SPOKANE, Wash. - Karl Muelheims scored the lone goal in the 53rd minute, his fourth goal over the last three matches, lifting Whitworth to a 1-0 win over Pacific Lutheran on Saturday afternoon at the Whitworth Soccer Field.

The Pirates (9-0-1, 4-0-1 NWC) extended their win streak to four matches while Pacific Lutheran (6-5-0, 3-2-0) dropped its second-straight match following a five-match winning streak.

Muelheims scored an unassisted goal shortly after halftime, collecting a loose ball in the box and finishing to the left side of the net from close range. The goal was the fifth of the season for Muelheims, who was coming off a two-goal performance in a win over Pacific (Ore.) last weekend.

"The ball somehow found Karl, there were a couple players in the box who had a chance to find the back of the net and eventually it found Karl," head coach Morgan Cathey said. "And he was really composed, just took one fake, stepped aside, and buried the shot. He's been fantastic for the last couple weeks -- he's been the player we can count on for goals."

Muelheims has helped provide significant offensive production recently alongside leading goal-scorer Micheal Ramos. The forwards have combined to net eight of the 12 goals scored by the Pirates in their last three matches.

Whitworth held a 17-7 shot advantage, including a 4-3 edge in shots on goal. The Lutes took six corner kicks compared with four by the Pirates.

Timmy Costa collected three saves for the Pirates, recording his second shutout of the season. It was the third overall shutout of the season for Whitworth.

"Defensively, we played phenomenally well," Cathey said. "That was fantastic -- the effort of all the guys to finish every play, to be 100 percent mentally engaged in the game was awesome."

The Pirates will look to keep their undefeated conference record intact on Sunday when they host Puget Sound, the defending NWC champions.