SPOKANE, Wash. - Nic Shaw's goal off of Cameron Bushey's corner kick in the 62nd minute proved to be the match winner as Whitworth held off visiting Pacific Lutheran, 4-3, in a Northwest Conference men's soccer match played on Sunday afternoon at the Whitworth Soccer Field.

The Pirates (5-2-1 overall, 2-1-1 NWC) twice took two-goal leads against the Lutes (3-5-1, 2-2), only to see PLU answer within a minute with a goal of its own.

Kekoa Mountcastle and Dion Coxe scored goals in the first 16 minutes of the match to give Whitworth a 2-0 lead, but before the large crowd could catch its breath, PLU's Surafel Wodajo quickly set up for a kick from the left side. It traveled across the box as both Whitworth keeper Brian Sherpe and a defender lost their balance. Brendan Cohen sent the ball back into Chad Kearns, who was wide open at point-blank range to pull the Lutes back within 2-1 in the 17th minute. It was Kearns' NWC-leading ninth goal of the season.

From there the defenses settled down over the final 28 minutes of the half and Whitworth went into halftime with a 2-1 lead.

Just over 10 minutes into the second half, Kearns caused PLU's match-tying tally, though he won't get credit in the stats. He hustled to track down a ball near the left corner and sent a hard cross toward the front of the Pirate goal. Miscommunication between Sherpe and his defenders led to an own goal as the ball ricocheted off a Pirate into the net.

However it was Whitworth's turn to answer quickly. Only 23 seconds later Meyer beat a defender in the box and sent a short cross to a wide open Devin Merrill, who headed the ball past Kostol to put the Pirates back on top.

Shaw scored the match winner when he took Bushey's corner at the near side of the penalty box and redirected it toward the inside of the left post.

And then for the third time in the match, a team answered a goal with a goal less than a minute later. After taking a cross and going around a defender, Kearns dropped the ball back to a wide open Wodajo, who beat Sherpe to the far post and pulling PLU back within 4-3 with still almost 30 minutes to play.

But then the offenses would dry up one more time and neither team scored again.

The Pirates finished the match with a 14-9 edge in shots, including a 6-4 advantage in shots on goal. Whitworth took nine corner kicks to PLU's four.

(Courtesy of Whitworth Sports Information Office.)