Pacific Lutheran University Athletics

Pacific Lutheran vs. Wheaton at East Field

Setting the Scene: The two-time defending Northwest Conference Champion Lutes open up a five game homestand today, welcoming Midwest powerhouse Wheaton College (Ill.) to East Field.

Series History: The Lutes and Thunder have met three times since the series began in 1986 with the Lutes having won two of the three encounters. The two teams last met in 2017 with the host Lutes coming away with a 3-1 victory over Wheaton after getting two second half goals from Joe Sammartino. 

About the Lutes: The Lutes (0-2) opened the season in Minnesota against a pair of Division III heavyweights in Saint Olaf College and 19th-ranked Gustavus Adolphus College. 

Conor O'Brien tied the game in the 16th minute against the reigning Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Champion Oles but Jack Soares proved to be hard to contain, netting a hat-trick to take the game 4-1.
 
On Sunday, the 19th-ranked Gusties scored twice in a five minute span in what proved to be the only goals of the match. 

Chris Jamrock and Landon Gordon have split time in goal to start the season, both appearing in the two games in Minnesota. Jamrock has started both games and has played the bulk of the minutes, logging 116 minutes between the posts. Gordon boasts a 2.80 goals against average with a team-best five saves. 

About the Thunder: Wheaton (1-0-1) heads out West after hosting the Bo Baptista Invitational last weekend to open the 2025 season. The Thunder need just seven minutes to get on the board in the opener against Chapman (Calif.) securing a 4-2 victory over the Panthers. Kyle Johnson and Luke Vander Kolk scored a gaol in each half with Vander Kolk collecting the eventual game winner in the 76th minute.

A day later, Wheaton battled to a 2-2 draw against Colorado College. The host Thunder owned a 2-1 lead for nearly 50 minutes before surrendering the lead in the 78th minute and settling for a tie with the Tigers.

Vander Kolk leads the team in scoring (two), assists (two), and points (six) while Johnson had two goals and one assist. All told, seven players have registered a point in the opening two games of 2025.

Jack Krahel has played every minute in goal, owning a 2.00 goals against average with seven saves.

Home Sweet Home: Home Sweet Home: The Lutes have been a tough squad to play at home since the 2017 season, owning a 53-10-8 record at East Field during that stretch. That includes a 15-0-2 record over the past two seasons and a 25-1-2 mark since the 2022 campaign. 

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