Setting the Scene: The first-place Lutes continue their five-game homestand today, welcoming Oregon rival Linfield to East Field.
Series History: Pacific Lutheran and Linfield are meeting for the 78th time since the series began in 1981. The Lutes enjoy a 51-23-3 advantage in the all-time series, including winning the last five meetings by a combined 16-2 scoreline.
The two teams last met on Sept. 24 in McMinnville with the Lutes coming away with a 3-0 win, getting goals from Julia Causbie, Alyssa Leong, and Meghan Michels.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (10-3-1, 8-2 NWC) split a pair of games in eastern Washington last weekend, a result that still keeps the Lutes in first place in the conference standings.
PLU nipped Whitworth 3-2 last Saturday for the program's seventh consecutive win. Alyssa Leong tallied the eventual game-winner in the 63rd minute while Lily Dose and Julia Causbie also scored in the win to sweep the season series.
The following day, the Lutes outshot the Blues 15-8 but in the end it was Whitman that pulled away with the win, scoring in the 78th minute for a 1-0 victory in Walla Walla, Washington. It snapped PLU's seven game win streak and was the Lutes' second setback to Whitman this fall.
Hannah Cecil ranks 22nd nationally and leads the NWC in goals per game (1.00) while ranking 32nd nationally and 1st in the conference in total goals (12). Abby Winkler ranks 24th in the nation in shutouts with six while ranking first in the NWC in minutes played (1,201) and sitting second in the NWC in save percentage (0.857) and goals against average (0.674).
About the Wildcats: Linfield (5-3-6, 3-2-5 NWC) heads into the weekend, unbeaten in its last six games (2-0-4).
The Wildcats were blanked 3-0 by the Lutes back on Sept. 24 but have not lost since, posting ties against Whitman (0-0 on Sept. 30), Puget Sound (2-2 on Oct. 7), Willamette (2-2 on Oct. 11), and George Fox (0-0 on Oct. 14) while searching a 2-1 win over Whitworth on Oct. 1 and a 1-0 victory over Pacific on Oct. 8.
Anna Dazey is the Wildcat's leading scorer with seven goals on the season. Riley Omonaka adds four goals while three more Linfield field players have multiple goals on the year. Mia Curtaz leads the team in assists with four helpers on the year.
Emilee Miller is Linfield's primary goalkeeper, logging 50 saves this fall with a 1.34 goals against average.
Home Sweet Home: East Field has been a daunting venue for opposing teams since the 2014 season, winning 23 of the last 26 on the synthetic surface. The Lutes boast a 72-8-7 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.
Women's Soccer Tackling Mental Health
PLU women's soccer student-athletes Julia Causbie and Kayden Hulquist have taken the initiative to raise awareness for mental health, organizing an official chapter of The Hidden Opponent (THO) on campus. Learn more in the above video.
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.
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. 28 vs. Pacific 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