SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth women's soccer team is hitting its best form of the season heading into matches at league-leading Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran this weekend. Both contests against the Northwest Conference leaders will start at noon.
Links to live video and live statistics are available on the Whitworth women's soccer schedule.
The Pirates: Whitworth (5-6-4 overall, 3-4-3 NWC) is 4-0-2 over its last six matches, including a pair of home victories last weekend
The Pirates defeated visiting George Fox 2-1 on Saturday. Emma Foulk gave Whitworth a 1-0 led in the 16th minute with an unassisted goal. Kylee Russell headed in the match-winner from an assist by Baylee Trejo in the 64th minute. The Whitworth defense limited the Bruins to only two shots on-goal in the match. The Pirates went 1-0-1 against the Bruins in 2022.
Whitworth reversed an early-season loss at Pacific with a 1-0 victory over the Boxers on Sunday. Rylee Fischer scored the lone goal in the 50th minute. Kate Nelson only had to make one save for her fifth shutout of the fall.
Whitworth Leaders: Eleven different players have scored at least one goal this season for the Pirates, led by Savannah Acpal who has three. Ten different players have at least one assist, led by Kalena Pfaeltzer and Taliya Miyama, who each have three. Emma Foulk leads Whitworth's position players in total minutes with 1132.
The Buck (Ball) Stops Here: Senior GK Kate Nelson played all 1860 minutes as the only goalkeeper on the roster in 2021, leading all of NCAA Division III in goalie minutes played. She led the NWC in saves per game (4.90), was second in save percentage (.838) and third in goals-against average (0.919). She was second in the NWC and fifth in NCAA Division III in shutouts (10). Nelson was named second team All-Northwest Conference.
Nelson continues her impressive play this fall. The Oct. 10 NWC Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week, Nelson has a 0.82 goals-against average this season and has stopped 83.1% of the shots she has faced. Nelson has posted five shutouts.
The Opponents: Puget Sound is 12-2-1 overall and 9-1-1 in the NWC, while Pacific Lutheran is 12-1-2 overall and 9-1-1 in the conference. The Loggers and Lutes will play each other on Wednesday in a match that was delayed one week by excessive smoke in the Tacoma area.
Puget Sound defeated Lewis & Clark 2-0 at home last Saturday. Ava Cholakian leads the team with 14 goals scored this season, while goalkeeper Chaylea Tome has a 0.47 goals-against average with nine shutouts. The Loggers defeated Whitworth 2-1 in Spokane on October 1st. Maggie Ames scored her first goal of the fall for the Bucs.
Pacific Lutheran beat visiting Willamette 4-1 on Sunday. Hannah Cecil leads the Lutes with 12 goals and two assists, while net-minder Shaylin Cesar allows 0.60 goals per game with five shutouts. The Lutes defeated the Pirates 2-0 in Spokane on October 2nd in a match that was scoreless for 80 minutes. PLU has won the last five meetings.
The Coach: Whitworth soccer alum Cameron Bushey is in his first season as head coach of the women's soccer team. He came from Stanislaus State, where he was the top assistant coach. Bushey has club coaching stints in Spokane and Colorado and he was an assistant at Gonzaga University for two seasons (2018-19). He graduated from Whitworth in 2012 as a four-time All-NWC honoree who helped lead the Pirates to three NWC titles and NCAA Division III tournament appearances in 2008 and 2009.
Coming up: Whitworth will play at Whitman on Wednesday before hosting Linfield on Saturday in the season finale.
