PARKLAND - Chad Kearns scored two goals, including the match winner with five seconds remaining in the first overtime, as Pacific Lutheran scuttled Whitworth, 2-1, in a Sunday afternoon battle of unbeaten Northwest Conference men's soccer teams.

With time winding down in the first overtime, Kearns took a centering pass from Spencer Augustin and knocked the ball into the net for the winning goal. Augustin started the play with a dribbling run near the end touch line and he slotted the pass under Whitworth keeper Brian Sherpe to the waiting Kearns. The goal set off a wild celebration as Kearns' teammates piled on top of him near the goal mouth.

Whitworth (5-2-1 overall, 3-1-0 NWC) seemed poised to take the victory in this battle of the only teams who had yet to lose a conference match. After a tightly contested first half that showed the Pirates with a 6-4 shot advantage, the visitors from Spokane took the lead at the 57:26 mark on Matthew Fronk's first goal of the season. Fronk was on the spot to knock the ball past PLU keeper Brian Kostol, with the assist going to Devin Merrill.

A mistake by Sherpe allowed the Lutes (7-2-0, 4-0-0) to tie the score at 71:37. Sherpe came off his line to kick the ball downfield but the ball glanced off his foot, allowing Kearns to race in and knock home a left-footed shot from a sharp angle. That set up the overtime session and Kearns' heroics.

Whitworth, the two-time defending conference champions, ended up with a 20-14 advantage in shots and a 7-5 advantage in corner kicks. Kostol was particularly tough in goal for the Lutes with 10 saves, while Sherpe notched two saves for the Pirates.

Pacific Lutheran plays its next five consecutive conference matches on the road, starting with next Saturday's contest at George Fox in Newberg, Ore.

- PLU -