Nov. 5, 2007

WOMEN’S SOCCER: Lutes Finish 2007 Season With Split

LUTES BEAT LINFIELD: Pacific Lutheran lost a tough 1-0 overtime decision to the Linfield Wildcats during the first half of Northwest Conference play, and the Lutes weren’t about to let that happen again. PLU jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, taking a 5-3 win. Junior midfielder Lauren Northcutt got the high-scoring affair going 13 minutes into the match, tallying her first goal of the season. She was quickly followed up by a Christina McDuffie header into the left side of the net off a Melissa Buitrago assist, giving the Lutes a 2-0 advantage at the 19 minute mark. The goal was the third of the season for McDuffie, a junior forward. Leading 2-1 at halftime, PLU put some distance between it and Linfield with two scores in the first 12 minutes of the half. Sophomore midfielder Jill Trumbull and sophomore forward Monica Beard gave the Lutes a 4-1 lead that proved too much for the ‘Cats to overcome. Trumbull's goal was her second of the season and Beard's was her fourth, tying her with Buitrago for most by an individual PLU player this season. Freshman forward Brittney Bronson crushed all Linfield hopes of a late comeback with her third goal of the season. She also had an assist in the contest.

SHE DID IT AGAIN: 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 season finale for both teams played last Saturday in Salem, Ore. 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. 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.

FINAL COUNT: Pacific Lutheran ended the year at 5-13-2, including a 4-11-1 record in the NWC, good for seventh place. PLU tied one team record, though inauspicious - most consecutive games without a win. The Lutes had a six-match winless streak that included five losses (two of them in overtime) and a tie. The 2001 and 2002 teams both had six-match losing streaks.

LUTES BY THE NUMBERS: As a team, the Lutes finished the season with 25 goals while allowing 35 in their 20 matches. A total of 12 different players have scored goals for the Lutes, led by Melissa Buitrago and Monica Beard with four each. Those two players also led the Lutes in assists with three apiece. Goalkeeper Amanda Tschauner finished the season with 111 saves and a 1.67 goals against average.

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