Setting the Scene: The reigning seven-time Northwest Conference Champion Lutes wrap up their weekend homestand today, welcoming in-state rival Whitworth to East Field.
Series History: The Lutes and Pirates have met 68 times since the series began in 1989 with PLU holding a 32-29-7 edge in the all-time series.
PLU has dominated the series recently, winning nine straight and going unbeaten (12-0-1) in the last 13 encounters. The Lutes have outgunned the Pirates 24-3 in those 13 meetings, including posting a 3-2 victory in Spokane last fall and a 2-0 win at East Field.
About the Lutes: 25th-ranked Pacific Lutheran (6-1-3, 5-0-1 NWC) sits atop the league standings, outscoring its first six opponents by a combined 14-3 scoreline. That includes clean sheets in four of the six games.
Last weekend, the Lutes hammered George Fox 4-1 on Saturday before slipping past Pacific 2-0 on Sunday afternoon. Hannah Cecil scored twice in the victory over George Fox, one of five Lutes to score over the weekend in Oregon.
Defensively, the Lutes limited its two opponents to just nine total shots and only four shots on goal. Katelyn McDougal played in 174 of the 180 minutes over the weekend and on Monday was tabbed the NWC Defensive Player of the Week.
Nine Lutes have scored a goal this season while 12 total PLU players have tallied a point through the opening 10 games of the year. Julia Causbie leads the team in both assists (six) and points (14) while Hannah Cecil is the leading goalscorer with five goals in 2024. Four other Lutes have scored at least twice.
Abby Winkler has spent all but nine minutes in goal this season, boasting a 1.01 goals against average with four shutouts and 47 saves on the year.
About the Pirates: Whitworth (5-3-1, 3-2-1 NWC) experienced mixed results last weekend at home in Spokane. The Pirates extend out a 1-0 victory over Lewis & Clark on Saturday, getting a goal from Yacine Bitibale in the 11th minute but came out empty-handed the following day against Willamette, stumbling 3-0.
Offense has been tough to come back for the Pirates, with seven of the squad's 11 goals coming in the first two games of the year. Since then, Whitworth hasn't had a multiple goal game and has mustered just one goal over the past three games heading into the weekend.
Luckily for the Pirates, their defense has been up to the task, posting shutouts in five of the nine games this fall.
Kylee Russell is the Pirates' leading scorer with four goals on the season while Yacina Bitibale has three game winning goals. Bayles Trajo leads the team in assists with three on the season.
Whitworth has utilized three goalkeepers this fall with Paige Broadrick seeing the most action with 460 minutes in net and six starts. Broadrick has a 0.59 goals against average and 11 saves on the year, including four shutouts. Anna Boyer has logged 315 minutes between the posts with a 0.86 GAA and 11 saves.
Home Sweet Home: East Field has been a daunting venue for opposing teams since the 2014 season, winning 26 of the last 33 on the synthetic surface. The Lutes boast a 78-9-10 record on the artificial turf over the past 10 seasons. That includes a 10-0 record in 2021 and a 8-1-1 mark at home in 2022.
Weekend Highlights from Around Luteville
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. 27 vs. Lewis & Clark 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