Setting the Scene: The reigning seven-time Northwest Conference Champion Lutes cap off their homestand tonight with crosstown nemesis University of Puget Sound making the short trip to East Field.
Series History: The Lutes and Loggers have battled 80 times on the soccer pitch since the 1982 campaign with Puget Sound owning a 52-23-5 edge in the series.
The intracity rivals split the series last fall with each team winning on the other team's home field. PLU posted a 2-0 victory on Oct. 4 while the Loggers earned revenge on Nov. 1, securing a 2-1 come from behind win.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (2-1-3, 1-0-1 NWC) opened conference play over the weekend, securing a draw and a win. The Lutes opened their title defense with a scoreless draw against Willamette University before downing Linfield University 2-0 on Sunday.
Goalkeeper Abby Winkler didn't allow a goal all weekend, making five saves in the win over Willamette while needing to make just one stop in the victory on Sunday.
PLU ripped off 24 shots on Saturday in the 0-0 tie. On Sunday, Ally Tattar noticed her first career goal in the 32nd minute off a Hannah Cecil pass while Julia Causbie added an insurance score in the 72nd minute.
Six Lutes have scored this season with Hannah Cecil and Olivia Boehm the only two with multiple goals on the year. Cecil leads the squad with five points. Kayden Hulquist leads the team in assists with two on the season.
Abby Winkler has played every minute in goal this season, boasting a 1.17 goals against average and 38 saves.
About the Loggers: Puget Sound (1-3-2, 1-0-1 NWC) experienced similar results as the Lutes last weekend, earning a 2-0 win over Linfield and a 1-1 draw with Willamette.
The Loggers tallied both goals against Linfield in a 10-minute window with Zoe Fowler scoring in the 37th minute and Leila Hausia-Haugen striking in the 47th minute. The following day, Fowler scored the equalizer in the 85th minute in the 1-1 tie with the Bearcats.
Leila Hausia-Haugen is the Loggers' leader in both goals (three) and points (eight). Fowler and Bre Fulton-Kaneshiro are the only two other PLU players with a goal on the season.
Gianna Maldonado is the Loggers' primary keeper, having logged 450 minutes between the posts. Maldonado has 28 saves on the year with a 1.20 goals against average.
Home Sweet Home: East Field has been a daunting venue for opposing teams since the 2014 season, winning 25 of the last 32 on the synthetic surface. The Lutes boast a 77-9-10 record on the artificial turf over the past 10 seasons. That includes a 10-0 record in 2021 and a 8-1-1 mark at home in 2022.
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. 12 vs. Whitman at 2:45 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