McMINNVILLE, Ore. – A second-half penalty kick by Brian Percival lifted Whitman over Linfield 1-0 in a physical faceoff Saturday afternoon at the Linfield soccer field.

The first half was scoreless, though each team took four shots. In the rapid back-and-forth, both teams showed strong defensive effort as they fought for control of the game. Linfield goalie Scott Goodman earned his keep, saving everything that came his way.

In the 55th minute, Whitman forward Jed Jacobson worked with two teammates to make a quick attack on Linfield’s goal from only a few feet away, but Goodman came away with yet another a skillful save.

Rough contact directly in front of the goal in the 72nd minute led to a yellow card for Linfield and a penalty kick from only a few feet away. Whitman’s Percival took the shot and scored, bringing the score to 1-0 in the Missionaries’ favor.

The second half saw ten total shots from Whitman and only three more from Linfield. Harper Taylor (Sr., Clackamas, Ore.) turned in a remarkable effort, narrowly missing several headers aimed at the goal.

The Wildcats received four yellow cards throughout the match, and a red card the home team to play a man down for the remaining fifteen minutes of the game, hurting any chance at a comeback.

With the win, Whitman advances to 3-4-2 overall and 3-2 in the Northwest Conference, leaving Linfield 1-6-1 overall and 0-4-1 conference play.

NEXT UP: The Wildcats face Whitworth in McMinnville at 2:30 Sunday.