Written by Student Assistant Jake Bilyeu

TACOMA, Wash. – The Pacific Lutheran University men's soccer team battled to a 1-1 double overtime tie against Whitworth University on Saturday in the Lutes' Northwest Conference home opener at East Field. The Lutes overcame a sluggish start, but was unable to capitalize on late opportunities in settling for the draw.

The visiting Pirates (3-4-1, 1-1-1 NWC) caught the Lutes temporarily off guard early, as they controlled the ball for much of the first 45 minutes. The Lutes (3-3-2, 1-1-1 NWC) were outshot 11-4 in the first half, and those extra shots proved costly, as Whitworth's Micah Weller was able to find the back of the net in the 30th minute, giving the Pirates the first lead of the game, which they took into halftime.

The Lutes responded in the second half with fury. Senior Eddie Na provided the pivotal play for the Lutes, as he dashed past the Pirate defense to even the score at 1-1 in the 62nd minute. The Lutes kept pressing the Pirate defense, outshooting them 11-3 in the half. Despite several late scoring opportunities, the Lutes never prospered, and the game advanced into overtime.

Through both overtime periods, the Pirates maintained a slight edge in possession, as the Lutes' earlier opportunities to score were harder to come by. Both sides turned up their defensive intensity, and neither surrendered a score in the two 10-minute overtime periods, as the game ended in a tie.

"We started pretty slow, and it wasn't our best first half, but we had a great response after half time and in the overtime," head coach John Yorke said. "We were a little stretched out in the game, and I'd like to see us be more clinical in the way we pass tomorrow."

The Lutes played strong late, but they'll need to take advantage of more scoring opportunities in future games to contend in the NWC. Yorke knows this, and believes that their improvement will come naturally.

"It's always hard to score, especially against a good team," Yorke said. "You have to have that mentality in the box, and we were a little conservative there. As the season goes, scoring will come later, and I like our chances of developing into an effective scoring team."

The Lutes will host Whitman College on Sunday at noon, as they hope to end the weekend with an unbeaten record.