Fast Break: Football struggles, but MSoc and Volleyball roar into conference play

Students of Willamette play a game of pickup soccer with the ducks. Art by Alyssa Diggdon.

Hello, Bearcat Fan! Officially, we find ourselves with 12 weeks left in the semester, but since I don’t count the weeks of finals nor Thanksgiving, I say we just conclude that we’re almost halfway to halfway through the semester. Onto the news!

Both women’s and men’s soccer tied against George Fox in the first conference match of the season in Newberg on Friday, with the women drawing 0-0 and the men finishing the match 1-1. On the men’s side, the ’Cats played a man down the entire second half due to a red card on defender Dylan Rosie (’29) until finally equalizing off a goal from forward Ky Illiev (’29) in the 83rd minute.

On Sunday, both teams faced our cross-state rival at home in the Linfield Wildcats, though to very different results this time. The women lost 1-4 after the Wildcats bagged a hat trick in the second half, all within three minutes of each other. The lone Bearcat goal came from midfielder Erin Denney (’26), who scored directly off a corner kick. The men, on the other hand, found their first non-exhibition win of the season with a 2-1 victory.

Volleyball also faced the Bruins in Newberg on Friday for their first conference match of the season, besting them 3-1 in a decisive victory.

And then there’s football. Poor, poor football. The ’Cats endured a rousing defeat at home on Saturday, being completely shut out by the Pacific Boxers 0-42. QB1 Luke Rasmussen (’27) threw a whopping four picks, bringing his total up to seven interceptions in just two games. On the bright side, the defense once more had a decent showing, forcing one interception, and linebacker Javi Rodriguez (’27) totaled eight tackles.

In the wider world of sport: I’ve decided to temporarily suspend my status as a Bears fan for my own well being. In the NFL, the Chiefs are 0-2 (hooray!), and the Micah Parsons-led Packers defense are making Green Bay look like serious Super Bowl contenders. The WNBA playoffs began on Sunday with the Minnesota Lynx, the New York Liberty, the Atlanta Dream and the Las Vegas Aces all bagging a Game 1 win. The MLB postseason begins at the end of this month, and the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies have already clinched a playoff berth coming off the weekend. Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns are slipping down the Top 25 ranks in college football, and reigning champions Ohio State remain solidly at No. 1. Curses!

In the coming weeks: Conference play continues this weekend — volleyball and men’s and women’s soccer head up north to face the Whits on Saturday and Sunday. Football is traveling to sunny California to try and find some footing as they hurtle into conference play, facing La Verne in Los Angeles on Saturday. Men’s and women’s cross country head to the Pacific Lutheran Invitational on Saturday, and I think that’s it. Busy weekend for our Bearcats!