Setting the Scene: The Lutes finish off their season opening homestand today with a showdown against in-state nemesis Whitman.
Series History: The Lutes and Blues have met 75 times on the pitch with Pacific Lutheran enjoying a comfortable 57-15-3 edge in the all-time series. Whitman swept the season series last fall to snap a six game skid against the Lutes. The Blues won 2-1 in Tacoma on Sept. 25 before winning by an identical score in Walla Walla on Oct. 22.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (1-1-2) enjoys the comforts of home after spending the first four games on the road. The Lutes opened the year with a 2-1 win over Colorado College on Sept. 1 before earning a 2-2 draw with Nebraska Wesleyan two days later.
Last weekend, the Lutes fell short 2-1 to Emory (Ga.) in Salem, Oregon before earning 2-2 tie with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges. Trevor Thompson scored a goal in each game and on Monday was tabbed the NWC Offensive Player of the Week.
Trevor Thompson leads the Lutes in points through the opening four games of the season with five (2 goals and 1 assist). Craig Johnson and Sammy Tafolla both have a pair of goals while Robby Guyer leads the team in assists with two helpers on the young season.
About the Blues: Whitman (0-3-1) heads into the weekend searching for its first win of the season.
The Blues opened the fall by surrendering three goals in the final nine minutes in a 3-2 setback to College of Idaho on Sept. 2 and yielded a goal in the 89th minute on Sept. 7 in a 1-1 draw with Hardin-Simmons (Texas).
Whitman came up short 2-1 to Southwestern (Texas) on Sept. 8 and fell short 3-1 to Trinity (Texas) last Sunday.
Edwin Romero has scored two of Whitman's five goals this season with Sawyer Valero the squad's leader in assists with two.
Bernie Jones is the primary keeper, starting in three of the Blues' four games. Jones has 11 saves on the season with a 2.67 goals against average while Lucas Haigh has six saves in 90 minutes of action this fall.
Home Cooking: East Field has been a daunting place for opponents to play since the 2015 season with the Lutes holding a 50-15-7 advantage in games played on campus. That includes a 25-7-3 mark over the past three seasons. Last fall the Lutes were 10-1 on the home turf.
NWC Preseason Coaches' Poll
Summer Lutes
PLU men's soccer student-athlete Elijah Singleton had a busy summer serving as an intern in a lab at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center. Learn more about his daily routine in the video below.
5th Year Lutes
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. 8 vs. Willamette at 2:30 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