Setting the Scene: The Northwest Conference title could come down to today with first place Pacific Lutheran hosting second place George Fox University at East Field on Senior Day.
Series History: The Lutes have absolutely dominated the Bruins since the series began during the 1990 season, enjoying a 51-9-1 record against the Oregon rivals. That includes a current 28-match winning streak that dates back to the 2009 campaign.
This year's seniors have collected seven wins over George Fox by a combined 35-1 scoreline. That includes a 3-0 victory back on Oct. 5 that saw Connor O'Brien, Quinn Bieber, and Craig Johnson all score goals.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (10-1-5, 8-0-4 NWC) remains atop the conference standings, heading into the weekend with a 15-game unbeaten streak.
The Lutes put on a clinic last Sunday, blowing away Lewis & Clark College 8-0 with both Craig Johnson and Trevor Thompson netting hat-tricks.
Five of PLU's eight goals came in the first half with Thompson scoring in both the sixth and 25th minute. Johnson scored in the 42nd minute with Quinn Bieber striking the back of the net just seconds later. Johnson added his second of the half just under a minute after that and capped his hat trick in the 48th minute, shattering the school record for career goals in the process.
Mattias Anderson scored his first goal in the 56th minute with Thompson's third coming in the 57th minute.
Trevor Thompson leads PLU in goals (17), assists (nine), and points (43) and sits just four goals shy of tying the single season scoring mark of 21 that has stood since the 1981 season. Craig Johnson has 10 goals and nine assists while a total of 20 Lutes have registered a point this fall.
Nicholas Gaston is the Lutes' primary keeper, boasting three shutouts with 53 saves and a 0.94 goals against average.
As a team, PLU sits 10th in all of NCAA Division III (407 teams ranked) in goal differential with a +35 difference this fall, 12th in scoring offense (3.06), and 16th in total goals (49).
About the Boxers:George Fox (12-3-1, 8-3-1 NWC) heads into the weekend having won six of its last seven games. Last weekend the Bruins split their games, falling 4-2 at home to Willamette University before rebounding with a 1-0 victory over Pacific University the following day. Eugene Peltier provided the lone goal of the day in the win over the Boxers, scoring in the 77th minute off a feed from Connor Kong.
George Fox has outscored its opponents 40-15 over the 16 games this season, with 14 different Bruins scoring goals this fall.
Connor Kong leads the team in goals (seven), assists (six), and points (20). Isaac Williams is tied with Kong with seven goals and has 16 points while Harrison Emert has five goals in 2024.
Justin Huttinger is the Bruin goalkeeper, making 68 saves on the year with a 0.99 goals against average.
Record Book Watch: Three Lutes have or are close to school records. Craig Johnson owns the school record for points (137) and goals (51) and is third in career assists (35).
Trevor Thompson sits third in goals (49) while lurking second in points (128) and fourth in assists (30).
Goalkeeper Nicholas Gaston is the third Lute chasing the record books. With 6,846 minutes played he already holds the school record for minutes played by a goalkeeper. He additionally sits second in school history in both saves (266) and shutouts (22).
Thank You Seniors!
This year's seniors have won two NWC titles, made two NCAA tournament appearances, and own a 56-13-11 overall record over the past four seasons. That includes a 43-7-6 mark in NWC play and a 30-4-3 record in home games.
Weekend Highlights from Around Luteville
Home Cooking: East Field has been a daunting place for opponents to play since the 2015 season with the Lutes holding a 63-15-9 advantage in games played on campus. That includes a 36-7-5 mark over the past five seasons. Last fall the Lutes were a perfect 8-0 on the home turf and are 22-1-1 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 Match:
Nov. 9 at Whitworth at 11 a.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