Box Score Contact: Mark Albanese, Director of Sports Communication
TACOMA, Wash. - A pair of second half goals proved to me more than enough for the 22nd-ranked Pacific Lutheran University women's soccer team on Sunday afternoon, blanking Whitman College 2-0 in a Northwest Conference match at East Field.
Kaylie Rozell had a hand in both scores in the second stanza, breaking the 0-0 deadlock in the 65th minute with her second goal of the season off a cross from Lena Moreno before finding Kelsey Hathaway in the 85th minute to double the Lutes' (5-0-1, 2-0 NWC) lead.
"I've always said there are no easy games in the Northwest Conference. Sometimes playing at home is even harder as there's more potential for distractions and it's harder to get the team on a singular focus," said Head Coach Seth Spidahl.
Pacific Lutheran owned a commanding 19-4 advantage in shots, including 13 of the 14 taken in the second half as the Lute defense kept Whitman (0-6, 0-2 NWC) at bay while posting the squad's fifth shutout of the season.
Takara Mitsui collected two saves to earn the win in goal and has now gone 410 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal, a streak now spanning five games. Whitman's Haley Case absorbed the loss in goal, making 10 saves while conceding two goals.
"We have to take care of business at home if we want to be where we want to be at the end of the season. And I'm proud of how the team played today. We showed a lot more patience and composure than what we showed yesterday. We kept the process up and made a couple good adjustments at halftime that paid off."
The Lutes wrapped up its opening homestand by outscoring its opponents by a 7-0 margin in four games at East Field. PLU hits the road next weekend, facing Linfield College at noon on Saturday to begin a five-game road swing.
"We've got to continue to get better offensively because goals change games but I'm proud that we kept our focus. We got two clean sheets, we won both games, and now we'll take tomorrow off. We've been good on the road that's why we put our team through preseason tests in Texas so when we get into the NWC play we're prepared."
