Lute Salute Series

TACOMA, Wash. - Emma Hunter didn't know what she'd find when she left Portland to attend Pacific Lutheran University and play for the women's soccer team. Now a senior, Hunter faces her last soccer season.
 

Hometown: Portland, Ore.

Highlights: 41 games played 29 shutouts 3-Time NWC Champion NWC All-Sportsmanship Team

Although this season will look different than others, Hunter's past years as a student-athlete prepared her for the unknowns of the fall. Along with learning to be accountable for her actions, Hunter said her experience as a Lute soccer player taught her how to work effectively with her teammates. As Hunter enters this strange season, teamwork and communicating with her coaches is essential.

Hunter's favorite memories of her Lute soccer career stems from what this fall is lacking: competition. She relishes the memory of playing rival team University of Puget Sound on their home field and coming out with a win for PLU. Of course, Hunter is extremely proud to be a part of the team which won the Northwest Conference for the past three years, and thankful for the teammates and coaches that got her there.

"They've encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and grow as a person," Hunter said.

Hunter is also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the PLU Nursing department. Outside of athletics, she is grateful for the lifelong friendships she has found at PLU.

On the pitch, the defender has appeared in 41 games, starting in 22 of them, including every single game last fall. Hunter has anchored a stout defense that has collected shutouts in 29 of the 41 games she's played as a Lute. She's additionally helped the Lutes win three Northwest Conference titles, make two NCAA Division III Tournament appearances and amass a 46-9-8 overall record and a 29-5-4 record in conference play. Hunter was named the NWC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 30, 2019, was honored to the NWC All-Sportsmanship Team and inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma in 2020, and has earned NWC All-Academic honors in each of the past three seasons.

"Emma is a ferocious competitor and has been a staple in our back line the last three years. She has grown so much as a person during her time here at PLU, highlighted by overcoming an ACL tear in her freshmen year! An outstanding leader for us on and off the field who will be missed when she graduates!" said Head Coach Seth Spidahl.  

After graduation, Hunter is hoping to land a position working in the ICU department in one of the hospitals in Tacoma.