Setting the Scene: The two-time reigning Northwest Conference Champion Lutes return home as one of two remaining unbeaten teams in league action as they host Pacific University at East Field.
Series History: The Lutes and Boxers have met 76 times since the 1980 campaign with PLU holding a 57-14-5 advantage in the all-time series.
PLU has been simply dominant since 2017, owning a 13-0-1 mark against the Boxers. That includes picking up a 3-1 victory last fall over Pacific on East Field and prevailing 4-0 in Forest Grove, Oregon.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran's (4-3-1, 3-0-1 NWC) heads into the weekend riding a five-game unbeaten run. The Lutes' recently success started with a 2-1 victory over University of California-Santa Cruz in the non-conference finale before the Lutes hammered their opening three NWC opponents, netting 3-0 wins over both George Fox University and Lewis & Clark College and collecting a 4-0 shutout victory against the University of Puget Sound.
PLU continued to pile on the goals last Saturday, earning a 3-3 road draw with Willamette University. PLU led 2-1 off a Connor O'Brien goal in the 67th minute but the Bearcats tied the game less than a minute later. O'Brien had his second goal of the day in the 73rd minute to once again give the Lutes a lead but Willamette scored just over three minutes later to secure the tie.
Connor O'Brien is the Lutes leader in goals (four), assists (four), and points (12) through the opening eight games of the season. Owen Bliskis and Ty Brunner both add three goals and one assist while Mike Murega, Landon Sexton, and Misha Turchaninov all have multiple goals during the 2025 season.
Gio Aguilar-Gutierrez has played in each of the last four games, leading the team in saves and boasting a .833 save percentage. Chris Jamrok had made five starts for the Lutes, earning 14 saves. Both keepers have earned NWC Defensive Player of the Week honors with Aguilar-Gutierrez securing the award on Monday and Jamrok receiving the accolade on Sept. 8.
About the Boxers: Pacific (2-4-2, 2-2-1 NWC) snapped a three-game winless streak last Saturday, slipping past host Lewis & Clark College 2-1.
The Boxers opened league play with a 1-0 shutout of Linfield University before tying with George Fox University 101 two days later on Sept. 14. Pacific was shutout in a pair of games in eastern Washington, falling 2-0 to Whitman College and 1-0 to Whitworth University before rebounding with the Lewis & Clark win.
Pacific has struggled offensively this season, generating just five goals in the opening eight games.
Adam Landy leads the team with two of the squad's five goals while seven total Boxers have registered a point this fall.
The Boxers have utilized three different goalkeepers this fall with Kobi Miyamoto seeing the bulk of the minutes, boasting a 0.92 goals against average with 28 saves on the year.
Luteville Highlights
Home Sweet Home
The Lutes have been a tough squad to play at home since the 2017 season, owning a 57-11-8 record at East Field during that stretch. That includes a 19-1-2 record over the past two seasons and a 29-2-2 mark since the 2022 campaign.
NWC Coaches' Poll
This August, the Lutes were picked to defend their crown according to the annual NWC Coaches' Poll. PLU earned 64 points in the poll, owning a 14-point buffer on in-state rival Whitworth University.
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 Match:
Oct. 5 vs. Linfield at 2:45 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