The Pacific Lutheran Lutes enter the 2025 season as the team to beat in Northwest Conference men’s soccer, earning the top spot in the annual preseason coaches’ poll. PLU, coming off its second straight regular-season crown in 2024, collected eight first-place votes and 64 total points to secure the favorite’s role.
Whitworth was picked second with 50 points, while Whitman followed closely in third with 49 points and the remaining first-place vote. George Fox (45 points) and Puget Sound (35 points) rounded out the top five. Willamette (30 points) and Pacific (Ore.) (27 points) were slotted sixth and seventh, respectively, while Linfield (16) and Lewis & Clark (8) completed the poll.
Conference play kicks off September 20, with the regular-season champion earning the NWC’s automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Tournament.
(Points awarded on an 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Coaches could not vote for their own teams; numbers in parentheses indicate first place votes)
|
Team
|
Pts.
|
2024 NWC Finish
|
|
Pacific Lutheran (8)
|
64
|
1st
|
|
Whitworth
|
50
|
4th
|
|
Whitman (1)
|
49
|
3rd
|
|
George Fox
|
45
|
2nd
|
|
Puget Sound
|
35
|
6th
|
|
Willamette
|
30
|
7th
|
|
Pacific (Ore.)
|
27
|
5th
|
|
Linfield
|
16
|
8th
|
|
Lewis & Clark
|
8
|
9th
|