Oct. 18, 2006

MEN’S SOCCER: Lutes Versus Loggers, Round Two

THIS WEEK: PLU hosts Puget Sound at Mt. Tahoma High School, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.; PLU hosts George Fox, Saturday, 2:30 p.m.

LUTES VS. LOGGERS, ROUND TWO: Today, Pacific Lutheran hosts the Puget Sound Loggers in a match with potential conference championship and national playoff ramifications. A look at the conference standings shows the Loggers in second place with 17 points from eight matches, while the Lutes are one point back from the same number of contests. Just one week ago the teams played to a 1-1 draw at Baker Stadium on the UPS campus. In that contest, the Loggers scored in the eighth minute on Mark Conrad’s goal. The Lutes knotted the score in the 29th minute on a perfectly placed free kick by freshman forward Baard Asker (Oslo, Norway / Wang). Both teams had chances to win the game with the Loggers missing a penalty kick late in regulation and the Lutes appealing for and not getting a hand ball call in the box against UPS late in the second half.

MATCH SPONSOR: Gilchrist Chevrolet, a supporter of the PLU soccer programs, sponsors Wednesday’s match pitting the Lutes and the Loggers.

LUTES BACK AT IT ON SATURDAY: Pacific Lutheran returns to Northwest Conference action this Saturday, hosting the George Fox Bruins. Kickoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. at the PLU soccer field. The Lutes defeated the Bruins, 4-0, in a conference match played September 23 in Newberg, Ore.

PLU BEATS PACIFIC: Pacific Lutheran put an end to Pacific's three-game win streak and ended the Boxers' six-game home win streak last Sunday as the Lutes took a 2-1 victory in Forest Grove, Ore. The victory not only completed a sweep of the season series for the Lutes, it ended Pacific's perfect record at home. The Boxers entered the game 6-0-0 this season at Tom Reynolds Field. The Lutes out-shot the Boxers, 25-4, and had 13 corner kicks to just one for the hosts. Pacific goalkeeper Jory Shene was forced to make 12 saves. After Pacific took a 1-0 lead, junior forward Mike Ferguson (Sumner, Wash. / Auburn Riverside HS) hit the equalizer for PLU in the 38th minute, finding the left corner from Erik Gracey's (Maple Valley, Wash. / Tahoma HS) cross. Ferguson's goal was his ninth of the season, giving him the team lead in that category. The game winning goal came in the 70th minute from freshman defender Derek MacLean (Seattle, Wash. / Kennedy HS) when he headed in a free kick sent into the box by sophomore defender Trevor McDonald (University Place, Wash. / Curtis HS). For MacLean it was goal number three this season and his second in three matches.

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