Trio of First-Half Goals Lift Lutes Past Bruins

George Fox (4-3-1, NWC 0-3) visits Willamette University Tuesday night at 7:00 PM.

Photo: George Fox University

NEWBERG - Exploding for three goals in the first half to take firm control of the game, the visiting Pacific Lutheran University Lutes went on to post a 4-0 victory over the George Fox University Bruins in a Northwest Conference men’s soccer match Saturday afternoon at Morse Field.

All-Conference forward Mike Ferguson got the Lutes going just 6:54 into the game when he came out of group of players with the ball following a corner kick by Erik Gracey and sent it into the net from five yards out for his fourth score of the season.

The Lutes made it 2-0 at 18:02 when Trevor McDonald, taking a free kick following a George Fox foul, sent a bullet toward the goal from 35 yards out that skimmed off the head of a diving defender and deflected into the left side of the net past keeper Kyle Putnam for his first goal of the season.

Baard Asker notched his fifth goal of the season when he scored on a shot from right to left from 15 yards away after a pass from Andy Hyres at the 23:54 mark, making it 3-0 PLU at the break. The Lutes added a final goal at the 71:20 mark in the second half on Brennan Brown’s first goal past keeper Jake Maguire after a short cross from Scott Parsons.

The Lutes out-shot the Bruins 18-13, with an 11-4 advantage in shots on goal, although George Fox had more corners, 6-4. Putnam had five saves and Maguire two in goal for the Bruins, while Andrew Croft and Joshua Hooley, who worked the final 11-plus minutes, teamed up for the shutout for PLU, with Croft making all four saves the Lutes needed.

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