TACOMA – A nationally-ranked matchup of the top two defensive teams in the Northwest Conference lived up to its billing as 22nd-ranked Puget Sound scored the game-winning goal in the 85th minute of play as the Loggers defeated 17th-ranked Pacific Lutheran in women's soccer action Wednesday afternoon.

After the two teams played 110 minutes to a scoreless draw last month in Parkland, Wednesday's match looked like it might go the same way as neither team could break through against the NWC's two most highly-rated goalkeepers through more than 80 minutes of play. Puget Sound broke the tie with just over five minutes remaining when Emma Donckels headed a shot into the net following an Amalia Acorda-Fey free kick.

"I'm very proud of how we played today away at UPS," PLU head coach Seth Spidahl said. "It's the best we've played there during my time here. It was a game of two halves: we had some great opportunities to score in the first half and hit the crossbar twice. In the second half UPS turned it up a notch, and they executed well on a free kick late in the game."

PLU finished the day with a 7-5 shot advantage, including headers by Kelly White and Machaela Graddy that hit the crossbar in the first 20 minutes of play. The Lutes also finished the day with a 5-3 corner kick advantage. Takara Mitsui made two saves for the Lutes, while UPS keeper Laura Thomas also made a pair of saves.

PLU's second defeat of the season ends the Lutes' eight-match win streak and drops their record to 12-2-1 overall and 8-2-1 in conference play. Puget Sound improves to 11-0-4 overall and 7-0-4 in the NWC and moves into a first-place tie with PLU, as both teams have 25 points with five conference matches remaining. The Lutes return home to host George Fox Sunday at 12 p.m.

"We are still on course for our season goals," Spidahl said. "We can be proud of how we played. Now we move on to prepare for George Fox on Sunday.