Wildcat Roundup: Men's golf ends Fall with strong showing; women's soccer makes conference push

Linfield’s men’s and women’s golf teams ended the fall season on Monday, placing third and seventh, respectively, out of nine teams at the Northwest Conference Classic at Oswego Lake Country Club in Lake Oswego.

Freshman Owen Irving led the men’s team through the tournament, starting with four birdies in the first nine holes to shoot a one-under 35. He finished his opening round with a string of 10 consecutive pars. Irving closed the tournament on Monday with a four-over 75, dropping one spot into 4th place as an individual.

Fellow freshman Brody Landaker opened with a 39 on the front nine Sunday and rebounded with a four-birdie back nine to fire an even-par 71. Though he closed his first Fall season with a 77, the freshman carded a top ten finish. Junior Douglas Bailey shot rounds of 72 and 76 to tie Landaker for the tournament and notch his own top ten placement.

Sophomore Ryder Ng shot two rounds of 76 and finished in 26th, moving up two spots in the final round. Senior Kellen Hudson rounded out the lineup with rounds of 79 and 80 to take 39th.

The team was in second after an opening round with a score of 289, but dropped one spot after a 304 on Monday (593 total). Willamette cleared the field by nine strokes to win the team title with a total score of 577 ( 9), while Mason Remington of Whitman claimed medalist honors. Whitman placed second with a score of 586 ( 18).

Linfield women’s golf shot a total score of 730 ( 146) in their seventh-place finish. George Fox narrowly captured the team title over Pacific with a total of 660 ( 76). Katelyn Lam of George Fox claimed medalist honors with rounds of 77 and 76.

Led by freshman Sophia Hamilton — who finished 27th overall with rounds of 92 and 88 ( 34) — the Wildcats battled weather and darkness at the end of Sunday, firing a 369 team score in their first round. Freshman Addison Nations led the team with an 88. Nations improved on the back nine on Monday, carding a 43 on her way to a 93 to finish in 29th.

After a 92 the first day, Sophia Hamilton finished the tournament with eight-straight pars on the back-nine to card a 88. She led the Wildcats after two rounds, finishing one stroke ahead of Nations. Breleigh Garcia was the last Wildcat to compete in both rounds of the tournament, with a 93 in both rounds to finish 34th.

McMinnville High alum Ainsley Kelley competed in the opening round on Sunday, shooting a 96 through the off-and-on rain. Karissa Whitford returned to the lineup in round two in place of Kelley, with Whitford posting the lowest round for the team over the weekend, including two birdies and eight pars that propelled her to an 87 in the final round.

Both teams will have an extended break from action as they gear up for the Spring season of 2026.

Women’s Soccer

The Wildcat’s women’s soccer team (9-2-4, 7-2-2) is seeking a spot near the top of the NWC rankings and helped themselves on Wednesday with a 2-1 victory over Pacific at the Linfield Soccer Complex.

Sophomore Lena Caballero Uhtoff got Linfield ahead 1-0 in the first half. Pacific equalized in the 69th minute. Less than four minutes later, Linfield reclaimed the lead.

In the 73rd minute, freshman forward Sydney Garner made an immediate impact off the bench, slotting home a cross from senior forward Julia Alvarez to put Linfield up 2-1. The finish marked Garner’s second goal of the season and ultimately stood as the game-winner.

The late victory extended the ’Cats winning streak to three, as they broke a streak of unfavorable results with shutout victories over George Fox and Lewis and Clark on Oct. 11 and Oct. 12.

Senior forward Kama Samudio and Uhtoff scored Linfield’s goals off the bench on Saturday in a 2-0 win over George Fox. On Sunday, senior Mia Curtaz was the hero, scoring the game’s only goal on a penalty kick in the 65th minute. It was Curtaz’s first goal of the season and the second of her collegiate career.

The women’s team is back in action on Saturday, Oct. 25, in Spokane to face Whitworth for the second time this year. They will stay in Washington to play Whitman on Oct. 26. Linfield tied, 1-1, with Whitman at home on Sept. 27 and defeated Whitworth the following day, 2-0.

Men’s Soccer

Linfield’s men’s soccer team (1-10-3, 1-6-3) secured its first win of the year, 3-2 over Puget Sound on Oct. 4, but has been unable to find another despite impressive offensive showings.

After scoring just three goals over their first nine games, the ’Cats have totaled 13 since, including four in a 4-4 draw with Lewis and Clark on Sunday.

On Wednesday versus Pacific, the ’Cats fended off another loss thanks to a late-game equalizer by freshman forward Caleb Ishizaka. He found the net in the 73rd minute for his first career goal, earning Linfield a 1-1 draw.

The men will travel along with Linfield women’s to Washington next weekend, where they will face Whitworth and Whitman on the same dates.

Volleyball

The Wildcats volleyball squad (7-7, 5-4) got back to the .500 mark with a four-set victory (23-25, 25-14, 25-16, 25-23) over Pacific on Tuesday to place themselves in positive ground in league play.

After dropping the first in close fashion, Linfield roared back in the Ted Wilson Gymnasium, taking sets two and three easily after getting out to large leads.

Junior Nora Myre led the ’Cats 38-36 kill differential with nine of her own. Meanwhile, sophomore Pi’ilani Hirahara contributed to the winning effort with 14 assists and four aces.

The team will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 25, with a road match against Whitman and will travel to Whitworth the next day. Linfield previously lost to Whitworth in five sets on Sept. 26 and followed it up with a four-set win over Whitman at home on Sept. 27.

Football

The ’Cats had multiple athletes honored with conference awards following their 23-6 win over Pacific at Maxwell Field last Saturday. Senior kicker Gavin Dalziel and junior defensive back Max Kirsh were the mentions, with Dalziel earning the Northwest Conference’s Football Special Teams Athlete of the Week honors and Kirsh being given Defensive Athlete of the Week honors.

Dalziel made three field goals and two extra points, making him the program’s new leader in field goals made.

The Brier, Washington, native hit field goals of 34, 35, and 26 yards, helping the Wildcats stay ahead of the Boxers. The 26-yarder at the midway point of the fourth quarter moved Dalziel into the top spot of the Linfield football record books for field goals made; the 36th of his career. He passed Garrett Wales (2002-2005) and Willy Warne (2016-2018). Dalziel also added two successful PATs on Saturday, bringing his career total to 184.

Meanwhile, Kirsch secured the first two interceptions of his career in the game. Kirsch has played in 19 games through two-plus seasons, making 28 tackles (two for loss). The junior’s first pick came near the end of the first half, intercepting the pass at the Linfield four-yard line and returning it 19 yards. One quarter later, he ended a Pacific drive in the Linfield red zone, grabbing the third-down pass out of the air, and downing it in the end zone for a touchback.

The football team is back in action on Saturday at 1 p.m. versus Whitworth.

Article written with assistance of Chase Fisk and Linfield Sports Communication.