SPOKANE, Wash. --- The No.21-ranked Pacific Lutheran University Women's Soccer team (15-1-4, 14-0-2 NWC) completed the regular season on Sunday, defeating the Whitman Blues (11-6-3, 8-5-3 NWC), 1-0, on a late goal by junior Bella Hanna. But as many Seth Spidahl-coached teams know, the soccer doesn't end there. The Lutes now look ahead to the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer selection show on Monday morning inside the lobby of Olson Auditorium at 11 a.m.
 
Senior forward Hannah Cecil took the first strike of the game in the opening minutes, but missed the target wide. A slew of corner kick attempts were unsuccessful for the Lutes, with Olivia Boehm applying the pressure on a pair of attempts following. Junior defender Bella Hanna had the best opportunity for PLU in the first 15-minutes, but her chance hit the cross bar and missed.
 
While the Lutes defense allowed only three shots to the Blues, they maintained their strong play, coming off of a shutout against Whitworth in yesterday's game. Senior Julia Cuasbie had a great look late in the opening half, but also found the crossbar to head into halftime at a 0-0 tie.
 
The defensive showcase continued throughout the second half, with the Lutes best chances coming early in the 72^nd minute, as Ally Tattar and Cecil's attempts were stopped by the Blues goalkeeper. Cecil also found the woodwork in the 84^th minute, but Hanna was able to score one minute later, shortly after a Lutes corner kick to put the Lutes up 1-0 late in the contest.
 
Hanna's score would hold up, and earn the Lutes their fifth-consecutive victory, as well as give them an unbeaten record in Northwest Conference play. The best record for any team under Head Coach Seth Spidahl.
 
The Lutes doubled the shot attempts of the Blues, 14-7, with PLU earning five on-target to Whitman's four. Junior goalkeeper Abby Winkler made four saves in the game, three of which coming in the second half. Cecil and Hanna led the way with three shots each, and five different Lutes recorded one shot on-goal.
 
"It was a really, really, good game, Whitman is a great team. They have the best defensive record in our conference and make it really hard to break down. I was so proud of our team, to go 14-0-2 in conference, that's the best record we've had in my time at PLU. They had an opportunity to do better than many other great teams in the past, and they played really good today." Said Head Coach Seth Spidahl.
 
"We had a lot of chances, 15 shots, 14 corners, and had two hit the cross bar, but credit to Whitman, they held strong. It was an excellent experience for us to go through. It was a tough game, and we hung in there. We didn't get frustrated, and found a way to get Bella her eighth goal of the year as a center back to win it late."
 
"We talked this week about going into the tournament with momentum and confidence, and this road trip is the hardest of the year. To walk away with two wins and two shutouts is a great result. We gave the committee a lot to think about with the upcoming tournament, we haven't lost since August, and I'm very proud of that. Now everyone is 0-0, and I feel we can beat any team in the country. We have an opportunity to go do something else that no team has done before, and try to get to the sweet sixteen. I just want to say thanks to all of the players this year, they did an amazing job. Everyone on the team played a role to help us get to this point. Huge thanks to the coaches, Rachel, Dan, Scott, and Nate, they are an amazing staff and we are blessed to have them. Go Lutes!"
 
The Lutes await the NCAA selection show tomorrow morning at 11 a.m., to find out if they are hosting or if they will be traveling to compete in the opening round of the Division III national tournament.
 
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