Pacific Lutheran University Athletics

Pacific Lutheran vs. Pomona-Pitzer at East Field

Setting the Scene: The eight-time Northwest Conference Champion Lutes continue their five game homestand today, wrapping up the non-conference slate with a showdown against reigning Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champion Pomona-Pitzer Colleges. 

Series History: The Lutes and Sagehens have met three times with Pomona-Pitzer winning all three encounters by 1-0 scorelines. The two West Coast powerhouses started the series back in 2009 and have also met in 2021 and 2023. It will be the first meeting in Tacoma since 2009. The other two meetings— 2023 and 2021— came during the NCAA Division III Tournament. 

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 Sagehens: Pomona-Pitzer (1-0) heads to Tacoma with one game under its best, scoring a 3-0 victory over North Central College last Friday. The host Sagehens got on the board in the 22nd minute courtesy of Hannah Hong. Hong would assist on the second goal of the day by Sabina Peterson Rajalingam in the 61dst minute while Ava Watanabe added an insurance goal in the 78th minute.

Pomona-Pitzer had two goalies split time in goal in the opener, with Hadley Johnson making three stops in 45 minutes of work while Patricia DePalma made two stops handling the opening half of the game. 

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