Setting the Scene: The reigning Northwest Conference Champion Lutes begin their title defense today, welcoming Oregon rival Willamette to East Field in the second of four straight home games.
Series History: Pacific Lutheran and Willamette have battled 73 times on the soccer pitch with the series slanted 41-27-5 in favor of PLU.
The two teams split the season series last fall, each winning on their home field. PLU smashed Willamette 4-0 at East Field on Oct. 8, piling on four goals in the final 40 minutes, including a pair of strikes from Owen Bliskis. The Bearcats earned revenge on Nov. 4, scoring a late goal in the 85th minute to steal the 2-1 victory.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (2-1-1) closes its non-conference slate on a high note, securing a pair of wins last weekend.
The Lutes conceded an own goal just before halftime last Friday against reigning Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Champion Calvin College but needed just 27 seconds in the second half to equalize the score, courtesy of a goal from Trevor Thompson.
Thompson wasn't finished, scoring in the 49th minute off a feed from Misha Turchaninov to secure the 2-1 victory.
Two days later, undefeated Warner Pacific struck first with a goal in the 13th minute. PLU regrouped at halftime with Craig Johnson converting a penalty kick early in the second half before Thompson netted the game winner on a Johnson assist in the 64th minute. Yuta Shimazu capped off the day with an insurance goal in the 87th minute off a feed from Thompson.
All-Star Attaways: On Monday the Lutes earned a sweep of the NWC Weekly Awards with Trevor Thompson snagging NWC Offensive Player of the Week and Nicholas Gaston securing NWC Defensive Player of the Week.
Thompson secured the honor after finishing the weekend with three goals and an assist, including both game-winners from the weekend. The Olympia, Washington native has been on a tear this fall, scoring in every game this season. With six goals on the season, Thompson ranks second in all of NCAA Division III in goals per game and is third in points per game.
Nicholas Gaston lands the Defensive Honor after playing all 180 minutes in goal for the Lutes and making eight saves. The Mililani, Hawaii native made four saves on Friday and four more on Sunday. Sunday's game additionally saw the senior shatter the school record for minutes played by a goalkeeper. Gaston has now logged 6,087 minutes between the posts over the past five seasons.
About the Bearcats: Willamette (1-3-1, 1-0 NWC) had a rocky non-conference slate but opened NWC action with a bang on Wednesday, netting a 2-0 victory at home against Lewis & Clark College.
The Bearcats scored a goal in each half with Matt Chase scoring in the 42nd minute and doing it again in the 57th minute. Willamette played stout defense throughout, allowing just three shots on goal all day as Ibrahm Garza netted the clean sheet.
Willamette's non-league schedule included a 2-2 tie against California-Santa Cruz along with setbacks to California Lutheran University (2-1), Occidental College (4-1), and Calvin College (1-0).
Sean Kim leads the Bearcat offense in both goals (two) and points (five) while Matt Chase is tied for the team lead in goals with two. Tiago Palhetas has been the main distributor, netting three assists in the opening five games.
Ibrahm Garza has logged the most minutes in goal, starting four of the Bearcats' five games this season with a 1.43 goals against average and nine saves.
Home Cooking: East Field has been a daunting place for opponents to play since the 2015 season with the Lutes holding a 59-15-7 advantage in games played on campus. That includes a 32-7-3 mark over the past five seasons. Last fall the Lutes were a perfect 8-0 on the home turf and are 19-1 at home over the past three seasons.
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:
Sept. 22 vs. Linfield 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