SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth University will test itself against the best of the Northwest Conference this weekend when the Pirates host league-leading Pacific Lutheran (Saturday) and Puget Sound (Sunday) to open the second half of league play. Both matches will start at noon.
See the Whitworth soccer schedule for live links to this weekend's matches. Fans are encouraged, but not required, to wear masks at outdoor events with less than 500 attendees at Whitworth, per the Governor's current directives.
The Pirates: Whitworth is 7-3-2 overall and 4-2-2 in the NWC following last week's matches against Pacific and Linfield. The Pirates are currently in fifth place in the league standings, but only two points out of third place.
Despite controlling play from the start, Whitworth didn't score until the second half on Saturday against Pacific. The Pirates poured it on in a 3-0 win. Savannah Acpal scored from an assist by Gabriella Coprivnicar just over a minute into the second half. Coprivnicar then added two goals of her own in the last five minutes of the match. Whitworth outshot the Boxers 12-6, including a 9-3 advantage in shots on goal. Kate Nelson made two saves for the shutout.
The Pirates scored earlier than ever in Sunday's match against Linfield as Coprivnicar set a record for fastest goal in Whitworth history when she gave the Bucs a 1-0 lead only 11 seconds into the contest. Maggie Ames tallied the second goal in a 2-0 victory in the final two minutes. The Pirates had an 18-4 lead in shots. Nelson only had to make one save.
Building a Wall: Kate Nelson has been strong in goal for the Pirates. Nelson has a 0.64 goals-against average this season and has stopped 87.5% of the shots she has faced. She leads all Northwest Conference keepers in minutes played (1120) and ranks second in shutouts with seven.
Finding Balance: Whitworth is very balanced offensively this season. Eleven different Pirates have scored the team's 19 goals. Gabriella Coprivnicar has five while Maggie Ames, Macey Morales, Ireland Eaton and Kendall Sharp each have two. Seven players have combined for the Bucs' nine assists. Coprivnicar has three and Morales has two.
The Opponents: Pacific Lutheran University comes into Saturday's match 11-1 overall and 7-1 in the NWC. The Lutes were ranked 18th last week, but dropped to "others receiving votes" after losing 1-0 to Puget Sound last Wednesday. PLU bounced back to beat George Fox 2-1 on Saturday. Freshman Hannah Cecil has five goals, while junior Ellie Reardon has six assists. PLU defeated Whitworth 2-0 in Parkland on September 18th as the Lutes outshot the Pirates 19-3.
The University of Puget Sound is 11-0-1 overall and 7-0-1 in the NWC and ranked 19th in this week's poll heading into Saturday's match at Whitman. The Loggers followed their big win over PLU with a 3-0 domination of Lewis & Clark on Sunday. Three Puget Sound players have five goals each. Junior GK Chaylea Tome has only allowed two goals all year (0.16 GAA) and has nine shutouts. Whitworth handed the Loggers their only blemish on their record with a 0-0 draw in Tacoma on September 19th.
The Coach: Bryan Olson, previously the top assistant coach for the highly successful Whitworth men's soccer program, was named as the head coach for the Pirate women's soccer team in February of 2016 and enters his sixth year leading the Bucs in 221. He is 44-38-8 in five seasons as a head coach, including a 12-5-3 overall record in 2018 and a 10-4-2 mark in the Northwest Conference (third place).
Olson was the top assistant coach for the Whitworth men's soccer team for six seasons. His title was elevated to Associate Head Coach ahead of the 2015 season. Over that time the Pirate men's team posted a record of 66-17-12 and made the NCAA Division III Tournament three times (2012, 2014 and 2015).
Coming up next: Whitworth will hit the road next Wednesday (Oct. 20) for a match at Whitman, then travels to Willamette on Sunday.
