SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth will conclude the 2021 men's soccer season this Saturday with a home contest against Whitman, starting at 1:30 pm.
Check the Whitworth men's soccer schedule for live links to follow the action. Per Washington COVID-19 mandates, spectators are strongly encouraged, but not required, to wear face coverings at the Whitworth Soccer Field.
Senior Day: Whitworth will honor its three senior players prior to the start of Saturday's match.
The Pirates: Whitworth (8-8-1 overall, 7-6 NWC) split a pair of conference games on the road last weekend. The Pirates are now 6-1-1 at home this season and 2-7 on the road. With 21 points, Whitworth is tied for fourth place in the NWC standings.
Eric Shaporda's goal in double overtime lifted visiting Whitworth to a 2-1 victory over Linfield last Saturday, giving the Pirates a sweep of the season series. The match was much more evenly played than the first meeting the Pirates won 6-1. Shots were nearly identical, 17-16 in favor of Whitworth. Victor Loyola scored in the 36th minute for the Bucs' first goal. Bo Broyles made four saves in goal.
Willamette scored 60 seconds into the match and went on to defeat Whitworth 3-0 on Sunday. The Bearcats scored three times in the first period to even the season series with the Pirates. Broyles started in goal and made five saves while allowing all three goals in 76 minutes. Andrew Wolotira made two saves in the final 14 minutes.
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 (11) and in total points (23). Gusman is tied for second in goals (7) is fourth in points (19, including five assists) and is tied for the lead 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: Whitman (13-4 overall, 9-4 NWC) is battling Willamette for second place in the final standings. The Blues beat the Bearcats 2-1 in Salem last Saturday and defeated Linfield 1-0 in McMinnville on Sunday. Senior forward Oscar Harding has seven goals and eight assists and is second in the NWC in total points (22). Freshman forward Taylor Noah has six goals. Whitman edged Whitworth 1-0 at home in overtime on October 9th. The Blues have won the last five meetings with the Pirates and nine of the last ten.
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.
