Saturday, Nov. 3 was bittersweet for Puget Sound men’s soccer as the team said goodbye to four seniors during Senior Day at East Field. However, they were given a stylish farewell in the form of a 2-0 win against Pacific Lutheran.
The Loggers (12-3-5, 8-2-4 NWC) scored twice in the second half of the game and senior goalkeeper Chris McDonald (Newton, Mass.) saved two shots to preserve the shutout.
The Pacific Lutheran Lutes’ (10-7-2, 9-4-1 NWC) and the Loggers’ performance were not hindered by the soggy pitch, and both teams were able to maneuver the ball across the field. Both teams took seven shots on goal; however, none were able to find their way to the back of the net.
In the 57th minute of the game this trend was broken. Senior Chris Shaw (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho) finished a perfect combination play between him, junior Carson Swope (Portland, Ore.), and junior Andrew White (Steamboat Springs, Colo.).
White scored his own goal in the 62nd minute after a pass from sophomore midfielder Kyle Petersson (Lexington, Mass.) to clinch the win for the Loggers. This goal was White’s seventh team-leading goal of the season.
McDonald extended his school record of career shutouts to 33 and tied the Puget Sound season record for shutouts with 13. His career record was improved to 37-16-11.
With this victory, the Loggers move into second place and are now tied with Pacific Lutheran in the Northwest conference with 28 points. Their number five regional ranking gave them a chance for an at-large bid into this year’s NCAA Division III postseason tournament.
However, such hopes were dashed on Monday, as the NCAA selection committee snubbed the Loggers, taking only one team from Northwest Conference.
Senior Day on East Field was a bittersweet moments. It will forever be win in the record books and it allowed the Loggers to move up in the Northwest conference rankings. However, it also marked the final varsity game for four team members.
Their days of gracing the field in their maroon and white are coming to an end, but they will never lose the Logger spirit.
After four years of dedication and team spirit, they move forward looking to the future. However, as every Logger knows, once a Logger, always a Logger.
