Setting the Scene: The first-place Lutes return to the friendly confines of East Field after five straight on the road, hosting NWC rival Willamette.
Series History: Pacific Lutheran and Willamette have met 84 times since the 1981 season with the Lutes enjoying a 43-35-6 edge in the all-time series. PLU has dominated the series lately, winning seven straight and is unbeaten (12-0-1) over the last 13 encounters. That includes a pair of 4-1 victories last fall.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (8-2-1, 6-1 NWC) surged to first place in the NWC standings on Wednesday, unseating crosstown nemesis Puget Sound 2-0 for the squad's fifth consecutive victory.
PLU's five wins all came on the road, outscoring its opponents by a combined 21-1 margin, and have now gone 437 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal.
That stretch includes an 8-1 thrashing of George Fox, a 3-0 win over Linfield and a pair of 4-0 decisions over Lewis & Clark and Pacific.
On Wednesday, Olivia Boehm put the Lutes on the board just under two minutes before halftime. The sophomore found the back of the net after catching the Logger goalkeeper out of position on a quick free kick. Julia Causbie cemented the win in the waining moments, netting her sixth goal of the season in the 88th minute.
Abby Winkler had to work for her sixth clean sheet of the season, recording six saves including four in the opening 45.
Hannah Cecil leads the conference in scoring with nine goals on the year while also leading the nine-team circuit in points with 19. Alyssa Leong leads the NWC in assists with six while ranking second on the Lutes in points with 16. Causbie has six goals in 2023 while Lily Dose adds four.
Abby Winkler had 48 saves on the season in goal, boasting a 0.47 goals against average. The sophomore leads the NWC in both categories.
All-Star Attaways: Hannah Cecil was recognized by the NWC on Monday, earning NWC Offensive Player of the Week. The Bothell, Washington native secured the accolade after scoring three goals over the weekend in wins over Lewis & Clark and Pacific.
About the Bearcats: Willamette (0-8-2, 0-5-1 NWC) heads into the weekend still searching for its first win of the 2023 campaign. The Bearcats have two draws on the year, salvaging a 1-1 tie against La Verne (Calif.) on Sept. 8 and another 1-1 draw on Sept. 24 against George Fox.
Over the weekend the Bearcats faced the Whits, coming up short 2-1 to both Whitworth and Whitman. Willamette scored first in both games, netting a goal in the 22nd minute against Whitworth and getting a score in the 31st minute against the Blues. In both games it was late winners that doomed the home side, surrendering the game winner in the 70th minute against Whitworth and in the 77th minute against Whitman.
It was deja vu on Tuesday night against Lewis & Clark with the Pios scoring in the 73rd minute for a 2-1 win.
Five total Bearcats have scored this fall with eight total players registering a point. Natalie Rodriguez-De La Torre is the team leader in both goals (two) and points (four) while Ella Abraham is second in points with three.
Sierra Edwards has handled a majority of the goalkeeping duties, boasting a 2.31 goals against average with 42 saves on the year. Sam Borngasser has also seen extensive action, racking up 34 saves.
Home Sweet Home: East Field has been a daunting venue for opposing teams since the 2014 season, winning 22 of the last 25 on the synthetic surface. The Lutes boast a 71-8-7 record on the artificial turf over the past nine seasons. That includes a 10-0 record in 2021 and a 8-1-1 mark at home last fall.
Highlights from the Road
Check out highlights from the Lutes' big win over George Fox. It was the most goals scored since 1998 with Hannah Cecil netting a hat-trick and Alyssa Leong getting four assists to tie a school single game record that has stood since 1986.
NWC Preseason Coaches' Poll
Bjug Day 2023
October 17-18 is the 10th annual Bjug Day of Giving. Lutes like you are giving to what they love, including LanceLute who has been training for the big day.
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 Match:
Oct. 21 vs. George Fox 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