TACOMA, Wash. – A trio of second-half goals by defending Northwest Conference champion Pacific Lutheran sunk the Linfield Wildcats 4-1 Sunday afternoon at the Lutes' East Soccer Field.
 
1st Half
In Linfield's final road contest of the season, the Lutes got on the board 16 minutes into the match when Joe Sammartino netted his sixth goal of the season.
 
Linfield found offense hard to come by in the opening stanza, recording just two shots.
 
2nd Half
PLU doubled its advantage 13 minutes after the second period whistle when Sammartino tallied his second goal of the game off another assist by Bennett Bugbee.
 
With a little more than 15 minutes to play, the Wildcats were given a glimmer of hope when PLU goalkeeper RJ Noll was called for a foul in his own penalty box.
 
Linfield marksman Isaias Flores stepped up for the spot kick, netting his second goal in as many days to cut the Lutes' advantage to 2-1.
 
Despite the brief surge, PLU forward Eddie Na scored a pair of goals in a 10-minute span to push his season goal total to a league-high 16 while putting any hope of a Wildcats' comeback to rest with a 4-1 score line.
 
Leading Wildcats
Linfield forwards Malachi Stalberg and Ryan Kister led the team with two shots each. Center defenders Andrew Fischer and Luke Marks played all 90 minutes. Wildcats' goalkeeper Eli Peckham turned away five shots on 23 Lutes' attempts.
 
Top Lutes
Along with their two-goal games, Sammartino and Na each totaled a team-high six shots. Noll finished the afternoon with two saves.
 
What It Means
With one game left on its schedule, Linfield remains winless in conference play and stands at 2-14-1 overall. Pacific Lutheran (9-2-2 NWC) takes control of first place with 29 points.
 
Next
The Wildcats finish the season at home against the second-place Willamette Bearcats Saturday at noon. Seniors Austin Bebee, Chris Palmer, Dylan Shephard, Eli Peckham, Isaac Archer and Tony Quesnell will celebrated for their commitment to the men's soccer program on Senior Day.