TACOMA, Wash. --- The George Fox women's soccer team went toe-to-toe with the #18 ranked team in the nation on Saturday, ultimately falling to Pacific Lutheran, 2-1, in a game that featured a high-scoring first half.

How It Happened 
The Lutes, fresh off of their first loss of the season Wednesday night against Puget Sound, came to East Field with a vengeance. They dominated the first 15 minutes of the game, throwing up four shots and earning three corner kicks in the opening minutes. George Fox's defense was able to hold firm and the game remained scoreless early on.

The first goal of the match came 22 minutes in, when Sawyer Anderson came from midfield and launched a shot past Bruin goalie Sara Thudium to make the score 1-0. This goal set off a chain of aggressive offensive sets that would see two goals in five minutes.

The Bruins got on the board when junior defender Willa Evans knocked in her third goal of the season in the 40th minute. The score would not remain tied for long, however, as Pacific Lutheran's Alyssa Jordan responded with a goal of her own to give the Lutes a 2-1 halftime lead.

After a frantic first half, the second half saw a much more subdued pace. After earning seven corner kicks and nine shots in the first half alone, the Lutes met a suffocating Bruin defense that only allowed one shot in the first 30 minutes of the second half. However, George Fox was unable to generate chances of its own. After a shot by freshman defender Hayven Richardson was saved in the waning minutes, the Bruins could not muster any last-minute magic and fell 2-1.

Top Performers
Evans' first-half goal was assisted by junior Maggie Phillips, her second assist of the season. Richardson, Amy Hatter, and Maggee Hodgdon were the other Bruins that managed a shot on goal. Defensively, freshman goalkeeper Sara Thudium tallied four saves for the Bruins.

Coach's Thoughts
"We did well in the run of play today and have a short list of things to clean up," said head coach Laura Schott. "Overall we played well against a strong PLU team."

What It Means
The women's first loss in two weeks drops the Bruins to a record of 6-4-1, with a Northwest Conference mark of 4-2-1.

Up Next
The Bruin women will make the three-hour drive back to Newberg tonight and prepare for a Sunday home match against the Willamette University Bearcats at Austin Sports Complex. Kick-off is scheduled for noon.