October 12, 2021

Coming Soon: Women’s Lacrosse and Men’s Soccer

Lewis & Clark is adding two new varsity sports teams to its roster.

Aerial photo of Griswold Stadium.

Women’s lacrosse and men’s soccer teams will soon take the field at Lewis & Clark as the college’s 20th and 21st intercollegiate sports.

The establishment of these two teams will help put Lewis & Clark on a more competitive footing in the Northwest Conference. All of the other institutions in the conference offer men’s soccer teams. All but one also has women’s lacrosse.

“Adding lacrosse and soccer is an investment in Lewis & Clark’s future,” President Wim Wiewel said. “Not only will it attract new students who otherwise might not have come here for college, but we know Lewis & Clark’s student-athletes have always been among our most outstanding students.”

The new men’s soccer team should be ready to start competition by the 2022–23 academic year. The team will be coached initially by Portland soccer staple Jim Tursi, who is the current head coach of women’s soccer at Lewis & Clark. NCAA Division III programs typically play a schedule of about 20 games during the fall season.

The college will launch a national search for the women’s lacrosse coach, with the intent to begin competition during the 2023–24 academic year. Lacrosse competes in about 15 games per season during the spring.

“This is an exciting time for Lewis & Clark Athletics,” said Mark Pietrok, director of physical education and athletics. “Our coaches have proven to be recruiters of high-achieving student-athletes. I look forward to welcoming more quality students to our campus to help them reach their potential, both in the classroom and on the field, while contributing to the vitality of our department and community.”

L&C Athletics