PARKLAND, Wash. – The Whitman College women's soccer team had gone more than 333 minutes without scoring a goal before its offense, facing the stingiest 'D' in the Northwest Conference, finally woke up.

Gosh, was it cranky.

Lena de Guzman, who scored the Missionaries' last goal before the scoring drought on Oct. 4, netted a pair of goals Saturday to help Whitman stun first-place, nationally-ranked Pacific Lutheran University 2-1.

"That was huge," Missionaries head coach Laura Williamson said. "We needed that."

Whitman (7-5-2, 5-3-2 NWC) snapped a three-match losing streak by beating the team which started the slide. It also ended PLU's seven-match winning streak, dealt the 25th-ranked Lutes their first home loss and nearly doubled the hosts' season total for goals allowed. PLU (9-3-1, 7-2) and its superb goalkeeper, Takara Mitsui, had allowed just three goals all season entering Saturday's fracas -- but could not deny de Guzman and her valet on both goals, Clara Merlino.

Each goal came from distance, launched by de Guzman's left boot. The first, a rocket into the right corner of the net, tied the match 1-1 38 minutes, three seconds into the first half. It answered the opening score by PLU's Kaylie Rozell, who beat a sprawling Haley Case from the top of the box for a 1-0 lead at the 11:21 mark.

de Guzman blasted the game winner off a brisk, turf-skimming pass from Merlino on the left flank. Hovering at the top of the area, her right shoulder to goal, de Guzman flicked the ball to herself left-footed and -- with a near-instant second touch -- torqued it past Mitsui for a lead at the 51:54 mark of the second half.

"She was able to get a nice, clean touch and finish it off a half-volley. Both were great goals," said Williamson. "When (de Guzman) plays with confidence, we're a better team."

Mitsui leads the NWC in save percentage, goals against and goals against average, but was outplayed by Case. The Lutes were relentless down the stretch, firing 10 second-half shots, but Case locked down the cage.

Six of Case's seven saves came after halftime.

"Haley did a really good job," Williamson said. "They were definitely pressing us down in the last 15 minutes. Haley came up big for us and made a few saves that needed to be made. We were able to close it out."

PLU's goal came on its second shot of the game and seemed to ignite the Whitman attack. Despite controlling possession early, its first promising push did not come until after it trailed 1-0. Alissa Soo took the first shot for the Missionaries. Hawked by two defenders, she pirouetted in the box, spun counterclockwise and fired a right-footed laser just high.

It was an omen of the quality to come.

"We came into the game with confidence," said Williamson. "We focused a lot on finding our shape in the attack, supporting each other in our angles, and got back to attacking the way we were in the beginning of the season."

Whitman was unbeaten through its first six conference matches, going 4-0-2 from Sept. 13 through Oct. 4. Then it went 0-3 and did not score. Its last goal prior to Saturday's awakening was the game-winner in a 1-0 result against the University of Puget Sound on Oct. 4 in Walla Walla.

A 1-0 loss to PLU the next day (on a goal conceded at a 10-on-11 player disadvantage) started the mini-slump.

But that loss was avenged on Saturday with a result that kept Whitman's conference title hopes alive with six matches remaining.

"That keeps us in it. It was a great game, a battle, like every game in this conference," Williamson said. "If we win out, we can be in a good spot."

The Missionaries take on host UPS at noon on Sunday.