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Oct. 8, 2008
Hyres Goal Lifts Lutes Past Loggers in Tight NWC Clash
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| Andy Hyres |
PARKLAND, Wash. - Andy Hyres scored the game's only goal in the 56th minute and the Pacific Lutheran defense cleared two headers off the line late in the second half as the Lutes defeated visiting Puget Sound, 1-0, in a Northwest Conference men's soccer match played Wednesday afternoon.
Hyres, a senior midfielder, took a pass from Ryan Hanna who was on the right wing, switched the ball over to his left foot and fired a shot into the right corner of the goal at 55:28. Puget Sound goalkeeper Greg Saetrum, who had a strong game in goal with eight saves, dove to his left but was unable to get a hand on Hyres' shot.
Pacific Lutheran's win ended a string of recent dominance by the Loggers in the series. The last time that the Lutes beat Puget Sound came during the first meeting between the clubs back in 2004, and since that time the Loggers have beaten the Lutes five times with two matches ending up in a tie.
This match could easily have gone Puget Sound's way but for a couple of plays by PLU defenders in the second half. With 17:30 remaining, Puget Sound's Chris Shaw sent a header that seemed destined for the tying goal, only to see Scott Parsons clear it off the line. With 7:30 left to play, Cole Peterson's header to the far post was headed off the line by PLU's Derek MacLean.
Saetrum also kept his team in the game in the late going with several excellent saves, including back-to-back diving efforts on shots by Ricky Morales and Surafel Worku in the 67th minute.
The Lutes finished the match with 16 shots, including nine on goal. The Loggers had nine shots, four on goal, with Daniel Mangum and his teammates each getting a pair of saves to their credit.
The two teams will battle it out a week from today when the Loggers host the Lutes at Baker Stadium in another Northwest Conference contest scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. Before that, however, the Lutes will be in action at 2:30 p.m. Sunday when they take on the Linfield Wildcats in a Northwest Conference contest in McMinnville, Ore.
- PLU -
