Erik Gracey fuels Pacific Lutheran's fast start and second-half surge in a 5-3 defeat of George Fox at Newburg, Or. Gracey finds Mike Ferguson twice and then scores himself in the first 19 minutes. When the Lutes' lead is trimmed to 3-2, Gracey assists on a pair of goals during a three-minute span and his total of four ties a record. Ferguson finishes the year with 14 goals and ties the PLU career record of 49.

It's a milestone day for Pacific Lutheran with the women (18-2) setting a school-record for most wins in the NCAA Division III era with a 1-0 win at George Fox. The Lutes also set a program mark by winning a fifth straight Northwest Conference title, surpassing the previous streak of four straight set from 2016-2019 and from 1985-1988. Kimber Thomas finds the game-winner at Newberg, Or., in the 51st minute, hitting into the left corner off a pass from Hannah Cecil. It's the 14th shutout for PLU.

Former Pacific Lutheran head coach and U.S. Women's National Team assistant Colleen Hacker is inducted to the United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame in Chicago. Hacker, the first female coach of a collegiate champion, guided the Lutes to three NAIA titles and five regional championships. Her teams were 233-59-18 from 1981-1995. She was a five-time gold medalist as mental skills coach and performance psychology specialist for women's soccer, field hockey and ice hockey teams.

Colleen Hacker of Pacific Lutheran raises her career win total to 200 games after a 1-0 home win over Linfield. The Lutes out-shoot the Wildcats 35-0 but Keri Allen's late first-half goal is the difference. Now in her 13th season, Hacker is the state's first women's coach to reach 200.

Dianne Moran's goal in the 135th minute lifts Pacific Lutheran over Western Washington, 2-1, for the NAIA District 1 championship in Tacoma. Cheryl Kragness puts PLU ahead but the Vikings force overtime on Mandee Coulter's score with 30 seconds to go.

Freshman Meghan Michels nets her second goal in 12 minutes to lift Pacific Lutheran to a 2-1 victory over George Fox at East Field. The win, coupled with a Puget Sound loss allows PLU to clinch its fourth straight Northwest Conference Championship with still three games remaining.

Joe and Sue Shinafelt Waters, the husband-and-wife soccer coaches at Pacific Lutheran, announce they will not return in 2002. Joe Waters coached the men's team for four seasons (25-39-6). Sue coached the PLU women for six years (38-62-6). She had played on two Lutes national championship teams.

Georgia's Berry scores twice in the first five minutes of overtime to dethrone Pacific Lutheran, 3-1, in a rematch of the NAIA women's championship game in Due West, S.C. The result comes less than 18 hours after 16 members of the travel party were stricken with food poisoning during their thanksgiving dinner at the hotel. Wendy Johnson ties it in the 61st minute, beating two defenders and shooting from 18 yards. But Tina Conway and Nickie Courtney-Greene put Berry ahead by two goals. It's a reversal of the 1989 final, won by PLU. The Lutes had been unbeaten in 20 games.

Puget Sound rewards coach Frank Gallo on his birthday with a stunning, 2-0 home upset of Washington. The Loggers strike early. In the third minute, Steve Norlin heads in Han Ulland's free kick, and Mike Finn adds another in the 17th minute. Mark Campbell makes nine saves for the shutout. Finn had scored a goal and two assists three days earlier in a 5-3 UPS comeback win over rival Pacific Lutheran.

Pacific Lutheran, getting four goals from Wendy Johnson, blanks host Western Washington, 6-0, in an NAIA District 1 semifinal at Bellingham. Gina Mortimer scores three goals, leading 8th-ranked Seattle University to a 3-1 win over Whitman in the other semifinal. PLU goes on to beat Seattle U., 3-0, to win a third straight district title. Goalkeeper Kate Wheeler goes on to finish her career with a record 37 shutouts.

Pacific Lutheran secures its fourth consecutive Northwest Conference men's title and a berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament with a commanding 4-0 victory over George Fox in Tacoma. Cris Lozano scores his fifth goal in the last six matches after just six minutes of action, and the Lutes are off and running. Cole Dobson, Jared Simarago and Keegan Dolan tack-on second-half goals for the fifth win in a row, all by shutout.

Washington ends its first women's season on a seven-game unbeaten run with a 4-0 win over Simon Fraser at Everett High School. Kathleen Juergens bags a brace, bringing team-leading total to seven. The Huskies (10-6-2) go 6-0-1 down the stretch, with the sole blemish a 0-0 draw at eventual NAIA champion Pacific Lutheran on Oct. 30. Four of the losses are to teams ranked in the top 12.

A brief defensive lapse proves ruinous for Pacific Lutheran as the bid to win an NAIA women's championship at home is denied by Lynn, 1-0, at Tacoma's Sprinker Recreation Center. The defending champion Lutes allow a free header to Dorte Nielsen from a corner kick in the 49th minute. PLU (19-3-3) out-shoots the Floridians, 14-9. It's the fifth straight year Pacific Lutheran plays in the national final but the first time it hosts. Cheryl Kragness, who finishes with a career record 62 goals, just misses an open first-half header.

The Northwest Conference women's crown stays with Pacific Lutheran for the seventh year in a row following a 2-0 home win over Lewis & Clark. It's the Lutes' fourth consecutive shutout victory. Hannah Cecil scores at 13', and Lyla Merte adds insurance early in the second half.

Pacific Lutheran effectively usurps Western Washington atop NAIA women with a 1-0 upset in Bellingham. Sonya Brandt's goal with 15 minutes remaining proves the difference while Gail Stenzel saves 13 Vikings shots for her sixth straight shutout. WWU keeper Trina Angehrn bats down Emilie Portell's cross, but Brandt is there to put away the loose ball. The following week, PLU replaces Western at No. 1 in the national rankings.

Goals by Shari Rider and Wendy Johnson lead third-seeded Pacific Lutheran to its third NAIA national women's soccer championship in the past four years. The Lutes defeat Missouri Valley College, 4-0, in a cold, driving rain at Boca Raton. The game is delayed for 25 minutes during the first half because of lightning, and when the game is finished, there is 4 inches of water on the field. Brenda Lichtenwalter makes two saves as PLU becomes the first champion to not allow a goal during the tournament. Kirsten Brown opens the scoring in the 32nd minute, and Cheryl Kragness connects on a late penalty. Rider is named tournament MVP after scoring her career record 45th goal and Johnson graduates with a record 52 assists.

Washington State's Kim Lynass scores a pair of goals as the Cougars defeat NAIA third-ranked Pacific Lutheran, 2-1, in Tacoma. It’s the sixth WSU win in seven matches. Kim Alexander scores for the Lutes, who force Natalie McDowell to make a record 20 saves.

After scoring 73 goals during the regular season, Pacific Lutheran is unable to covert even one of 23 shots and goes out in the first round of the NCAA tournament at home, 0-0 (4-1) to Carleton (Minn.). Top scorer Craig Johnson clangs a drive off the crossbar in the 88th minute. Two penalty kick tiebreaker attempts are saved. It's the first time in 13 games that PLU has been held scoreless.

Hosting an NCAA tournament game for the first time, Pacific Lutheran knocks off No. 2-ranked Trinity (Tx.) in penalty kicks at East Field. After 110 minutes, the Lutes oust the Tigers, 1-1 (4-2), in a first-round game. Following a scoreless first half, the Tigers strike first in the 51st minute, but PLU's Trevor Thompson answers in the 76th. Both team's make their first two penalties, but Lutes keeper Nicholas Gaston stops back-to-back shots, and Dane Helle scores the fourth for Pacific Lutheran. trinity had entered the game 16-0-2.

Shelly Simmons hits the winner with four minutes left as 6th-ranked Puget Sound defeats No. 1 Pacific Lutheran, 2-1. It’s the first two goals allowed by the Lutes in 11 games.

A pair of overtime goals from Shari Rider pushes Pacific Lutheran through to the NAIA women's championship game, 2-0, over Lindenwood (Mo.) in Due West, S.C. Rider, who later is voted tournament MVP, finds the game's first goal 13:24 into the first extra period. Nine minutes later, she seals it. It's the Lutes' 17th shutout and third straight trip to the final.

Joe Waters, who played eight seasons for the Tacoma Stars, is named head men's coach at Pacific Lutheran. Waters, 45, also coaches Bellarmine Prep. He played a record 358 games for the Stars from 1984-92, also serving as assistant coach the final two seasons.

Jimmy Dunn steps down as men's coach at Pacific Lutheran after 14 seasons. Dunn, once a PLU player, is the Lutes' winningest coach with a record of 149-110-24. In 1992, he guided the program to its first NAIA national tournament. "Jimmy has served the university well for many years," PLU athletic director Paul Hoseth says. "I am not aware of a part-time coach who has served with such dedication for 14 years."

Twentieth-ranked Pacific Lutheran takes down No. 4 Virginia Wesleyan, 2-0, in just the third outing of the year, at Newport News, Va. The Lutes get an early second-half header from Alyssa Leong, and Kayden Hulquist doubles it seven minutes later. Abby Winkler makes eight saves in the shutout.

Jason Palmer earns his record seventh straight shutout and 10th so far in Seattle University's 1-0 win at Pacific Lutheran. Kurt Swanson accounts for the only goal, heading in George Czarnowski's corner kick in the 33rd minute. Three days earlier, Czarnowski's goal with 12 seconds to go beat Simon Fraser, 1-0. The defensive scoreless streak reaches eight games with a 3-0 result at Willamette Oct. 25.

Jimmy Dunn becomes the first Pacific Lutheran men's coach to reach 100 victories as the Lutes hammer Evergreen, 6-0. Andy McDirmid scores a brace and adds an assist. Dunn, a former PLU player, is in his ninth year, with a record of 100-63-12.

David Chavarin's goal early in the second half proves to be the winner, and Whitman earns a share of its first Northwest League title in 37 years by defeating Whitworth, 3-1, in Walla Walla. Two minutes after the Pirates eras an 1-nil deficit, Chavarin shoots low and firm inside the right post to put the Blues back in front at 53 minutes. Oscar Harding seals with a third goal just before full time. By virtue of head-to-head records, Pacific Lutheran receives the league's automatic NCAA tournament berth. The NWC title is the first for Whitman since winning it outright in 1981. The Blues finish on a 4-0-2 run after starting 1-3-0.

Pacific Lutheran's diminutive forward, Abraham Abe, is voted player of the year in the Northwest Collegiate Soccer Conference, despite the Lutes finishing a distant third behind Washington and Seattle Pacific. The Falcons' Ken Covell finishes as top scorer with 18 goals and Ward Forrest sets a new UW mark with 14.

Sheri Noah's goal in the third overtime period wins a second straight NAIA national championship for Pacific Lutheran, 2-1, over top-ranked Berry College in Due West, S.C. Wendy Johnson, who was named the tournament's most valuable offensive player and overall MVP, put the Lutes ahead on a penalty kick 14:20 into the game. Berry ties it 10 minutes later, and a stalemate ensues. Finally, Noah kicks in a loose ball 4:59 into the sudden-death overtime, at 124:59. The Lutes become the first NAIA repeat champion.

Spencer Augustin's goal stands for the difference between Northwest Conference frontrunners Pacific Lutheran and Whitworth. Augustin one-touches a Chad Kearns cross into the net in the 31st minute for his 12th of the campaign, and Joe Rayburn is forced to make just one save at Parkland.

Sonya Brandt and Shelley Flack of Puget Sound's national runners-up are among four Washington women named to the NAIA All-America teams. Brandt and Flack, both forwards, make the first team. Shelly Simmons of UPS and Pacific Lutheran's Linda Bostjancic are named to the second team.

Despite playing without its top scorer, Pacific Lutheran wins its NCAA Division III tournament opener, 2-1, over Mary Hardin-Baylor in San Antonio. With Hannah Cecil (15 goals) absent due to injury, Alyssa Leong scores the Lutes' first goal at 43', then finds Kayden Hulquist for what proves to be the winner in the 58th minute. It's the first postseason win for PLU since 2017.

Pacific Lutheran progresses to its fourth straight NAIA final by upsetting host and No. 2-ranked Lynn, 2-0, in the final game of pool play in Boca Raton, Fla. Sheri Rider and Cheryl Kragness score. PLU beat Wheeling Jesuit, 3-0, the day before to open pool play.

Surafel Wodajo assists on two first-half goals as Pacific Lutheran wins 6-0 at Pacific in Forest Grove, Or. It’s the 10th win in a row for the Lutes. Wadajo connects with Chad Kearns on a quick combination in the 14th minute, and Spencer Augustin scores in the 23rd minute. Wodajo sets a PLU record with 16 assists and graduates as the career leader with 37.

Pacific Lutheran pushes its way into the NCAA Division III second round by upsetting Mary Hardin-Baylor, 4-2, at Belton, Texas. The Lutes, who earned an at-large berth following a runner-up finish in the NWC, begin to take control in the final half-hour. Trevor Thompson provides a 2-1 lead in the 62nd minute, and Cole Dobson doubles it at 75'. PLU is held scoreless for the first time in a 2-0 loss to St. Thomas (Tx.) the next day.

Eddie Na's furious goal assault continues with a brace in Pacific Lutheran's ninth straight win, 4-1 over Linfield. With the two goals in the final 15 minutes, Na overtakes Brian Gardner for the Lutes' career lead with 50. Na has scored 10 times during the win streak, including three multi-goal performances.

Karin Gilmer converts the decisive shootout penalty kick, propelling Pacific Lutheran into the NAIA championship game to defend its title in Due West, S.C. The Lutes, who dominate Lindenwood in shots (23-6), prevail after 120 minutes of regulation and overtime, 0-0 (4-3).

Takara Mitsui makes two saves to earn her 15th shutout of the season as Pacific Lutheran punches its first ticket to the NCAA Division III women's tournament by beating rival Puget Sound, 2-0, at Parkland. Kaylie Rozell and Machaela Graddy score in the second half to snap the Loggers' string of 14 consecutive Northwest Conference titles. The Lutes proceed to finish the regular season undefeated and Mitsui totals 39 career shutouts.

Jamie Bloomstine continues his rich vein of form with a hat trick in Pacific Lutheran's NAIA regional semifinal win over Concordia, 4-3. Bloomstine takes his season total to 13 goals, and Dennis Hillius gets what proves to be deciding goal. PLU succumbs to Simon Fraser in the regional final, 1-0.

Craig Johnson tallies his 19th goal of the year as Pacific Lutheran rolls over Lewis & Clark, 5-0 at home, for the sixth Northwest Conference title in seven years. It's the fourth straight shutout for the Lutes, now winners of eight straight and unbeaten in 15 (12-0-3). Johnson has eight goals and 10 assists during the win streak.

Brian Gardner produces his second hat trick in as many games in Pacific Lutheran's 4-0 win at Lewis &Clark. Gardner also had three goals three days earlier in a 3-1 verdict at Pacific. By the end of the year, he totals 12 goals and a record 49 for his career. Chris Steffy's shutout against the Pioneers his is record 32nd.

With darkness falling after 150 minutes of regulation and overtime, Cheryl Kragness connects on the decisive penalty kick for Pacific Lutheran to advance to the NAIA national finals after drawing with Western Washington, 1-1. Wendy Johnson put host PLU in front at 36' but the Vikings, despite a red card, pull even in the 81st minute through Stephanie Siebert. The Lutes smashed Azusa Pacific, 5-0, and WWU edged Willamette, 4-3, in overtime of the regional semifinals.

No. 15-ranked Puget Sound clinches its 14th consecutive Northwest Conference title by defeating Willamette, 2-0, to conclude the regular season. Needing a tie or win to clinch over rival Pacific Lutheran, the Loggers Jacquelyn Anderson gets things going with a 12th-minute rocket. Anderson pads the margin with 14 minutes remaining. It's the 10th consecutive win for UPS and 23rd straight regular season game without a loss.

Andy McDirmid scores a record six goals as Pacific Lutheran overruns Linfield, 10-0, at McMinnville, Ore. McDirmid is now up to eight goals for the Lutes (4-3-0). Adam White gets the shutout.

Brenda Lichtenwalter gets the shutout and Pacific Lutheran gets goals from Debi Johnson-White and Jina Handrock to beat North Carolina's Elon, 2-0, in the opening pool play match of NAIA nationals at Sprinker Recreation Center. Johnson-White spins on a defender and scores from 18 yards in the 37th minute. Cheryl Kragness crosses to Handrock for a header at 61:18. Despite a 20-5 advantage in shots, the No. 2-ranked Lutes lose to Georgian Court, 1-0, two days later yet advance to the championship game on goal differential.

Pacific Lutheran earns the distinction of becoming the first program to qualify for five straight NAIA national tournaments by defeating Seattle University, 3-2, at Olympia for the regional championship. The Lutes score the game's first three goals, then hold on. Rowena Fish and Cathy Martilla give PLU a 2-0 halftime lead, and Keri Allen tallies in the second half. The Chieftains pulls two goals back through Ingrid Gunnestad and Sheralyn Stackhouse. The Lutes will host the national finals in Spanaway while Seattle U earns an at-large berth.

Freshman Mark Stockwell erupts for four goals and Pacific Lutheran’s attack shows no mercy in a 14-0 rout of Linfield. A week later, Stockwell and the Lutes bury Lewis & Clark, 5-0, as he contributes a brace. Stockwell finishes with a record 21 goals.

NAIA champion Pacific Lutheran will return to nationals to defend the title following a 1-0 replay victory over Willamette for the regional title in Olympia. Laura Dutt gets the winner in the 44th minute on a pass from Shari Rider. The replay comes a day after the two teams finished 2-2 after 170 minutes of regulation and overtime. Dutt scored with 20 seconds left in regulation after Wendy Johnson got the Lutes' first two scores.

Sonya Brandt's second goal beats defending champion Berry and propels Pacific Lutheran to its first NAIA championships game in Abilene, Tx. Brandt finishes a Karin Gilmer pass for a first-half lead. After Berry ties it in the 62nd minute, Brandt strikes again off a Wendy Johnson assist.

Pacific Lutheran chalks up yet another Northwest Conference championship by beating George Fox, 2-1, at home. It's the Lutes' eighth NWC crown in a row, surpassed only by Puget Sound's 14 straight. Bella Hanna nets the game-winning header at 86’ after Olivia Boehm gets the PLU opener at 13'.

Pacific Lutheran and Western Washington battle for nearly four hours and then six rounds of penalties to decide the NAIA District 1 title at Parkland before the Lutes claim their first championship, 2-2 (5-4). Bjarte Skuseth converts the deciding penalty. The game is tied 1-1 after regulation, 2-2 at the end of 30 minutes of overtime and it remains knotted following another half-hour of sudden-death.

Pacific Lutheran heads toward the NCAA tournament with a head of steam after completing a sweep of Puget Sound, 3-1 at home. The Lutes win their ninth in a row and are unbeaten in 16 (13-0-3) with one regular season game remaining. They get two first-half goals from Trevor Thompson.

Four state colleges that have been longtime NAIA members join NCAA Division III. Pacific Lutheran, Puget Sound, Whitman and Whitworth are part of an NAIA exodus, with 131 schools having left since 1980.

In a postseason compressed into a single day, Western Washington wins the NAIA District 1 women's title by blanking Pacific Lutheran, 3-0, in the Olympia rain. The Vikings, who nipped host Evergreen, 1-0, in a 9 a.m. semifinal, got a first-half goal and assist from Cindy Gordon in a 3-0 victory over Pacific Lutheran. The Lutes had edged Puget Sound, 3-2, in overtime earlier. With no NAIA national tournament, Western finishes a perfect 14-0-0.

John Neeb makes a record 25 saves for Pacific Lutheran as it extends Washington to two overtimes before succumbing, 1-0, at Husky Stadium. The Lutes defense and Neeb hold strong for 104 minutes of regulation and overtime before Ken Fuegmann scores for the Huskies to win their ninth in a row.

Washington, behind junior Ron Dorn’s four scores, opens NCSC play by dropping a dozen goals on Pacific Lutheran, 12-0, at Husky Stadium. Mike Browne and Eric Anderson each add a brace in the Huskies’ fourth straight win since losing three in a row.

Rachel Ross assists on the first goal and scores the second as Pacific Lutheran nets three goals in the first 18 minutes and goes on to beat Whittier, 4-0, in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament at Thousand Oaks, Calif. The Lutes, who repeated as Northwest Conference champion, also get goals from Kaylie Rozell, Machaela Graddy and Briana Hunting. Natalie Robinson makes six saves in the fourth consecutive shutout and her 17th for PLU. The following night, Graddy's late breakaway forces overtime but Cal Lutheran prevails in the tiebreaker, 1-1 (5-4).

Perrin Schutz puts Puget Sound up early, and Cortney Kjar adds on to a 2-0 win over visiting rival Pacific Lutheran in the regular season finale. The victory sews up the third Northwest Conference championship in four years and establishes a new win record of 16. It also extends the UPS home unbeaten run to 41 games. Schutz scores at 4:55 and Kjar tacks on a penalty in the 32nd minute.

Mark Stockwell, a freshman from Brier, bangs a record five goals past Evergreen in Pacific Lutheran's 8-0 victory.

Pacific Lutheran smashes runner-up George Fox, 4-0, at home on senior day to clinch the Northwest Conference championship for the second year in a row. The Lutes, on a 17-game unbeaten run (12-0-5), get a goal and two assists from Trevor Thompson. In a first round NCAA Division III loss at Colorado Christian, Thompson scores twice to finish with a PLU record 23 goals. Craig Johnson ties the career assist record (37).

Ruth Frobe and Laura Dutt connect for a pair of first-half goals to help Pacific Lutheran ease to its first NAIA postseason victory, 5-0, over Willamette in Olympia. Senior co-captain Frobe serves a corner kick to Dutt, a freshman, in the 8th minute to get things started. It's the same combination in the 40th minute to make it 4-nil. Frobe finishes her career (1984-87) with a record 43 assists. It's also Gail Stenzel's 16th shutout.

Pacific Lutheran's Keeton Heggerness converts two penalty kicks in a 4-0 home defeat of Linfield, which gives Lutes coach John Yorke his 200th win. Yorke is in his 18th season at PLU, and his teams have won or shared the past two Northwest Conference championships.

Behind Ron Dorn's four goals, Washington pummels Pacific Lutheran 12-0 at Husky Stadium. It's not only a UW record margin but also the largest by any program in the state to date. Mike Browne adds a brace.

Keely Hartsough scores all three goals in Seattle University’s 3-0 win over perennial power Pacific Lutheran at East Field. Hartsough, pushed up from defense to midfield, nets goals in the 38th, 70th and 89th minutes. She had scored just once coming into the game.

Second-half goals from Megan Bartenetti and Jamie French enable No. 7-ranked Seattle University to end Pacific Lutheran's NAIA District 1 reign, 2-0, in a semifinal playoff at the Chieftains' West Field. Bartinetti's header puts SU in front at 61:47, and French tacks-on a penalty at 71:10. PLU had won five straight district championships.

JoDee Stumbaugh scores the tying and go-ahead goals to give Pacific Lutheran its fifth straight District 1 championship, 3-1 over Puget Sound. The previous day, the Lutes dispatched Seattle University, 2-1, behind an assist and penalty kick, with five minutes left in overtime, from Debi Johnson-White.

Hannah Cecil's breaks through for the lone goal with seven minutes to go, lifting Pacific Lutheran over Maryville (Tenn.), 1-0, in the NCAA Division III first round at Atlanta. Abby Winkler posts her third straight shutout, and the 21st-ranked Lutes extend their unbeaten string to 19 games, having not lost since August 31. PLU defender Kayden Hulquist's long clearance finds Cecil behind the Scots' defense and she scores her 13th goal at 83'.

Pacific Lutheran reaches the NAIA national men's tournament for the first time by virtue of a 1-0 victory over Concordia in the Area 1 championship game. Adam White makes 12 saves for the Lutes, whose winning goal comes from an Andy McDirmid penalty in the 10th minute. PLU (12-7-0) is one of three unranked teams to make the national tournament in San Antonio.

Pacific Lutheran's first year of varsity men's play ends with a share of the Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges title. The Lutes finish tied three ways with Whitman and Lewis & Clark following a 1-1 draw with the Missionaries. Harold Kutz scores for PLU and John Vernon answers for Whitman. Coach Dave Asher goes out on a high note after five seasons as Lutes coach.

Pacific Lutheran become the state’s first women’s collegiate champions, taking the NAIA title, 2-0, over Hardin-Simmons, in windy Abilene, Texas. Laura Dutt and Sonya Brandt score in the second half for the Lutes – Brandt scoring her record 127th career goal and 32nd of the season. Gail Stenzel earns her 15th shutout and 42nd for her career. Brandt is named the tournament’s most outstanding player, and Colleen Hacker is voted coach of the year.

Michelle Rhodes scores as Seattle University holds Pacific Lutheran, the No. 1-ranked and defending champion NAIA team, to a 1-1 tie. Debi Johnson-White gets the Lutes' goal. Afterward, the Chieftains break into the top 10 national rankings (No. 7) for the first time in the program's 11 years.

Seth Spidahl returns to his alma mater as Pacific Lutheran women's coach. Spidhal has been Washington Premier's coaching director since March of 2011. He was head coach for the Seattle Wolves, later to become Washington Crossfire U23 PDL, from 2009-11. He played four seasons at PLU and later was Washington men's assistant from 2001-09. Spidhal replaces Lynette Buffington.

Top-ranked Puget Sound gets strong goalkeeping from Tresa McIlnay and beats previously undefeated and No. 4 Pacific Lutheran, 2-1, in overtime. After being out-shot 22-9, the Loggers' Beth Nacrelli scores with only 15 seconds remaining in the second extra period.

Vidar Plaszko notches the go-ahead goal and later adds another goal for Pacific Lutheran in a 3-1 road win over Seattle Pacific at Memorial Stadium. It's the Lutes' first win in the 16-game series, dating back to 1970. SPU, which has made Memorial home since 1976, is playing the majority of its home dates at Redmond High School due to scheduling issues.

Kate Wheeler posts her 12th shutout and Pacific Lutheran advances to the NAIA Area 1 final with a 3-0 defeat of Azusa Pacific in Salem. The Lutes, unbeaten in 17 games, get goals from Kirsten Brown, Wendy Johnson and Cheryl Kragness.

No. 19 Western Washington posts a third consecutive shutout to clinch its first GNAC men's championship since 2008, 1-0 over Montana State Billings in Bellingham. With the title comes the second NCAA berth since 2016. Jeremiah Lee first-times a low volley from 6 yards off a corner from Georg Cholewa. The same day, Pacific Lutheran books its place in the Division III postseason by downing Puget Sound, 2-0. The Lutes had shared the NWC title the previous two seasons. Keeton Heggerness opens the scoring in the ninth minute and Jackson Moore tallies 15 minutes later.

Pacific Lutheran's stingy defense is enough to lock down a sixth consecutive NWC championship with a 0-0 draw at Lewis & Clark. Shaylin Cesar makes five saves in goal to earn her eighth shutout and the Lutes' 10th. PLU allows only 10 goals in the regular season.

Kevin Murray assists on a record four goals and scores a hat trick as Pacific Lutheran overwhelms Willamette, 9-0. Murray, the NWC leader in goals (15) and assists (11), is later voted conference offensive player of the year.

Pacific Lutheran finally is able to push its way past intracity rival Puget Sound and advance to the NAIA semifinals. The No. 3-ranked Lutes defeat the No. 2 Loggers, 3-1, for the regional championship at Forest Grove, Or., to complete a run of six straight must-win games to reach extend their season. PLU never trails after Sue Shroeder's 35-yard strike two minutes into the match. Sonya Brandt makes it 2-nil early in the second half and, after UPS pulls a goal back, seals it with her 29th goal at 80’ on Wendy Johnson's 14th assist. Puget Sound had beaten PLU during the season. PLU beat Willamette, 3-0, in the regional semifinals.

Wendy Lee of Puget Sound answers Pacific Lutheran's equalizer within a minute, and the Loggers leave Olympia with another NAIA District 1 title, 2-1. Stephanie Somes puts UPS in front in the 58th minute, but Laura Dutt pulls PLU even with five minutes to go. The Lutes have little time to celebrate. Lee latches on to a cross that slices across the box and deposits it in an open net.

Behind Vidar Plaszko, Pacific Lutheran scores the game's final three goals to upset Washington, 3-2, at Tacoma. Plaszko scores twice, including the winner two minutes into overtime. The victory snaps the Lutes' 17-game losing streak against UW, dating to the first meeting in 1971.

Chad Kearns scores twice and assists on Pacific Lutheran's third goal in a tournament berth-clinching, 3-0 win at George Fox in Newberg, Ore. The Lutes tie for first with Whitworth but swept the Pirates for the NWC tiebreaker and NCAA Division III automatic berth. PLU last reached a national tournament stage in NAIA in 1992.

Pacific Lutheran wins the NCIC championship by defeating Pacific away, 2-1, in Forest Grove, Ore. Jamie Bloomstine gets the Lutes' first goal , and Laef Eggan converts a rebound off a goalkeeper save for the winner.

Ryan Wittstruck makes six saves and Anthony Fioretti scores twice to lead Puget Sound over Pacific Lutheran, 2-0, to cap the regular season at East Athletic Field. The Loggers win their final five games, all with Wittstruck in goal. In an injury-shortened season, he earns two shutouts, bringing his career record total to 30.