As the fall season for the University of Puget Sound Athletics comes to an end, so does the yearly fall sports rivalry with Pacific Lutheran.
The women’s soccer team split their series with PLU with a 1-0 win and a 3-1 loss. Each game has been a tightly contested match that has been played with much passion. The most recent game was for first place in the Northwest Conference.
Sophomore defender Emma Donckels (Los Altos, Calif.) scored the lone goal in the Loggers first game against PLU. Senior forward Robin Vieira (Seattle, Wash.) scored the lone goal for the Loggers in the second game against the Lutes. That was her sixth of the season.
The men’s soccer team won their first game at PLU with a 1-0 win and finish the season at home against PLU on Nov. 8. The Loggers are currently a game behind first place Willamette. On paper the men’s game against PLU is the most competitive game left on their schedule. This will be the game to attend.
Senior forward Andrew White (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) notched the lone goal against the Lutes. The Loggers could still win the league if they beat PLU on Nov. 8 and Willamette and Whitworth lose their games.
The volleyball team has played PLU two times during the season and will face PLU once more on Nov. 5. When the two teams met in conference play, it resulted in an epic 3-2 loss for the Loggers. The Loggers faced a 2-1 deficit and were able to rally back to force a fifth game. Unfortunately, the Loggers were unable to complete the comeback.
The volleyball team will have the opportunity to play spoiler and ruin PLU’s chance to win conference.
Junior outside-hitter Shawna Smith (Longview, Wash.) and first-year setter Moira McVicar (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) both had a double-double in their first league game against PLU.
On Nov. 1, the Puget Sound football team lost to PLU by a score of 42-27. Attendance was 2,742 people. Many people from Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran packed Baker Stadium.
Senior quarterback Braden Foley (Bothell, Wash.) finished the game with 28-54 passing for 302 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Senior Kevin Miller (Seattle, Wash.) had 10 receptions for 122 yards and two touchdowns.
“Playing PLU is such a different experience because they are our cross-town rival[s] and there [are many] emotions involved,” junior quarterback Nick Nestingen (Seattle, Wash.) said.
The University of Puget Sound PLU rivalry has a long history that dates back to the times both these schools were founded. The University of Puget Sound was founded in 1888 in the city of Tacoma. Two years later, Pacific Lutheran University was founded.
The University of Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran University have played each other 89 times in football. The series record is 44-39-5 favoring Puget Sound. The first time the school met on the grid iron, was in 1926 when Puget Sound won 12-0.
Each year the game is a highly anticipated event that can turn coworkers who are alumni of each school into bitter rivals. People can still purchase memorabilia of the 1949 game on the eBay website.
Every year the Northwest Conference ranks schools based on the overall performance of their combined athletics.
The goal for every year for the University of Puget Sound’s athletic department is to finish above Pacific Lutheran.