NEWBERG, Ore. – There were scoring chances aplenty with a combined 44 shots between the teams, but in the end Pacific Lutheran and George Fox ended their Friday afternoon Northwest Conference women's soccer match with a 1-1 double-overtime deadlock.
After a scoreless first half in which each team took seven shots, the Lutes broke the knot quickly in the second half, needing just 51 seconds to score. Mimi Granlund dribbled into the box from the right side and sent a perfect cross to Sarah Gamache, who was running toward the left post. Gamache then reversed the ball off the hands of diving Bruin keeper Alyssa Montero and into the right corner for her sixth goal of the season.
PLU nursed that lead for the next 23 minutes until the Bruins got the equalizer at the 78:53 mark. Melanie Gaither secured a loose ball on the right sideline and put a short cross to the feet of Shannon Olson coming down the right lane. Olson one-touched the ball ahead through a pair of PLU defenders for Lela Stockley, who angled a shot that nicked the near post and spun into the net just inside the far post for her second goal of the year.
Montero made two stops thereafter to send the game into overtime, including a diving deflection of a close range shot by Karli Hurlbut with two minutes left. In the two 10-minute overtime periods, George Fox took seven shots and Pacific Lutheran four, with each team just missing a winning goal in the second extra period. Hurlbut sent a shot an inch over the crossbar at 104:48, and Gaither hooked a shot into the crossbar and back onto the field at the 106:08 mark.
George Fox took 25 shots in all, 13 on goal, in the 110 minutes of action, while Pacific Lutheran got off 19 tries, 12 of them on goal. As a result, both goalkeepers had busy days in preserving the tie. Montero made 11 stops for the Bruins and Lauren Chambard turned way 12 shots on behalf of the Lutes.
Prior to today's outcome, the Lutes had been 3-0 in overtime matches this season, twice beating Lewis & Clark and also defeating George Fox.
Pacific Lutheran is now 4-12-1 overall and 3-11-1 in the league. The Lutes, who will finish seventh in the conference standings, conclude their season at noon on Saturday against Linfield College.
George Fox ended its season with an overall record of 2-12-6 and finished eighth in the NWC at 2-10-4. The Bruins set new school records for ties (6) and overtime games (8), and tied the record for most games decided by one goal or a tie (15).
(Courtesy of George Fox Sports Information Office.)
