Box Score SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth jumped to an early lead and rolled to a 4-1 win over visiting Pacific Lutheran on Sunday afternoon in Northwest Conference men's soccer action.
After posting their best defensive effort of the season in yesterday's 1-0 win over league-leading Puget Sound, the Pirates improved to 8-3-2 overall and 6-2-1 (19 points) with one of their best offensive outputs of 2013. The Lutes dropped to 9-3-3, 4-3-2 (14 points) with their third consecutive loss.
Sam Selisch got Whitworth on the scoreboard just over two minutes into the game. He took the ball and sliced through several PLU defenders before getting off a shot from eight yards that snuck into the lower right corner of the net. It was the sixth goal of the season for Selisch.
Andrew French set up Whitworth's second goal in the 24th minute when he was fouled in the box, drawing a penalty kick. Balin Larson converted the PK for his first goal of the year.
Ten minutes later the Bucs benefited from an own-goal. Spencer Wolfe sent a free kick into the penalty area from just in front of the Whitworth bench. The ball deflected off of a PLU defender and into the net.
PLU had not allowed more than two goals in any match all season, but Whitworth had a 3-0 lead at halftime.
Ginancarlo Santoro got the Lutes on the board in the 55th minute when he dribbled around a pair of Whitworth defenders and scored from ten-yard out on the left side.
But any hope PLU had for a miracle comeback were dashed when David Starkovich sent a long crossing pass that was headed in by Sam Engle in the 69th minute. It was Engle's third goal of the season.
Whitworth only outshot the Lutes 12-11, but 10 of the Pirates' shots were on-goal compared to only four on-goal for PLU.
Timmy Costa made three saves and allowed one goal in 81 minutes for Whitworth. Joe Reyburn made four saves but allowed four goals in 73 minutes for PLU.
The Pirates head back to Oregon for their final scheduled road trip of the season next weekend. A Friday night match at Pacific (Ore.) will be followed by a Sunday match at George Fox.
