Ariana Wilson
Reporter
The Pacific Lutheran University women’s soccer team is on a roll this fall season. With two losses out of twelve conference games they are currently standing in second place overall in the Northwest Conference, right behind their rival University of Puget Sound.
The season is coming to a close with only four games remaining as the team prepares to face Pacific, Willamette, George Fox and Puget Sound. The preseason coaches poll favored the Pacific Lutheran University women’s soccer team in August and it looks as though the Puget Sound Loggers and the Lutes will head the Northwest conference, fueling the cross-town rivalry between the two universities.
The PLU women and men soccer teams have secured the northwest conference title the last four and five years in a row, respectively. Defending their position on top has become increasingly more difficult as competition in the conference grows each year.
New additions to the team this year such as First Year Eva Wirth have made significant strides in the team’s season.
“Hard work, dedication to each other, and trusting the process have helped us stay in the top two and stay right up there with UPS,” Wirth said.
Their continued strong performance keeps the Lutes in good standing, but Wirth said that the team knows they can’t take their position for granted.
“Staying competitive and not letting our guard down is essential because anything can happen in soccer,” she said. “You need to stay hungry and have a goal to strive for in the end.”
The end goal for the team is another Northwest Conference title. The battles they have ahead will determine if the Lutes will move onto postseason and the NCAA tournament.
