TACOMA, Wash. -- (From Chris Thompson, UPS SID) Logger keeper Pete Van Sant made six saves to collect his 11th shutout of the season as Puget Sound defeated the Whitworth Pirates, 2-0, in a Northwest Conference men's soccer game on Saturday afternoon in Tacoma, Wash. With the win, the Loggers pull into a tie with the Pirates for first place in the Northwest Conference, despite having played one less game than the Bucs.

The Loggers (11-1-2, 8-1-2 NWC) got their offense going early, taking a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute when Scott Blanchet took a cross from Micah Wenzel from the right side and was able to boot the ball in from the center of the box, just about five yards out.

The second goal of the afternoon came at the 27:52 mark on a penalty kick by Wenzel, which followed a yellow card given to Whitworth keeper Kevin Bostock on a foul in the box. The Pirates' Sean Lambrecht was shown a yellow card just 57 seconds earlier following a collision near midfield.

Both keepers had solid games, making six saves each. The Logger defense also had a strong showing, notching a team save towards the end of the game.

Whitworth will have to bounce back quickly, taking on Pacific Lutheran on Sunday at 1:30 pm. The Loggers will also lace up the boots again on Sunday, playing host to Whitman.