TACOMA, Wash.-- (From PLU Sports Information Office) Kelly Baker scored on a penalty kick 25 seconds into the first overtime period to give the visiting Whitworth Pirates a 3-2 Northwest Conference women’s soccer victory over Pacific Lutheran on Saturday afternoon.
Baker (Sr., D, Boise, Idaho) got her chance when teammate Kara Tisthammer (Sr., MF, Spokane, WAsh.) was knocked down in the penalty area while pursuing a centering pass. Baker’s shot to the upper right corner beat Pacific Lutheran goalkeeper Kamryn Morgan and gave the Pirates a win that they almost let slip away. The Pirates (11-3-1 overall, 7-3-1 conference) got a pair of first half goals from Elizabeth Mattila (So., F, Ferndale, Wash.) at 17:54 and 38:28 to take a 2-0 lead. Mattila used her speed with great effectiveness down the right flank, getting behind the PLU defense and centering two passes that should have been turned into goals but weren’t. Those misses would come back to haunt the Pirates as Pacific Lutheran (2-9-3, 1-8-2) battled back into the match behind a pair of goals by senior midfielder Amanda Crawford. She tallied her first goal of the match, and of the season, at 44:18 when her cross intended for the far post instead went over the head of Whitworth keeper Callie Bergstrom (Fr., GK, Spokane, Wash.) and into the far side of the net. Crawford got her second goal at 61:05, striking a ball from the top of the penalty area, through Bergstrom’s finger tips and into the net. Whitworth had the majority of the chances in the final third of the game, and indeed throughout the contest, but did not score until the opening seconds of the overtime. The Pirates enjoyed a 19-6 advantage in shots, though they had only six shots on goal compared to five for PLU. Whitworth also had a 5-1 margin in corner kicks. Both teams return to Northwest Conference action at noon on Sunday, the Lutes hosting the Whitman Missionaries and the Pirates playing at Puget Sound. |
