Big second half puts Lutes on brink of nationals
NEWBERG, Ore. – The Pacific Lutheran women's soccer team had been in this position before and against this George Fox team no less.
Like they seemingly always do, though, the Lutes rallied and grabbed a 3-1 Northwest Conference victory Saturday to clinch at least a share of their sixth consecutive league title.
"I felt really confident that we were coming back," PLU sophomore Hannah Cecil said. "We had a ton of opportunities and a lot of momentum going into halftime. I had a 100 percent confidence that we would come back."
Cecil was a big part of why the Lutes (16-1-2 overall, 12-1-1 NWC) rallied and won their eighth consecutive game.
George Fox (8-4-4, 7-4-4) led 1-0 at halftime before Alyssa Leong tied the game with her seventh goal of the season in the 53rd minute.
Less than five minutes later, Cecil put the Lutes on top with her 14th goal. The ball came in off a corner kick and after a scrum in front of the goal Cecil cleaned it up.
"Our coach always says every game is a big game," Cecil said. "So, the way we think about all of those other games helps in these scenarios."
Cecil finished off the scoring in the 62nd minute off a cross by Keila Kruse, giving Cecil a team-leading 15 goals on the season.
It was the second time the Lutes trailed George Fox 1-0 this season and had to rally, though in the home matchup the teams played to a 1-1 draw.
"They are very direct and physical," Cecil said of the Bruins. "In the middle, they have a lot of numbers so it is a battle when we play them."
The win keeps the Lutes three points clear of Puget Sound for the league title and a win Sunday will wrap up the crown.
"I thought we played well today pretty much the whole game," PLU coach Seth Spidahl said. "We found some tempo and rhythm in the second half and I thought we had a good, mature performance. We defended well and didn't give a lot away."
Shaylin Cesar made five saves in goal to earn the victory for the Lutes, who wrap up the regular season at 11 a.m. Sunday at Lewis & Clark.
"Seth always says that when opportunity taps you on the shoulder to be ready," Cecil said. "I feel like our team has put a lot of work into this season and we are peaking at the right time."
