Nov. 3, 2007

Willamette and Noelke Do It Again to Lutes, 1-0

Box Score

SALEM, ORE. - If there is one "automatic" on Pacific Lutheran's all-opponent team, it would have to be Willamette's Michelle Noelke. The freshman forward from Edmonds, Wash., scored her third goal of the season about 10 minutes into the game as the Bearcats defeated the Lutes, 1-0, in a Northwest Conference women's soccer match played Saturday afternoon.

PLU lost a pair of 1-0 decisions to Willamette this season, and Noelke scored the winning goal in both matches. In addition, Bearcats goalkeeper Kelli Gano and her defense kept Pacific Lutheran off the scoreboard for the second time this season. Gano, another freshman on the young Willamette team, registered her sixth shutout to finish the year with a 0.89 goals against average.

Willamette concluded its season at 8-9-2 overall, including 7-7-2 in the Northwest Conference, good for fifth place.. Pacific Lutheran ended the year at 5-13-2, 4-11-1 in the NWC, and in seventh place.

In Saturday's rematch, Noelke hit the net at 10:11 on a shot from 12 yards out near the right post. She placed the shot into the lower left corner of the goal, beating PLU goalkeeper Amanda Tschauner. Alex Batzer earned an assist on the play.

Pacific Lutheran achieved a 15-9 margin in total shots and ended the game with a 5-3 advantage in shots on goal. The Lutes were awarded three corner kicks while the Bearcats credited with two corner kicks.

Gano earned five saves during the match, including three in the second half. PLU had a couple of quality chances, but one shot hit the side netting and another slid across the goal mouth following a deflection. Tschauner made two saves for PLU.

- PLU -