Setting the Scene: The Pacific Lutheran University women's lacrosse team begins a two-game homestand to wrap up its non-conference slate today, welcoming Wisconsin-based Lawrence University to East Field.
Series History: This is the first all-time meeting between the Lutes and the Vikings and will be just the second team that PLU has ever faced from the Central Time Zone. The only other team the Lutes have played outside the Pacific Time Zone was this year's season opener, an 8-5 home setback to Southwestern University from Georgetown, Texas.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (1-5) gets an extended break after playing back-to-back games on March 13-14. The Lutes' defense came up clutch early against Linfield University on March 13 at East Field, limiting the visiting Wildcats to just one goal in the opening quarter and trailed by just two with just over six minutes left before halftime. Linfield closed the half on a big run, scoring four unanswered to stake a 7-1 lead. Kathleen Swankowski tallied her second goal of the game early in the third to narrow the gap but the Wildcats kept PLU off the scoreboard the rest of the way to notch the 13-2 victory.
Kassie Diller made 13 saves and had a team-best seven ground balls while Gracie Cecka had five ground balls and and tied Taylee Alldredge for the team lead in caused turnovers with four.
The Lutes would be down two starters the next day, falling 22-0 to Lewis & Clark College on the road in Portland. Diller made seven saves and again led the team, scooping up four ground balls.
Taylee Alldredge and Issabella Marchio share the team lead in both goals (seven) and points (nine). Paige Hackman is the leader in assists with three while also adding a pair of goals. Kathleen Swankowski has six goals with Peyton Terhar and Emily Mejia both scoring three through the opening six games of 2026.
Defensively, Gracie Cecka leads the team in ground balls (27) and caused turnovers (13) while Hackman has 23 and 12, respectively.
Kassie Diller has played every minute in goal this season and has made 50 saves this season with a .373 save percentage. The Grand Ledge, Michigan native recently surpassed 200 career saves, reaching the milestone in just 20 games.
About the Vikings: Lawrence (0-3) heads to the West Coast in search of its first wins as it faces University of Puget Sound and the Lutes.
The Vikings opened the season on March 7, coming up short 9-5 on the road to Hanover College (Ind.). Three days later, Lawrence had its home opener at the Banta Bowl spoiled 10-6 at the hands of Aquinas College (Mich.) before falling 14-10 to Franklin College on March 14.
Against Franklin, the Vikings held a 4-3 edge after one quarter of play and closed the contest by outscoring the Grizzlies 4-2 in the fourth but it wasn't enough to overcome the middle two quarters where the visitors outscored the Vikings 9-2. Savannah Larsen headlined the day for Lawrence, scoring four goals with one assist.
Savannah Larsen is Lawrence's leader in both goals (seven) and points (eight) through the first three games of the 2026 season. Annika Solberg adds four goals and two assists while Mackenzie Igel-Harris is the leader in assists with four. Emma Perry has three goals and an assist with eight total Vikings having scored in the opening three games.
Four different players have seen time in goal for the Vikings with Neva Mertsching logging the most minutes of the bunch. Mertsching has played in 110 of the team's 180 minutes, racking up 32 saves with a .571 save percentage.
Luteville, USA: The Lutes 2026 roster features 16 student-athletes that hail from six different states. That includes 10 players from Washington and two from Oregon. PLU also has players from California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.
Lutes on the Loose
Check out episode one of Lutes on the Lutes where host Alvin Kaman chats with PLU lacrosse student-athlete Issabella Marchio.
NWC Preseason Poll
The Lutes will be looking to buck expectations in year two as a varsity program after being picked ninth in the NWC Preseason Coaches' Poll released on Feb. 20. PLU secured 10 points and sits six points shy of eighth-ranked Pacific University. Whitman College and George Fox University are tied at the top, both securing 59 points.
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.
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 Game:
Mar. 25 vs. Kalamazoo at 1 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