TACOMA, Wash. — The Pacific Lutheran University men's soccer team remained unbeaten in Northwest Conference play on Wednesday afternoon, rallying to a 1-1 stalemate against crosstown rival University of Puget Sound at Baker Stadium.
The two squads battled to a scoreless opening half that saw the visiting Lutes (4-1-2, 2-0-1 NWC) own an 11-8 edge in shots. The host Loggers (1-0-4, 0-0-3 NWC) drew first blood in the second stanza with Rhys Foote scoring in the 53rd minute.
The Puget Sound advantage stood for less than 10 minutes with
Eric Martinez scoring his first goal of the season in the 62nd minute off an assist from
Marvin Soeum. It was Martinez's second career score while Soeum notched his first career point.
The goal proved to be the final one of the game, despite the two teams ripping off seven shots over the final 28 minutes.
PLU finished the day with an 18-17 edge in shots and a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks while the Loggers held an 11-5 edge in shots on goal.
"That was not the performance that we hoped to bring to the contest," said Head Coach
John Yorke.
"Credit to UPS for their part in making the game hard but this is a game that we will need to bounce back from and get ready to play another very tough opponent on Sunday at Willamette."
Gio Aguilar-Gutierrez had a busy day in goal, making 10 saves in 90 minutes of work. His counterpart, Mason Allison, turned away four shots on the day.
The Lutes resume their road swing on Sunday, facing Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Kickoff is slated for 12 p.m.
