ATLANTA, Ga. --- The No.21-ranked Pacific Lutheran University Women's Soccer team (16-2-4, 14-0-2 NWC) had their NCAA Division III Women's Soccer National Championship run come to a halt on Sunday afternoon, as a second half score by the No.23-ranked Emory Eagles (13-3-3) was enough to get past the Lutes.
 
The Lutes offense fired the first shot of the game in the 11^th-minute, off the foot of Katelyn McDougal, but was saved by the Eagles goalkeeper. Emory responded with a trio of shots out their own, with two missing the target and one being stopped by Lutes keeper Abby Winkler. One of PLU's most successful plays this year was the corner to the head of junior Bella Hanna. The Lutes earned a corner and sent it in to Hanna, but the defender's attempt ricocheted off of the right post and out.
 
Four more shots by the Eagles ensued, but all of which were stopped by Winkler, maintaining her impressive stretch of shutout performances. Senior Julia Casubie had the final attempt of the half in the Emory half of the field, earning a save from the Emory keeper, and making it a 0-0 game at the half.
 
Coming out of the break, the Emory offense found their stride, taking eight shots in the first eight minutes. None of these attempts could get past Winkler and the Lutes defensive line. With the season on the line, Hanna's physical defense earned a yellow card in the 63^rd-minute, resulting in the Eagles free kick to miss the target wide.
 
As the Lutes offense struggled to find their footing in the final 45-minutes, but the Eagles were able to break the scoring drought in the 71^st-minute to put the Eagles up 1-0 late in the game. In the closing minutes of the game, Emory maintained possession and killed time off of the clock to keep the ball off of the foot of a strong Lutes offensive unit. The host, the Emory Eagles went on to advance to the Sweet Sixteen in a 1-0 win over the Lutes on Sunday.
 
The Lutes fired three shots in the game, all of which coming in the first half, meanwhile the Eagles took 23 shots with eight on-target. Kaitlyn McDougal, Julia Causbie, and Bella Hanna each had one shot in the game. Junior goalkeeper Abby Winkler made seven saves, her most since September 7^th against Case Western Reserve.

"We knew Emory was going to be a very good opponent, any round of 32 game will be a hard game. I thought we had a really good game plan, and we executed it very well in the first half. But credit to Emory in the second half, they dialed it up with pressing, running, intensity, and attacking. They definitely raised the pace of the game, and for whatever reason we had a tough time. Whether it be the long travel to Atlanta, and the time zone difference, I think all of that may have played a part. It was a tough way to lose that game, I thought we had a good chance, but that's how the NCAA playoffs go; any mistake, a team will execute and score." said Head Coach Seth Spidahl

"Overall, I want to thank the seniors, our assistant coaches, Kira, our trainer, Mike, our AD for his support this trip. This group went 14-0-2 in conference play and haven't lost since August, and went 19 games unbeaten. I'm super proud of the bulk of the work that the team put in. To be nationally ranked for four or five weeks, this group had a phenomenal year overall. Only one team can win the final game, and to be one of the final 32 teams out of 450 programs is impressive. I want to thank our captains for great leadership, and our seniors for their leadership. We will celebrate our season, rest, recover, and look forward to 2025. Go Lutes!"
 
The Lutes national tournament run comes to a close on the final day of the opening weekend. Meaning the end to an impressive 16-2-4 season that saw the Lutes eighth-straight Northwest Conference title and a 13^th-consecutive season with a record above .500 in the Seth Spidahl era. Spidahl's Lutes reached the national tournament for a seventh time, and have found themselves in the second round for a third time in 2024. PLU says goodbye to a successful senior class of Corissa Olson, Meghan Hamell, Cassie Stady, Lily Dose, Hannah Cecil, Kaylee Zicha, Kayden Hulquist, and Julia Causbie.
 
To follow Lutes coverage all season long, please follow us on social media; PLU Athletics on Facebook, @GoLutes on X.com and Instagram.