SPOKANE – Whitworth scored three first-half goals as the Pirates handed the 20th-ranked Pacific Lutheran men's soccer team its third consecutive defeat, 4-1, Sunday afternoon in Northwest Conference action.

Pacific Lutheran falls to 9-3-3 overall and 4-3-2 in conference play, while the defending conference champion Pirates improve to 8-3-2 overall and 6-2-1 in the NWC. The Lutes head to Oregon next weekend for the final road trip of the season, taking on Willamette on Saturday and Linfield on Sunday.

Sam Selisch's unassisted goal put the Pirates up on top in the third minute, and Balin Larson's penalty kick goal in the 24th minute made it 2-0. Whitworth's third goal came on a ball that bounced off a PLU player following a free kick, counting as an own goal against the Lutes in the 35th minute.

Giancarlo Santoro's sixth goal of the season got the Lutes on the board, as the senior dribbled around a pair of Pirate defenders and scored in the 55th minute of play. But that proved to be the Lutes' only goal of the game, and Whitworth added one more in the 70th minute when Sam Engle headed David Starkovich's long cross past PLU goalkeeper Joe Rayburn.

Rayburn finished with four saves for the Lutes as Whitworth posted 10 shots on-goal in the match. Overall, the Pirates out-shot PLU 12-to-11.