PARKLAND - Pacific Lutheran moved ahead of Pacific and into
second place in the Northwest Conference men's soccer standings
with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the visiting Boxers on Saturday
afternoon.
With the victory, the Lutes improve their overall record to
12-5-0 and their conference mark to 9-3-0. The Boxers slip to
12-3-2 overall and 8-2-2 in the conference. PLU has 27 points in
the conference standings, one more than the Boxers' total.
Whitworth leads the league with 29 points on a 9-1-2 record.
The Lutes looked to have scored in the first half but a foul was
called on a corner kick that Spencer Augustin flicked into the net.
After a scoreless first half, PLU senior midfielder Jason Bjorgo
scored a pair of goals within a nine-minute time frame to put his
team on top, 2-0. The first goal came at 53:54 when Bjorgo took a
cross from Surafel Wodajo, took a dribble near the top of the
18-yard box, and beat Pacific goalkeeper Andrew Stevermer with a
shot to the lower left corner.
Bjorgo scored his second goal of the game and his fourth of the
season at 62:35 with Wodajo again getting the assist. Bjorgo beat a
defender to Wodajo's cross from the right wing and glanced a header
that slipped through Stevermer's fingers and into the goal.
The visiting Boxers, who up until that point had managed just
three shots in the match, started to mount some pressure on the
Lutes. Pacific's goal came at 68:42 but was not one that they
scored themselves. Travis Birrell beat a PLU defender to the end
line and then sent a cross past PLU keeper Brian Kostol, who
charged out along the end line to challenge Birrell. PLU defender
Brennen Hall tried to clear the ball, but instead knocked it into
his own goal.
Pacific had a couple more shots late in the match, but the Lutes
were able to hang on for the win.
PLU took 14 total shots to seven for the Boxers, and the Lutes
also enjoyed a 9-6 advantage in corner kicks. Stevermer, who had
allowed only five goals all season, was credited with five saves in
the match compared to two for Kostol.
Both teams return to conference action on Sunday, the Lutes
hosting George Fox University at the Washington Premier field on
River Road in Puyallup, and Pacific playing the Puget Sound Loggers
at Baker Stadium.
- PLU -
