Pacific Lutheran's Season Ends in the Oregon Rain

(Courtesy Linfield Sports Information Office)

Match Statistics

McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Nick Jauregui scored on a four-yard rebound header 4:35 into overtime to give Linfield a 1-0 victory over Pacific Lutheran on Saturday in the rain-drenched final game of the Northwest Conference’s men’s soccer season.

Jauregui put back a shot by Mike Grabast that was deflected by PLU goalkeeper Andrew Croft for the golden goal.

Linfield secured its eighth straight winning season with final won-lost records of 7-5-2 in the conference and 10-6-2 overall. PLU saw its slim hopes for a NCAA Division III playoff berth washed away in the Oregon rain. The Lutes finished 9-4-1 in conference, good enough for third place, and 12-6-1 overall.

It was a slip-sliding, energetic game with heavy rain and brisk wind battering the players and 123 brave fans most of the time.

PLU led in shots, 22-13, and in shots on goal, 9-7, and seemed to be constantly threatening in the second half. Linfield scored on its first good opportunity of the sudden-victory overtime.

PLU led 13-5 in second-half shots and many tested the Wildcats, starting with a diving stop by goalkeeper Grant Williams on a shot by Mike Ferguson, the Lutes’ go-to gunner, in the 12th minute.

In the 20th minute of the second half, a PLU defender blocked a six-yard header by Linfield’s Josh Robinson. Robinson had another good opportunity in the 27th minute but kicked wide from 10 yards.

But the rest of the second half belong to the Lutes, including an 8-4 lead in corner kicks. Williams deflected a close shot by Derek MacLean in the 29th minute and an eight-yard one-touch bullet by Erik Gracey three minutes after that.

PLU’s Croft came out to block an eight-yarder by the Wildcats’ Travis Isaacs with 10 minutes left and Ferguson launched a 10-yarder far over the goal a minute later.

With 3:30 left, Williams blocked a shot by Ferguson and it rolled tantalizingly along the goal line, inviting a tap-in score, before a Wildcat defender slid through the mud and kicked it out of play.

Williams was tested again with just under two minutes left, smothering a seven-yard, one-touch kick by Derek Karamatic that had rolled through the legs of defender Joe Murray.

The closest thing to a goal in the first half was Ferguson’s try to the upper-left corner that Williams deflected past the end line.

Ferguson and PLU’s Baard Asker led both teams in shots with six each.

Williams had six saves and Croft finished with five.