SPOKANE, Wash. – It is a quick turnaround for the Whitworth women's soccer team this week.  The Pirates will host Whitman College on Wednesday afternoon (4:00 pm) and Willamette University on Sunday (noon) in the team's first Northwest Conference home matches of the season.  Whitworth is coming right off a trip to Tacoma.

See the Fall 2021 Whitworth Spectator Policy for the latest information about attending athletic events on campus.  Watch the women's soccer schedule for other live links.

The Pirates: Whitworth is 3-2-1 overall and 0-1-1 in the NWC following this past weekend's trip to Tacoma.

The Bucs had trouble getting the offense started in the match at Pacific Lutheran on Saturday.  The Lutes limited Whitworth to three total shots, only one on goal.  PLU scored once in each half to win 2-0.  Kate Nelson made eight saves to keep the Pirates in the match.

Whitworth battled Puget Sound to a 0-0 draw on Sunday, handing the Loggers the first blemish on their record after a 5-0 start.  Nelson had another big match with seven saves, including three in overtime.  After UPS controlled the first half, Whitworth outshot the Loggers 6-4 in the second half.

The Opponents:  Whitman will come to Spokane looking for its first win of the season on Wednesday.  The Blues are 0-4-1 overall and 0-2 in the NWC after losing at Puget Sound (1-0) and Pacific Lutheran (3-0) last weekend.  Opponents have outscored Whitman 10-0 this season.  Hanna Lynch has a 1.00 goals-against average in 180 minutes in the net this season.  Whitworth went 2-0-1 against Whitman in the 2020-21 Covid season, winning 3-0 at home and 1-0 on the road.

Willamette is 2-4 overall and 1-1 in the NWC so far.  The Bearcats opened their NWC schedule with a 3-1 win at Linfield last Wednesday.  Willamette lost 1-0 in double overtime to Pacific (Ore.) at home over the weekend.  Emma Blackburn leads her team with three goals.  Whitworth and Willamette have not played since the fall of 2019 and the Bearcats swept the Pirates that season, winning 1-0 in Spokane and 2-1 in Salem.

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).