BIG WEEK IN TACOMA
Following a rivalry match across town on Wednesday against the Pacific Lutheran Lutes, the Loggers return home on Saturday afternoon for their final home game of the 2007 season as they will embark on a four-game road trip to conclude the regular season.
The Loggers vs. Pacific Lutheran
With a combined 33 shots and 20 saves, the 11th ranked Puget Sound Loggers and their crosstown-rival Pacific Lutheran Lutes played to a 1-1 draw in a Northwest Conference men's soccer game on Wednesday afternoon on Peyton Field at Baker Stadium in Tacoma.
The Lutes (7-5-1, 5-1-1 NWC) took the lead in the 19th minute when Brennan Brown threaded a pass through the Logger defense to Erik Gracey, who finished from just yards out to give Pacific Lutheran a 1-0 halftime lead over the Loggers (10-1-1, 5-1-1 NWC).
In the second half, the Loggers evened things up in the 70th minute when, following a scrum of activity near the Pacific Lutheran net, a Lute defender booted the ball into his own net for an own goal. Neither team was able to put a ball into the goal during the remaining 20 minutes of regulation and the 20 minutes of overtime. The entire second half and overtime was played in the rain and the field began to puddle, limiting both teams offensively.
Logger keeper Pete Van Sant (Santa Cruz, Calif.) made nine saves in the 110 minute contest while his PLU counterpart Daniel Magum finished with 11 saves on the day.
The Loggers vs. Willamette
After allowing an early goal, the 11th-ranked Puget Sound Loggers scored five unanswered goals en route to a 5-1 win over the Willamette Bearcats in a Northwest Conference men's soccer game on Saturday afternoon in Salem, Ore.
Willamette (2-10-2, 0-8-1 NWC) got on the board first in the 13th minute after Greg Beasley beat Logger keeper Pete Van Sant (Santa Cruz, Calif.) near the top of the box and then put in a shot from about nine yards out. The Loggers (11-1-1, 6-1-1 NWC) answered back quickly after Scott Blanchet (Gig Harbor, Wash./Bellarmine Prep) beat the Willamette keeper at the top of the box and fired in a goal of his own from 10 yards out. Neither squad was able to get another first half goal as the teams went into the second half tied 1-1.
In the second half, it was all Loggers for the entire 45 minutes. Senior co-captain Greg Swanson (University Place, Wash./Curtis) broke the tie in the 59th minute, shooting a bullet from the upper right corner of the box right into the net for a 2-1 Logger lead. In the 63rd minute, Mark Conrad (Seattle, Wash./Willamette) used a pass from Taylor Hyde (Sandy, Utah/Waterford) to score on his former team and give Puget Sound a 3-1 lead.
In the final ten minutes of the game, the Logger freshman joined in the fun as Zach Semago (Tacoma, Wash./Bellarmine Prep) used a pass from Hyde to make it 4-1 with a shot from seven yards out for his first collegiate goal. With just seconds remaining in the game, Kyle Benson (Lynnwood, Wash.Kamiak) scored his fourth goal of the year, assisted by Semago, to give UPS the 5-1 win.
National Attention
The Loggers stayed put at 13th in the latest NSCAA/adidas National Rankings. In the D3kicks.com Top 25, the Loggers broke back into the top ten, taking over the ninth spot after spending last week as number 11.
Statistically Speaking
As a team, the Loggers continue to lead the NWC in several categories. Puget Sound is tops in shots (288), goals (37), goals allowed (6), goals against average (0.44), corners (97), and attendance (406 avg/g). Individually, Alex Lehecka leads the NWC in game-winning goals (4) while Pete Van Sant is tops in goals against average (0.44) and save percentage (.897).
On the national stage, the Loggers are seventh in save percentage (0.898), 14th in team goals against average (0.44) and 21st in shutout percentage (0.62). Van Sant is 15th in GAA (0.444) and 10th in save percentage (0.897).
Honoring our Seniors
On Saturday, six Loggers will be playing their final regular-season home game when UPS takes on Linfield. Scott Blanchet, Mark Conrad, Brandon Henry, Andrew Hewitt, Greg Swanson and Pete Van Sant will all be playing their final home contest for the Loggers.
Scouting Pacific Lutheran
The Lutes coming into Wednesday's game with a record of 8-5-1 on the season, including 6-1-1 in NWC play. Last week, the Lutes tied the Loggers, 1-1, in the pouring down rain before defeating George Fox, 5-3, on Sunday. Mike Ferguson leads the Lutes with 10 goals and five assists on the season for 25 points. Daniel Magum has seen most of the time in net, allowing seven goals in 934.56 for a 0.67 GAA and an .833 save percentage.
Scouting Linfield
The Wildcats are 7-5-1 in 2007, including 3-5-1 in NWC play. The Loggers split last weekend, falling 3-0 to Whitworth and then rebounding for a 2-0 win against Whitman. Michael Camacho and Nick Jauregui have each scored three goals to lead the balanced offense. Mike Belzberg has seen all 1211:43 in net, allowing 13 goals for a 0.97 GAA and an .859 save percentage.
The Coach
In his 14th season at the helm of the Loggers, Reece Olney has compiled a career record through the weekend of 170-75-25. In Northwest Conference matches, Olney has a record of 98-29-13.
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