Oct. 20, 2005
Box Score
SPOKANE, Wash. - George Josten scored 42 seconds into the second half and Gonzaga University made the goal stand up for a 1-0 West Coast Conference men's soccer victory Thursday at Martin Field.
The win was the first for the Bulldogs (3-6-3; 1-3-1) in WCC play. Portland (4-7-1; 2-4-0) will host the Bulldogs Saturday at 7 p.m. at Harry A. Merlo Field on the Pilots campus as the teams play their home-and-home series in a span of three days.
Josten's goal was set up on a left-to-right cross from deep near the endline by Grant Lundberg. Josten headed the ball into the right side of the net past Portland keeper Luis Robles. The sophomore from Idaho Falls, Idaho, now has 12 career goals. His 37 career points move him into a tie for eight on the Gonzaga charts with Abbas Faridnia, one shy of Brett Fink in seventh.
Gonzaga held a 14-10 shots advantage in the match, including 9-3 in the second half. The Bulldogs had a couple of other scoring opportunities in the second half, Josten getting a loose ball from 20 yards and hitting his uncontested shot high as he tried to pick the upper right corner. Mark Stock had a hard shot from the left wing that hit the side of the net and just missed catching the opposite side of the post and going in.
The Pilots didn't have a shot on goal in the second half, one shot going high, one getting blocked and Alex Elliott's header from yards off a throw in going harmless wide right.
The best scoring opportunity of the afternoon for Portland came in the 13th minute when Ryan Oakes' shot was deflected by Gonzaga keeper Vito Higgins past the right post on a low, hard shot from 15 yards. Steven Hosseinmardi beat Higgins to a loose ball that got behind Higgins in the 31st minutes, but Hosseinmardi's shot under pressure from a Gonzaga defender went wide left.
Despite the large number of shots, the teams combined for just five shots on goal. Robles had one save while Higgins had three.
The shutout was the second of the season for Higgins, the other a 0-0 double-overtime deadlock against Detroit in the Jesuit Cup played in Chicago the opening weekend of the season. It was Higgins' fourth career shutout. He ranks third in career shutouts behind Josh Fouts (19) and Mike McCarthey (13).
The victory snapped Gonzaga's five-match losing streak in the series. Gonzaga's last win over the Pilots was a 1-0 verdict at home in 2001. The Pilots began their winning streak later that season in the 2001 College Cup with a 1-0 first-round win over the Bulldogs in a match played at the University of Washington.
