McMINNVILLE, Ore. – From start to finish, Spencer Augustin and the 19th-ranked Pacific Lutheran men’s soccer team had their way with Linfield, soundly defeating the Wildcats 8-0 Sunday afternoon at the Linfield soccer field.

Augustin netted four goals and assisted on another as the Lutes won a program-record ninth straight match to maintain their hold on first place in the Northwest Conference with 10-1 record in league matches and 13-2 overall mark. The Wildcats, meanwhile, slip to 1-9-1 in the NWC and 2-11-1 overall.

PLU wasted little time putting points on the board, scoring three goals in rapid succession to claim a 3-0 advantage less than 13 minutes into the first period.

Chad Kearns, the reigning NWC Offensive Player of the Year, scored first for the Lutes in the 13th minute. Linfield keeper Grant Loriaux (Jr., West Linn, Ore.) ran out to stop the play and dove for the ball at Kearns' feet, but the forward lifted his shot over Loriaux and into the net.

Just over three minutes later, Kearns set up PLU’s second score. He took a shot on goal, which was stopped but not controlled by Loriaux. As the ball rolled away from the keeper and the goal, Augustin came streaking down the left side of the goal box and fired his own shot into the net for his first goal of the match.

The Lutes continued the scoring onslaught, tallying another point go up 3-0. This time, Augustin beat his defender, dribbling to the right side of the box. He crossed the ball from left to right and into the goal, just outside the outstretched arms of a diving Loriaux.

Tyler Sedlacek had a solid look at the goal with about 3 ½ minutes remaining in the half, but PLU keeper Joe Rayburn made a great save on the hard-hit ball to keep the ‘Cats off the scoreboard.

Pacific Lutheran showed no mercy after the break, scoring five more times.

The fourth goal of the match came less than five minutes into the second period on an unassisted goal by Augustin. The senior’s shot attempt bounced off the right post and sprung back into the left corner of the net. Augustin scored his fourth and final goal in the 62nd minute when he dribbled from the right baseline and sliced the ball into the left corner of the net.

Three different players notched the final three goals for Pacific Lutheran. Richard Renteria scored in the 77th minute after receiving a cross from Brenden Cohen. About five minutes later, Alex Schisel delivered a free kick to Derek Johnson, who headed the ball into the net.

The final score was set up by a corner kick. Schisel struck the ball, which slid past several players in front of the goal before John Thompson connected with it on the right side of the goal and put it in the back of the net.

Overall, Pacific Lutheran outshot the Wildcats 27-7. Aside from Sedlacek’s attempt, only Eric Gutierrez had a shot on goal for the home team.

‘CAT SCRATCH: Twenty-three players saw action for the Wildcats, and 22 for the Lutes…Linfield played a man down over the final 23:22 of the match and two men down over the final 8:26…PLU’s 27 shots were the most allowed by the Wildcat defense all season…the defeat matched a program low for the 'Cats, who also lost to George Fox 8-0 during the 1995 season.

NEXT: Linfield travels to eastern Washington for a pair of matches against Whitworth and Whitman next Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Both matches are scheduled for 2:30 p.m.