Setting the Scene: The five-time NWC Champion PLU women's soccer team honors its senior class today, closing out its home slate by hosting in-state nemesis Whitworth at East Field.
Series History: The Lutes and Pirates have met 65 times since the series began in 1989 with neither team holding a lead in the all-time series that's tied 29-29-7. PLU has dominated the series as of late, winning the last six meetings and going 9-0-1 in the last 10. PLU has outscored Whitworth 17-0 over the last 10 meetings, including a 2-0 victory back on Oct. 2 in Spokane.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (13-1-2, 6-1-1 NWC), winners of five straight and unbeaten in their last nine (8-0-1), seized sole possession of first place in the NWC standings on Wednesday with a 1-0 victory over crosstown rival University of Puget Sound.
Meghan Michels was the hero in the win over the Loggers, netting the game-winner in the 50th minute. The win came just three days after the Lutes rolled Willamette University 4-1 behind a hat-trick from Hannah Cecil who scored in the 52nd, 77th, and 78th minutes.
Cecil was tabbed the NWC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday and leads the team in goals with 12, including four game-winners.
Julia Causbie leads the Lutes in assists with five while ranking second on the team in both goals (seven) and points (19). Alyssa Leong adds six goals and three assists while Olivia Boehm adds four goals and three assists. Lily Dose has eight points this fall, scoring twice and adding four assists.
Shaylin Cesar earned the clean sheet on Wednesday against Puget Sound and owns a 0.55 goals against average this season. Cesar has shutouts in six of the 13 games she's started and has made 40 saves on the year. Abby Winkler has made three starts and has been equally effective, making 13 saves with a 0.60 goals against average.
About the Pirates: Whitworth (5-6-4, 5-4-3 NWC) heads into the weekend on a two game winning streak and is unbeaten in its last six games (4-0-2).
The Pirates started the month of October by dropping a 2-1 game to Puget Sound and a 2-0 game to PLU but has been unbeaten since with wins over Whitman (6-0), Linfield (3-0), George Fox (2-1) and Pacific (1-0) while battling to ties with Willamette (0-0) and Lewis & Clark (1-1).
11 Pirates have scored a goal this fall with Savannah Acpai leading the way with three goals. Kalena Pfaeltzer has two goals and a team-high three assists while Baylee Trejo has two goals and two helpers.
Kate Nelson has started 13 of the 15 games this fall in goal, making 49 saves with a 0.82 goals against average.
Thank You Seniors!
2022 Seniors by the Numbers
53-10-5 Overall Record
44-7-3 in NWC Play
26-3-1 at East Field
2 NWC Titles
2 NCAA Tournament Appearances
Home Sweet Home: East Field has been a daunting venue for opposing teams since the 2014 season, winning 19 of the last 21 on the synthetic surface. The Lutes boast a 68-7-7 record on the artificial turf over the past eight seasons. That includes a 10-0 record last fall, outscoring visitors by a 26-2 margin.
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.
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.
Next Game:
Nov. 5 vs. George Fox at 11 a.m.
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