Setting the Scene: The reigning Northwest Conference Champion Lutes close out the weekend homestand today, taking on in-state nemesis Whitworth University.
Series History: The Lutes and Pirates have battled 76 times on the soccer pitch with PLU holding a slim 35-32-9 edge in the series that dates all the way back to the 1982 campaign.
PLU has won seven straight and 11 of the past 12 meetings. That includes posting a 4-1 victory at East Field last fall on Sept. 16 and earning a 4-2 win in Spokane on Oct. 14.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (6-1-3, 4-0-2 NWC) returns home having won three straight games and is unbeaten in its last nine matches.
PLU outscored its three opponents by a combined 11-1 scoreline in its most recent road swing. That included a 4-1 victory over Lewis & Clark on Sept. 28 and a pair of shutouts over George Fox (3-0) and Pacific (4-0) last weekend.
Craig Johnson was on fire during the road trip, scoring four goals and assisting on another to shatter the school record for career points. Johnson's 46 goals and 29 assists over the past five seasons gives the Puyallup, Washington native 121 total points. Eddie Na (2014-2017) previously held the school record with 120 points over his four years on campus.
Trevor Thompson leads the team in both goals (nine) and points (22) while Johnson is second in both categories with five goals and 14 total points. Connor O'Brien is tied with Thompson and Johnson for the team lead in assists with four this fall.
12 different Lutes have scored a goal this fall while 15 total players have registered a point. PLU has outscored its opponents by a 27-10 margin this fall.
Nicholas Gaston has been a consistent presence between the posts, logging 873 of the team's 900 minutes played this fall. The senior boasts a 1.03 goals against average and 30 saves on the year and on Monday was named the NWC Defensive Player of the Week.
About the Pirates: Whitworth (6-3-1, 4-1-1 NWC) heads into the weekend lurking one point behind the Lutes in the conference standings in third place.
The Pirates are on a three-game win streak, securing a 2-0 victory over Linfield on Sept. 29 before securing 4-1 wins over both Lewis & Clark and Willamette last weekend. Cole Friesen was the star of the show last weekend, scoring three goals and netting three assists.
Whitworth's lone blemish of the NWC slate was a 2-1 setback to rival Whitman back on Sept. 25. It was a game that the host Blues scored two goals in the opening 36 minutes and did just enough to keep the Pirates at bay.
Cole Friesen is the Pirates' leader in goals (six), assists (five), and points (17). Clayton Crockett has a trio of goals and assists with Dominic Guzman netting four assists.
Weekend Highlights from Around Luteville
Home Cooking: East Field has been a daunting place for opponents to play since the 2015 season with the Lutes holding a 60-15-9 advantage in games played on campus. That includes a 33-7-5 mark over the past five seasons. Last fall the Lutes were a perfect 8-0 on the home turf and are 20-1-1 at home over the past three seasons.
NWC Preseason Coaches' Poll
Trailblazing NIL the D3 Way: PLU Athletics continues to lead the way nationally in Name, Image, and Likeness, unveiling the Luteville Marketplace last fall through the department's partnership with Opendorse. 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.
Last spring PLU became just the second Division III school in the nation and the first school in any division in the State of Washington to partner with Athlete's Thread. Athlete's Thread allows every Lute student-athlete to sell customizable gear and jerseys with their name and number and receive monetary compensation for a portion of each sale. Check out the link above to order your gear today!
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.
Next Home Match:
Oct. 27 vs. Lewis & Clark 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