SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth Pirates return to the road this weekend in Oregon still searching for their first win away from home during the 2021-22 men's soccer season. Whitworth will take on George Fox on Saturday and Pacific (Ore.) on Sunday, both matches starting at 2:30 pm. The Pirates played the Bruins and the Boxers only two weekends ago at home.
Check the Whitworth men's soccer schedule for live links to follow the action. According George Fox's outdoor spectator policy, masks are required for fans at the event. At Pacific, either proof of vaccination or proof of a negative test taken within 72 hours of the event is required for admission. Please plan accordingly.
The Pirates: Whitworth (5-5-1 overall, 4-3 NWC) dropped a heartbreaker in overtime at Whitman last Saturday. The Pirates are now 5-0-1 at home this season and 0-5 on the road.
Whitworth lost 1-0 at Whitman in double overtime. The Blues scored with just two and a half minutes left in the second OT. Beckett Arthur was the only Pirate with more than one shot attempt. Andrew Wolotira made a pair of saves in goal. Whitman has won five straight against the Bucs.
Dynamic Duo: Beckett Arthur and Dominic Gusman have become the most dynamic scoring pair in the Northwest Conference this season. Arthur leads the league in goals (9) and in total points (18). Gusman is second in goals (7), tied for the lead with Arthur in points (18, including four assists) and leads in game-winning goals (4). Each has been named the Northwest Conference's Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week once this season – Gusman on September 20th and Arthur on October 4th.
The Opponents: George Fox is 4-7 overall and 2-5 in the NWC, including last Saturday's 2-1 win against Pacific. The Bruins have won two of their last three matches. Joshua Chang and Alan Rincon, both freshman, have three goals and one assist apiece. Whitworth defeated George Fox 4-1 on October 3rd at home behind two goals by Beckett Arthur and a goal and assist from Dominic Gusman.
Pacific is 5-6-1 overall and 2-4-1 in the NWC heading into Saturday's match against Whitman. The Boxers lost 2-1 at George Fox last Saturday. Cooper Sheakley has five goals and an assist, while Noah Edwards has a pair of goals and five assists. Both are freshman. Whitworth defeated Pacific 2-0 on October 2nd as Arthur and Gusman each tallied a goal.
The Coach: Jeremy Payne, a talented and highly accomplished young coach, enters his second season as men's soccer coach at Whitworth University in 2021.
Payne is a graduate of Messiah College (Pa.), where he was the NSCAA Division III Player of the Year in 2012 and 2014. Following graduation from Messiah, Payne became a graduate assistant coach at Eastern University (St. David's, Pa.) in August of 2015 and served in that role for two seasons before he was promoted to head coach in March of 2017. He led the Eagles to a 42-17-5 record and two Division III tournament appearances over the last three seasons.
Coming up next: Whitworth will return home to host Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound on October 23-24.
