WALLA WALLA, Wash. — The Pacific Lutheran University women's soccer team concluded their 2026 season Sunday afternoon, traveling to Walla Walla to take on Whitman College in their final Northwest Conference matchup. The Lutes fell to the Blues 1-0 at James Hayner Field.
Pacific Lutheran (11-5-4, 9-4-3 NWC) battled throughout the contest, matching Whitman in shots on goal while creating several offensive opportunities. The Blues (11-5-4, 10-4-2 NWC) found the back of the net once in the first half to secure the victory.
"Another tough day for us, outcome-wise. We actually, I thought, played really well. [We] had some good possession, some good attacks, some corners, not a ton of really threatening finishes to score, but we played well. We just couldn't get a ball over the line this weekend," said Head Coach
Seth Spidahl.
The lone goal of the match came in the 35th minute, when Avery Cohen scored off an assist from Chloe Anderson to give Whitman a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
The Lutes looked to even the score in the second half, continuing to pressure the Blues' defense. Pacific Lutheran recorded five shots in the final 45 minutes, but Whitman's defense held strong to preserve the shutout.
Liv Olson led the Lutes offensively with three shots, including two on goal.
Abby Manolovitz and
Jillian Retzlaff each added a shot on target, while several other Lutes contributed to the team's 10 total shots.
In goal,
Mia Speir played all 90 minutes, recording three saves against the Blues. Pacific Lutheran finished with four shots on goal, matching Whitman's total, and held a 4-3 advantage in corner kicks.
"I do want to say thank you to our eleven amazing seniors for all their work, passion, dedication, and commitment to the program. They will be missed, and thank you to all the fans, parents, and alumni for their support for games and refuels and for all the love they showed for the team; it means a lot," shared Spidahl. "We gotta dust ourselves off and build ourselves back up, and it's going to be a bit of a transition period for our program with graduating 23 players in two years. We gotta get back to work, and the game will humble you, and sometimes you gotta take your medicine and accept where you are at and get back to work, and that's gonna be us come 2027."
Sunday's matchup marked the final game of the 2026 season for the Lutes, who finish the year with an 11-5-4 overall record and a 9-4-3 mark in Northwest Conference play.
