Walla Walla Community College fell behind North Idaho, 2-0, midway through the the first half and never fully recovered.
WWCC sophomore Brenden Kenley scored shortly before halftime but then neither team surrendered another goal, leaving the Warriors with a 2-1 loss in their Northwest Athletic Conference men’s soccer match here Wednesday.
The Warriors (8-3-3 overall, 5-3-2 in the region) remained second in East standings, although they drifted further behind top-ranked Spokane, which defeated Treasure Valley.
North Idaho (4-5-1 record), tied with Wenatchee Valley for third place, managed to creep closer to WWCC.
North Idaho jumped ahead with two quick goals — the first at the 24th minute, followed by another only five minutes later.
Walla Walla finally answered shortly before halftime, when Kenley scored off an assist from freshman Dan Mende.
The Warriors next play Sunday at Wenatchee.
