TACOMA, Wash. – If there was ever a definition of a trap game, then Saturday was it for the Pacific Lutheran women's soccer team.
Coming off a hard-fought victory against their arch rivals on Wednesday, the Lutes didn't play their best against Whitman at East Field on Saturday but they did enough to get the victory.
PLU (14-1-2 overall, 10-1-1 NWC) defeated Whitman 2-0 in Northwest Conference action to run their winning streak to six games.
"We celebrated our win (against Puget Sound) the correct amount of time," said senior keeper Shaylin Cesar. "(Head coach) Seth (Spidahl) always reminds us that the definition of mental toughness is to focus on the next most important thing. Today that was Whitman and I think our team was really disciplined to lock down and focus to get the win today."
The Lutes remain in first place in the NWC alone after Hannah Cecil and Julia Causbie each scored and Cesar made a pair of saves.
"We did what we needed to do," Spidahl said. "Not every game is going to be free flowing (soccer). We did what we needed to do and in a lot of ways that can be a good thing.
"In a 20-game journey you are going to have some games that maybe you aren't happy with how we played, but we found a way to win."
Cecil made something out of nothing while scoring her 13th goal of the season. She took a pass from Ashlee Gormley and sprinted down the left side, taking on five defenders by herself. No one stepped up to defend her and she skirted a Whitman (5-11, 2-10) defender and slotted the ball home into the lower right corner in the 51st minute.
Causbie scored her eighth goal of the season in the 88th minute after a scrum in front of the goal.
Through it all, the Lutes defense continued to showcase its brilliance with Cesar anchoring in goal.
"It is amazing to be a part of this team," Cesar said. "Our defense shuts down every single team. I always can count on them and have 100 percent confidence in them. They cover for each other well and in a game like, I really didn't have to do much to get the dub."
The Lutes play their final regular-season home match of the season at 12 p.m. Sunday against Whitworth. Senior day festivities will begin approximately 20 minutes before kickoff.
