SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth women's soccer team will host a pair of Northwest Conference heavyweights this weekend. The Pirates host Puget Sound on Saturday and Pacific Lutheran on Sunday. Both matches will start at noon.
Links to live video and live statistics are available on the Whitworth women's soccer schedule.
The Pirates: Whitworth (1-4-2 overall, 1-2-1 NWC) split two conference matches in Oregon last weekend.
The Pirates handed George Fox (5-0-1) the first blemish on its record this season, earning a 1-1 draw with the Bruins. Whitworth scored the tying goal in the 43rd minute when Savannah Acpal was in the right place at the right time to put back Kendall Sharp's shot that was saved, but not controlled. Kate Nelson made ten saves, including six in the second half, to preserve the tie.
Whitworth could not find the net, despite a 10-5 advantage in shots, during Sunday's 1-0 loss at Pacific (Ore.). The Boxers scored the lone goal in the 32nd minute. Kalle Crouch had three shots, including two on-target, while coming off the bench.
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.
The Opponents: Puget Sound is 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the NWC. Last week the Loggers defeated cross-town rival Pacific Lutheran 1-0 on Wednesday, then won 1-0 at Lewis & Clark on Saturday. Senior forward Ava Cholakian is second in the conference with seven goals. Senior midfielder Layla Santos is tied for first in the league with four assists. Last season Whitworth earned a 0-0 tie at Puget Sound, but the Loggers won 2-0 in Spokane.
Pacific Lutheran is 6-1-1 overall and 3-1 in the NWC heading into Saturday's match at Whitman. The Lutes bounced back from the loss to UPS with a 4-1 win at Willamette on Sunday. Sophomore forward Hannah Cecil leads the team with five goals and two assists. Senior GK Shaylin Cesar has a 0.39 goals against average and has stopped 90.3% of the shots she has faced. Last year PLU swept Whitworth with a pair of 2-0 victories.
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 host Whitman on October 5th and play at Linfield on October 8th.
