Lutes and Loggers Battle to Rain-Soaked 1-1 Draw

Erik Gracey - scores PLU goal

Box Score

TACOMA, Wash. - With a combined 33 shots and 20 saves, the Pacific Lutheran Lutes and the 11th-ranked Puget Sound Loggers battled to a 1-1 draw in a Northwest Conference men's soccer game played Wednesday afternoon on Peyton Field at Baker Stadium.

The Lutes (7-5-1, 5-1-1 NWC) took the lead in the 19th minute when Brennan Brown threaded a pass through the Logger defense to Erik Gracey, who finished from just yards out to give Pacific Lutheran a 1-0 halftime lead over the Loggers (10-1-1, 5-1-1 NWC).

In the second half, the Loggers evened things up in the 70th minute when, following a scrum of activity near the Pacific Lutheran net, a Lute defender accidentally tapped the ball across the goal line for an own goal. Neither team was able to put a ball into the goal during the remaining 20 minutes of regulation and the 20 minutes of overtime, though both had several good chances. The Lutes forced Puget Sound all-conference goalkeeper Pete Van Sant to make several leaping saves, and the Loggers also had several good chances that were stopped by PLU freshman keeper Daniel Mangum. Van Sant made nine saves in the 110-minute contest while Magum finished with 11 saves.

After getting off only two shots in the first half compared to five by the hosts, PLU hammered 11 shots in the second half. The Lutes ended up with a 17-16 advantage in that category, and both teams had seven corner kicks in the contest.

The entire second half and overtime was played in rain, often heavy, and the field began to puddle, limiting both teams offensively.

Pacific Lutheran returns to Northwest Conference action on Sunday when it travels to Newberg, Ore., to face the George Fox Bruins. Next Wednesday, the Lutes will host the Loggers in a match scheduled to kick off at 3:30 p.m.

(Courtesy of UPS Sports Information Office)