Setting the Scene: The Pacific Lutheran University women's lacrosse team is fresh off a road win over crosstown rival University of Puget Sound and will cap off the week at home, welcoming Lewis & Clark College to East Field to open a three-game homestand.
Series History: The Lutes and River Otters have met three times since the series began last year. Lewis & Clark swept the series in 2025, prevailing 19-2 in a non-league game and 19-1 in a conference matchup while also taking a non-conference meeting 22-0 earlier this year on March 15.
About the Lutes: The Lutes (3-8, 12- NWC) opened up Northwest Conference play over the weekend in Oregon before picking up the program’s first ever conference win on Wednesday with an 11-7 victory over crosstown nemesis University of Puget Sound. The Lutes pulled away in the second half to cut down the Loggers, outscoring the hosts 7-1 in the second half, including scoring all four goals in the third quarter. Six different Lutes found the back of the net with Paige Hackman leading the way with a hat trick while Issabella Marchio, Peyton Terhar, and Taylee Alldredge all scored a pair of goals.
Kassie Diller turned away six shots while defensively, the Lutes had 22 ground balls. In addition to being the squad’s first ever NWC win, it was also the young program’s first ever road win. The victory came after opening the conference slate with an 18-4 setback to Linfield University and falling 20-1 to Willamette University.
Taylee Alldredge is PLU's leading scorer with 14 goals and 16 points. She leads the team despite having missed two of PLU's 11 games. Issabella Marchio is second in scoring with 11 goals and three assists while Paige Hackman provides eight goals and a team-best five assists.
Gracie Cecka leads the defense with 42 ground balls while Hackman is the team leader in caused turnovers with 20.
Kassie Diller has played every minute of every game since the Lutes became a varsity program last spring. The junior has 90 saves this season and a 14.09 goals against average.
About the River Otters: Lewis & Clark (6-4, 1-0 NWC) is off to a fast start in 2026, winning its opening four games of the season and beginning NWC play last week with a 12-11 thriller over Willamette University.
The win over Willamette, busted Lewis & Clark out of a three game funk that saw the River Otters drop games against a trio of Ohio schools in Baldwin Wallace University (15-10), John Carroll University (19-5), and Oberlin College (11-10).
Against Willamette, Finley Allen was the late game hero, scoring off a pass from Kate Meinhard with 17 seconds left to break the 11-11 deadlock.
Ala Cross has been a scoring machine for the River Otters with 31 goals and 26 assists through the first 10 games of the season. Ariana Gonzales adds 21 goals and 19 helpers while Sage Swegle offers 25 goals and four assists. All told, six total River Otters have at least 10 goals this spring.
Phoebe Labuhn has seen the most action in goal this season for Lewis & Clark with 34 saves in 252 minutes of action. Kaitlin McRae has seen almost as much time as Labuhn, racking up 22 saves in 249 minutes of work.
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:
April 17 vs. Pacific at 5 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