Oct. 20, 2007

Lutes Keep NWC Title Aspirations Alive With 2-0 Win Over Pacific

Michael Ferguson

Andy Stolz

Box Score

PARKLAND, Wash. – Michael Ferguson scored his 11th goal of the season in the first half and Andy Stolz added a second-half insurance tally as Pacific Lutheran defeated Pacific, 2-0, in a Northwest Conference men’s soccer match played Saturday afternoon at the PLU field.

The Lutes kept their slim Northwest Conference championship aspirations alive with the victory, which gives them a 7-2-1 record in conference matches and a 9-6-1 overall mark. Pacific Lutheran trails Whitworth and Puget Sound and needs help from other teams to pass both of those teams. With the defeat, the visiting Boxers fall to 3-5-2 in conference and to 5-6-2 overall.

Ferguson, a senior forward from Lake Tapps playing his final game on the PLU field, took a bouncing pass from Derek Karamatic and hammered a 12-yard, first-time volley with his left foot past Pacific keeper Chris Grasso and into the net. The goal, which came at 34:19, was the 46th of Ferguson’s stellar PLU career. He has four more matches to score the four goals necessary to eclipse the career record of 49 set by Brian Gardner, who played at PLU from 1986-89.

Ferguson’s tally came after the Lutes had applied steady pressure throughout the first half. At the intermission, PLU held a 7-1 advantage in shots.

The insurance goal by Stolz came at 67:57 after the Boxers failed to clear the ball. Stolz, a junior midfielder, notched his first goal of the season with a blast from the top of the penalty area past Boxers reserve keeper Andrew Stevermer.

The Lutes took 16 shots in the match, forcing a combined five saves from Grasso and Stevermer. Pacific managed six shots in the game, and Michael Iacolucci had two good second-half scoring chances – a header on a corner kick and a 35-yard blast – stopped by PLU keeper Daniel Mangum. The freshman keeper finished with three saves for the Lutes.

Besides Ferguson, other seniors playing their final home matches for the Lutes were defender Brian Lubeck, midfielders Erik Gracey and Thomas Pederson and forwards Adam Ladage and Trevor Jacka.

- PLU -