PUYALLUP - Pacific Lutheran scored all three of its goals in the
second half on the way to an important 3-1 Northwest Conference
men's soccer win over the visiting George Fox Bruins at the
Washington Premier soccer field.
With the victory, the Lutes, 13-5-0 overall, stay in second
place in the Northwest Conference standings with 30 points on a
10-3-0 overall record. Whitworth defeated Linfield on Sunday, 4-1,
and remains in first place with 32 points on a 10-1-2 record. Both
teams finish their regular seasons at home next Saturday, the
Lutes playing Puget Sound and the Pirates hosting Whitman.
PLU controlled most of the play in the first half and built up a
10-2 advantage in shots, but it managed just one shot on goal
against George Fox goalkeeper Jack Maguire during that time. The
Bruins, meanwhile, managed just two shots.
After shooting often with little accuracy in the opening half,
the Lutes drilled home their first three efforts of the second
period. The scoring started in the 49th minute when Jason Bjorgo
hammered in a drive from near the top of the box after Andy Hyres'
free kick was fisted down by Hartmann. The goal was the fifth of
the season and the third in two matches for Bjorgo.
The next two Pacific Lutheran goals were nearly carbon copies of
one another. The first came in the 52nd minute when Derek MacLean
hit a long free kick into the box where it was headed on by Chad
Kearns. Shane Gutierrez, making a run through the box, put a
one-touch shot past Maguire to make it 2-0, giving the freshman
midfielder his first collegiate goal. After a Bruins goal made it
2-1, the Lutes capped the scoring in the 63rd minute. MacLean's
long free kick found the head of Lance Davis, who flicked it to the
left for Spencer Augustin to one-time into the net. The score was
Augustin's ninth of the season, tying him with Kearns for team-high
honors.
After a sluggish offensive first half, George Fox was rewarded
for its hard work and ball possession with a goal in the 58th
minute. Kyle Story's corner kick to the near post was met by Brian
Story, who left Lutes keeper Kit Deming with no chance.
Deming, getting his first start in place of the injured Brian
Kostol, finished the match with two saves, and his defense bailed
him out another time with a clearance off of the line. Maguire also
had two saves and benefitted from a defensive stop of a potential
PLU goal.
The Lutes ended the game with a 15-9 advantage in shots, while
the Bruins came out ahead in the corner kick department, 3-2.
- PLU -
