SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth University women's soccer finishes off the 2021 regular season on the road with matches at Pacific University (Saturday) and Linfield University (Sunday) this weekend. Both contests will start at noon.
See the Whitworth soccer schedule for live links to this weekend's matches. All spectators at Linfield and Pacific are required to have proof of vaccination and masks are required at all times. Please plan accordingly.
The Pirates: Whitworth is 9-6-3 overall and 6-5-3 in the NWC after hosting Lewis & Clark and George Fox last week. The Pirates remain in fifth place in the league standings.
Whitworth led by a goal twice, but visiting Lewis & Clark rallied twice as the Pirates and Pioneers played to a 2-2 draw on Saturday. Laura Pierson scored her second goal of the season in the 21st minute. Kalena Pfaeltzer gave Whitworth a 2-1 lead in the 86th minute from an assist by Riley Martinson. Kate Nelson made six saves for the Bucs. Whitworth finished 0-1-1 against Lewis & Clark in 2021.
The Pirates put together one of their most complete performances of the season in Sunday's 2-0 victory over George Fox. Camryn Gardner's first goal of the year gave Whitworth a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute. Macey Morales scored her third of the season in the 84th minute to provide the insurance goal. Gabriella Coprivnicar assisted on both goals. Nelson made six more saves to post her eighth shutout of the season. Whitworth finished 1-0-1 against George Fox.
Building a Wall: Kate Nelson has been strong in goal for the Pirates. Nelson has a 1.02 goals-against average this season and has stopped 82% of the shots she has faced. She leads all Northwest Conference keepers in minutes played (1680) and ranks second in shutouts with eight.
Finding Balance: Whitworth is very balanced offensively this season. Twelve different Pirates have scored the team's 27 goals. Gabriella Coprivnicar has seven, Ireland Eaton has four, while Macey Morales has three. Eight players have combined for the Bucs' 15 assists. Coprivnicar has six.
Coprivnicar is tied for second in the NWC in goals scored.
The Opponents: Pacific (Ore.) comes into the weekend 6-10-1 overall and 4-9-1 in the NWC. The Boxers defeated Linfield 1-0 last Wednesday, then lost 2-1 on Saturday in a hard fought match at Pacific Lutheran. Tessa Bretscheider, a freshman forward, leads the team with four goals. Whitworth defeated Pacific 3-0 at home on October 9th when Gabriella Coprivnicar scored two goals and added an assist.
Linfield is 3-13-2 overall and 2-11-1 in the NWC heading into Saturday's match against Whitman. The Wildcats followed their 1-0 setback to Pacific with a close 1-0 loss at first place Puget Sound on Sunday. Junior forward Laney Green and senior defender Ashley Guldager both have four goals and an assist this season. Whitworth beat Linfield 2-0 on October 10th when Coprivnicar set a record for fastest goal in school history (11 seconds).
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).
