Pacific Lutheran University Athletics

Pacific Lutheran vs. California Lutheran at East Field

Setting the Scene: After a two game tour of Texas, the eight-time Northwest Conference Champion Pacific Lutheran University Lutes get to enjoy the comforts of home, beginning a five game homestand with a pair of non-league foes from Southern California. Tonight's matchup is a showdown against 2023 national champion California Lutheran University.

Series History: The Lutes and Regals have met eight times since the series began in 2006 with PLU holding a slim 3-2-3 edge in the series. PLU is unbeaten in the last four encounters including playing to a scoreless draw in Thousand Oaks, California during the Regals' national championship winning season in 2023.

About the Lutes: The 23rd-ranked Lutes (0-0-2) opened up the season last weekend in Texas, coming away with a pair of ties. Liv Olson provided an equalizer goal in the 62nd minute last Friday in a 1-1 stalemate with University of Saint Thomas while Kiana Gutierrez tallied a goal in five minutes into the second half in a 1-1 draw with 10th-ranked Trinity on Sunday.

Katelyn McDougal was the lone Lute field position player to play all 180 minutes over the weekend in the sweltering Texas heat while Abby Winkler made 14 saves in goal, also playing the entirety of the two games. 

About the Regals: Cal Lutheran (1-0-1) heads to Tacoma having yet to taste defeat, earning points in both games last weekend to open the year. The Regals benefitted from a Hana Sawan goal in the 15th minute in a 1-0 victory over Fredonia State (N.Y.), a game Cal Lu outgunned FSU 25-5. 

Cal Lu followed that game up with a 1-1 draw against PLU's Northwest Conference rival Whitworth. The host Regals struck first with Stephenie Hackett scoring in the 23rd minute but the Pirates answered five minutes later with a tally in the 28th minute. Neither team was able to score in the second half with the Regals owning a 14-2 edge in shots over the final 45 minutes.

Three Cal Lu players have registered a point on the young season with Sawyer Frye credited with the squad's lone assist. Tessa French is the lone field position player to play all 180 minutes this season while in goal, Kelsey Slaughter has played every minute and has four saves with a 0.50 goals against average. 

Home Sweet Home: The Lutes have been nearly unstoppable at home since the 2013 season, enjoying an 89-8-12 record in home games on the artificial turf at East Field. That includes going 7-0-3 last fall and having 10-0 records at home during both the 2021 and 2017 campaigns. 

Trailblazing NIL the D3 Way: PLU Athletics continues to lead the way nationally in Name, Image, and Likeness, unveiling the Luteville Marketplace in 2023 through the department's partnership with Opendorse. But don't stay on the sidelines, get involved and connect with PLU student-athletes on the Luteville Marketplace: LINK

The Luteville Marketplace is the first dedicated NIL marketplace in Division III on the Opendorse platform that directly connects student-athletes with fans, supporters, and business partners in an easy to use website.

In the spring of 2024 PLU became just the second Division III school in the nation and the first in any division in the State of Washington to partner with Athlete's Thread. Athlete's Thread allows every Lute student-athlete to sell customizable gear and jerseys with their name and number and receive monetary compensation for a portion of each sale. Check out the link above to order your gear today!

Stay connected to your favorite teams by downloading the official mobile app of the Pacific Lutheran University Athletic Department powered by SIDEARM Sports, available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.

Featuring real-time news alerts, schedules, exclusive multimedia content, gamely details and more, the PLU Athletics app is free and compatible with both iOS and Android devices.

PLU Non-Discrimination Policy: Pacific Lutheran University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability or age in its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Title IX Coordinator Jennifer Childress-White; 253-535-7361; TitleIX@plu.edu