Setting the Scene: The five-time NWC Champion PLU women's soccer team are back at home after a weekend on the road in Oregon. The Lutes open the homestand today against NWC rival Willamette.
Series History: This is the 84th meeting between the Lutes and the Bearcats with PLU holding a 42-35-6 edge in the all-time series that dates back to the 1981 season. PLU has won six straight and is unbeaten (11-0-1) in the last 12 meetings. That includes a 4-1 victory back on Sept. 25 in Salem.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (11-1-2, 8-1-1 NWC) heads into the weekend riding a three-game win streak and is unbeaten (6-0-1) in its last seven contests.
The Lutes blasted Pacific 3-0 last Friday night, scoring two goals in the opening five minutes. Hannah Cecil needed a shade over four minutes to get the Lutes on the board before Alyssa Leong doubled the Lute advantage just 13 seconds later. Ashlee Gormley iced the game in the 76th minute.
Two days later it was the Hannah Cecil show with the sophomore scoring in the 15th and 37th minutes in a 2-1 victory over Linfield. Abby Winkler made six saves, including a penalty kick save to notch her third career win in goal.
Cecil's three goal weekend earned the attention of the NWC, securing the conference offensive player of the week award on Monday.
Cecil leads the Lutes in both scoring (nine goals) and points (20) while fellow sophomore Julia Causbie is second in goals (seven) and points (17). Leong provides five goals on the year while Lily Dose has a team-best four assists.
Winkler has a 0.60 goals against average with 13 saves in four games played. The Lutes' keeper for the opening 11 games of 2022, Shaylin Cesar, has 36 saves and a 0.56 GAA.
About the Bearcats: Willamette (5-7-1, 3-6-1 NWC) heads into the weekend having posted consecutive shutouts. The Bearcats snapped a five game skid last Saturday with a scoreless draw against Whitworth before returning to the win column on Sunday with a 3-0 thrashing of visiting Whitman.
Against the Blues, Ella Abraham scored in the sixth minute while Erin Denney and Braeden Glaser secured insurance scores in the 73rd and 79th minutes.
Nina Krassner-Cybulski is the Bearcats' top offensive threat with six goals and 13 points on the season. Jackie Gilroy leads the team in assists with four while sitting second on the squad in points with eight.
Four different keepers have seen action this season for Willamette with Sam Borngasser and Rachel Compton earning a majority of the minutes. Compton leads the team in goals against average (1.27), saves (25), and minutes played (637).
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 Home Game:
Oct. 29 vs. Whitman at 12 p.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