Setting the Scene: The Pacific Lutheran University women's lacrosse team closes out its home slate and honors the 2026 senior class today prior to a clash against Northwest Conference rival George Fox University.
Series History: This is just the second all-time meeting between the Lutes and Bruins. The two squads first met last year on April 19 in Newberg, Oregon with the Bruins downing the upstart Lutes 22-1.
About the Lutes: The Lutes (3-9, 1-3 NWC) split a pair of league games last week in Tacoma. Pacific Lutheran began the week last Wednesday, scoring its first NWC win and first road win in program history, taking down University of Puget Sound 11-7 at Baker Stadium.
PLU seized control in the second half, outscoring the host Loggers 7-1. Six different Lutes scored goals with Paige Hackman scoring three and Issabella Marchio, Peyton Terhar, and Taylee Alldredge all netting a pair of goals.
Kassie Diller turned away six shots in the win and on Saturday made a season-high 15 saves in a 22-3 setback to Lewis & Clark College, eclipsing the 100 save threshold for the second consecutive year.
The River Otters seized control early in the game, scoring the first seven goals and eight of the nine tallied in the opening quarter. PLU's three goals came from three different players, getting points from Marchio, Terhar, and Katrina Moran.
Taylee Alldredge continues to lead the offense with 14 goals and 16 total points despite missing two games. Issabella Marchio has 12 goals and three assists with Paige Hackman leading the team in ground balls (45), caused turnovers (21) and assists (five) while sitting third in goals with five.
Gracie Cecka has 43 ground balls and 19 caused turnovers along with 32 draw controls.
Kassie Diller has played every minute of every game since the Lutes became a varsity program last spring. The junior has 105 saves this season and a 14.98 goals against average.
About the Bruins:Â Preseason favorites, George Fox (10-3, 4-0 NWC) rolls into Tacoma sitting atop the conference standings and riding a five game win streak.
The Bruins' fell 14-11 to Sewanee: The University of the South on March 24 but have been unstoppable since, wrapping up their tour out east with a 20-3 thrashing of Kentucky based Spalding University. George Fox has been on a roll since returning to the Pacific Northwest, edging Whitman College 13-12 on April 3 before escaping Whitworth University 15-12 the following day. Last weekend the Bruins unloaded on Pacific University 20-2 before once again escaping with a one-goal win with an 8-7 decision over Willamette University.
Lana Davis is a scoring machine for George Fox with 53 goals and 33 assists in 13 games this season while also leading the team in ground balls (37), draw controls (87), and caused turnovers (32).
Ava Bloom has 32 goals and 23 assists with Merrick Gibson and Sasha Thayer adding 27 and 20 goals, respectively.
GFU has seen two goalies get action this spring. Gabrielle McClung leads the way with 421 minutes played, 53 saves, and a 7.42 goals against average. Kat Elliott has played 360 minutes in net with 48 saves.
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.
Thank you Seniors!
PLU would like to thank the 2026 seniors— the program's second ever graduating class for the hard work they've put into the program. Starting off on the club team, they've contributed to several milestones including PLU's first ever win, PLU's first ever road win, and the Lutes' first ever conference victory.
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 Game:
April 25 at Whitman in Walla Walla, Wash. (1 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