Setting the Scene: The reigning Northwest Conference Champion Lutes return home after a three-game road swing with a chance to seize possession of first place in the conference standings. The Lutes sit in second place, two points behind league leader and today's opponent Whitman College.
Series History: The instate rivals have met 77 times on the pitch since 1980 with the Lutes enjoying a 59-15-3 advantage in the all-time series.
Pacific Lutheran outscored the Blues 9-1 over the two games played last fall with the Lutes slamming Whitman 6-0 at East Field on Sept. 17 while earning a 3-1 win on Oct. 15 in Walla Walla, Washington.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (6-1-3, 4-0-2 NWC) returns home having won three straight games and is unbeaten in its last nine matches.
PLU outscored its three opponents by a combined 11-1 scoreline in its most recent road swing. That included a 4-1 victory over Lewis & Clark on Sept. 28 and a pair of shutouts over George Fox (3-0) and Pacific (4-0) last weekend.
Craig Johnson was on fire during the road trip, scoring four goals and assisting on another to shatter the school record for career points. Johnson's 46 goals and 29 assists over the past five seasons gives the Puyallup, Washington native 121 total points. Eddie Na (2014-2017) previously held the school record with 120 points over his four years on campus.
Trevor Thompson leads the team in both goals (nine) and points (22) while Johnson is second in both categories with five goals and 14 total points. Connor O'Brien is tied with Thompson and Johnson for the team lead in assists with four this fall.
12 different Lutes have scored a goal this fall while 15 total players have registered a point. PLU has outscored its opponents by a 27-10 margin this fall.
Nicholas Gaston has been a consistent presence between the posts, logging 873 of the team's 900 minutes played this fall. The senior boasts a 1.03 goals against average and 30 saves on the year and on Monday was named the NWC Defensive Player of the Week.
About the Blues: Whitman (8-1-1, 5-0-1 NWC) heads to Tacoma riding a four-game win streak and is unbeaten in its last eight games (7-0-1).
The Blues have earned shutouts in two of its last three games, blanking Linfield 4-0 on the road on Sept. 28 before downing Willamette 2-0 last Saturday. On Sunday, the Blues scored two goals in the opening 10 minutes of play in a 3-1 victory over the Pioneers, outshooting the visitors 19-2 on the day.
Nine different Blues have found the back of the net this season with Jacob Burrill leading the way with nine goals and 21 points in just eight games played. Sawyer Valero has six goals and four assists while Zachary Stonier had a team-leading five assists.
Whitman has utilized three different keepers this fall with Lucas Haigh the leader in minutes played (450), goals against average (1.00), wins (five), and saves (14). Niclas Isensee has a 1.71 GAA in 315 minutes of work while Tait Whittemore has seen 135 minutes between the posts.
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 60-15-9 advantage in games played on campus. That includes a 33-7-5 mark over the past five seasons. Last fall the Lutes were a perfect 8-0 on the home turf and are 20-1-1 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 Home Match:
Oct. 13 vs. Whitworth 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