Setting the Scene: The Lutes' four-game homestand continues today, welcoming Oregon rival Pacific University to East Field.
Series History: Pacific Lutheran has dominated the all-time series that started in 1980, owning a 53-14-4 record against the Boxers. That includes winning the last nine meetings and outscoring Pacific 17-2 over the last six meetings. PLU prevailed 4-2 in the first meeting of the season back on Oct. 2, a match that saw the Lutes keep the Boxers off the scoreboard for over 80 minutes.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (11-2, 5-2 NWC) opens the second half of conference play riding a four-game win streak but chasing league leader Willamette.
The Lutes are undefeated in October, opening the month with a 2-0 shutout of George Fox on Oct. 1 before smashing host Pacific 4-2 the following day. Last weekend the Lutes opened their homestand by steamrolling crosstown nemesis Puget Sound 4-0 behind a Craig Johnson hat-trick before netting a 5-1 non-conference win over Lewis & Clark.
Trevor Thompson is the NWC leader in goals (eight), assists (seven), and points (23) while Craig Johnson leads the league in game-winning goals with three. Johnson has seven goals on the season while Cris Lozano has six goals and three assists. Robby Guyer is fourth on the team in points (11) and second in assists with five.
13 different Lutes have scored this fall while 17 total Lutes have registered a point.
Nicholas Gaston is the Lutes' primary keeper, having logged 915 minutes between the posts this fall with a 0.89 goals against average. Gaston has allowed just nine goals in 11 games and has 36 saves on the year.
About the Boxers: Pacific (1-8-3, 0-5-2 NWC) heads to Tacoma still searching for its first win of the NWC season. The Boxers had a rocky start to the season, dropping seven of their opening eight games but have since gone 1-1-2. Pacific's lone victory of the year came on Monday, a 1-0 win over Lewis & Clark.
In league play, the Boxers battled to a 1-1 draw against Puget Sound on Sept. 30 and a scoreless tie with George Fox last Saturday.
The Boxers have scored just seven goals this fall with Jericho Lars the leader in goals (two) and points (five). Nico Allen has a team-best two assists and is second on the team in points with four.
Zach Aderinto is the Boxers' keeper, making 55 saves on the year with a 1.89 goals against average.
Home Cooking: East Field has been a daunting place for opponents to play since the 2015 season with the Lutes holding a 46-15-7 advantage in games played on campus. That includes a 21-7-3 mark over the past three seasons.
Attaways: The Lutes' high octane offense has averaged three goals a game this season and it's no surprise the result is PLU dominating the NWC Offensive Player of the Week Award. This week Craig Johnson secured the award, marking the fourth time this season and the third straight week a Lute has won the honor. Trevor Thompson won the award the previous two weeks while Cris Lozano was tabbed on Sept. 12.
Fit to be Tied: Things will look a little different this fall with the NCAA doing away with overtime in the regular season. All competitions ending tied after 90 minutes will be declared a tie. Previously two sudden death periods of 10 minutes in length were played before the contest was declared a tie. These changes will align the NCAA more closely with international rules.
Trailblazing NIL the D3 Way: PLU Athletics continues to lead the way nationally in Name, Image, and Likeness, unveiling the Luteville Marketplace on Wednesday through the department's partnership with Opendorse. Learn more about the deal here: LINK. But don't stay on the sidelines, get involved and connect with PLU student-athletes on the Luteville Marketplace: LINK
The Luteville Marketplace is the first dedicated NIL marketplace in Division III on the Opendorse platform that directly connects student-athletes with fans, supporters, and business partners in an easy to use website.
Stay connected to your favorite teams by downloading the official mobile app of the Pacific Lutheran University athletic department powered by SIDEARM Sports, available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
Featuring real-time news alerts, schedules, exclusive multimedia content, gameday details and more, the new PLU Athletics app is free and compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
To download the app to your smartphone or tablet, visit the Apple App Store (DOWNLOAD LINK) or Google Play (DOWNLOAD LINK) and search for "PLU Athletics."
PLU Non-Discrimination Policy: Pacific Lutheran University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability or age in its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Title IX Coordinator Jennifer Childress-White; 253-535-7361; TitleIX@plu.edu
Next Home Game:
Sunday, Oct. 16 vs. George Fox at 2:30 p.m.