TACOMA, Wash. - After dominating the 2017 season and taking the Northwest Conference title and earning a berth into the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row, the Pacific Lutheran University women's soccer team is back in action and looking to improve on its recent success. 
 
The process has always been important to the program, with the Lutes (17-3-1, 13-2-1 NWC in 2017) showing progress and growth in each of the last three years. In 2015, the Lutes came up just short of a NWC title, falling to Pacific University on the last weekend of the regular season. In 2016, the Lutes ran through the league unbeaten to hoist the NWC title for the first time since 1992. Last year, the process brought the Lutes more success, taking the NWC title again for the second year in a row and collecting the program's first ever victory in the NCAA Division III Tournament before being eliminated by California Lutheran University on penalty kicks in the second round.  
 
The upcoming season will challenge the Lutes, as only six returners are bringing experience back to the field. Regardless, this season, the 34 players with the coaching staff set out to be what each team does every August; to be another great PLU women's soccer team. To accomplish their own feats and pursue the standards set before them all while creating their own.
 
"With the case in any program you are going to graduate good players.  A consistently great program will have players waiting in the wings who have trained, worked hard, prepared, and are now ready to take their chance," Head coach Seth Spidahl said. "I think this best describes our team this year…we have very good players, who have worked very hard and put the team first…and now are ready to step up and take their chance.  The strength of our team this year will be our team!"
 
Offensively the Lutes once again pose a dangerous attack consisting of seniors Amber Richards, Jamie Saito, Kate Peterson,Liz Griffith, a Second Team All-Northwest Conference honors recipient in 2016, junior Leah Magee, a First Team All Northwest Conference honors and Third Team All-West Region honors recipient in 2017, and sophomore's Tasha Tennyson, Emily Sugimoto, Savannah Brown, and Kari Mills. The threat the Lutes offense posed, led by Magee and Griffith contributed to the 41 goals scored last year. While the impact of graduating players like Machaela Graddy, and Kaylie Rozell will affect the program, the depth of the attack provides opportunities for players to step into different roles.
 
Defensively, the Lute's continue to challenge opposing team's attacks with the presence the returning talent brings to the field. Seniors Rachel Ross, who earned First Team All-Northwest Conference as a midfielder last season, Bianca Lindberg, Katie Coronado, and Natalie Robinson, who was named Second Team All-Northwest Conference in 2017, junior's Alyssa Carter, Brianna Hunting, Danielle Lisk, and sophomore's Maddie Landreth and Kelly Brown all contribute to the success of the defense. The strength of the Lutes defense proved to be a strength of the program as last year as they shut opponents down contributing to the 16 shutouts and 0.22 goals against average the Lutes had last season. 
 
"Defense has always been one of our team strengths." Junior Alyssa Carter said, "Even though we lost some of our starters in our back line last year, other players have stepped up and filled those roles." 
 
The incoming freshmen class including transfer, Tate Kautzky, add to the arsenal of tools and the depth of the talent within the team. 
 
"My freshman year we didn't get the outcome we wanted, and it's been a great experience winning the Northwest Conference title the past two years. Although we lost a large, impactful senior class last year, I am confident that as a team we can fill those roles and be another competitive top Northwest Conference team." Katie Coronado
 
The Lutes start their season this Friday in San Antonio, Texas against Trinity University and again on Sunday against Emory University before kicking off the NWC season at home on the weekend of September 14 opening with Whitworth University and Whitman College. 
 
Aug. 31: PLU vs. Trinity in San Antonio, Texas (6 p.m. Central)
 
Series History: This is the first all-time meeting between the Lutes and the Tigers. 
 
About the Tigers: Trinity (19-2, 9-0 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference) heads into the regular season ranked 12^thin the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll. The Tigers finished their conference slate undefeated last year, hoisting the SCAC title for the ninth consecutive season and the 22^ndtime in the program's storied history. Trinity advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before bowing out 3-2 to Hardin-Simmons University.
 
Chelsea Cole, the reigning SCAC Offensive Player of the Year, is back after scoring 19 goals, including six game winners last year along with defender Lilah Bevins who was the SCAC Newcomer of the Year.
 
Sept. 2: PLU vs. Emory in San Antonio, Texas (11 a.m. Central)
 
Series History: The Lutes and Eagles have never met on the soccer pitch. 
 
About the Eagles: Emory finished the 2017 season with a 10-7-1 record and a 2-4-1 mark in University Athletic Association play. The Eagles enjoy the return of six of their top seven scorers from a season ago, including All-UAA performers Abby McCarter, Danielle Darius, and Lily Dresner.