McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Emily Fellows showed why she is the two-time defending Northwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year, scoring both goals Saturday to lead Linfield to a 2-0 women's soccer victory over Pacific Lutheran in the 2014 regular season finale for both teams.
The loss for the Lutes, combined with Puget Sound's win over Lewis & Clark, ends PLU's quest for its first NWC title since 1992 and extends UPS' run to 13 consecutive conference crowns. PLU concludes the regular season schedule with a 14-5-1 overall record and a 12-4 NWC mark that ties with Linfield (15-4, 12-4 NWC) for second place in the conference standings. The 14 wins and second-place conference finish are both the best for PLU since 1994, while the 12 NWC victories are a program record.
"We hit the wall today," PLU head coach Seth Spidahl said. "Three consecutive weekends in Oregon took its toll on us this weekend. Mix in an emotional win over UPS, and we had nothing left in the tank today."
Fellows put Linfield on the board early, taking a cross from Ellie Schmidt and heading it into the net from the left side about eight yards out in the 18th minute of play. She added her second goal of the day in the 50th minute, heading in a corner kick pass from Emma Vukic.
Linfield put heavy pressure on the PLU defense throughout the match and out-shot the Lutes 24-9 while posting a 10-5 corner kick advantage. Fellows finished with five shots, while Schmidt tallied six and Marisa Specht totaled seven, while goalkeeper Laurel Huth saved five shots to earn the shutout win.
"Credit to Linfield, as Emily Fellows showed why she has been the best attacking player in the NWC the past four years," Spidahl said.
Emily Hanna and Lauren Larson led the Lutes with two shots apiece, while goalkeeper Takara Mitsui saved six balls while allowing the two goals. PLU's best opportunity in the match came in the 35th minute of play when a penalty in the box gave Kelly White a penalty kick opportunity with the Lutes down 1-0. White's shot hit the base of the crossbar and bounced out, leaving PLU down in the match.
