SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth University hosts a pair of Northwest Conference men's soccer foes this weekend. The Pirates will take on Lewis & Clark College on Saturday, then battle Willamette University on Sunday. Both matches are scheduled to begin at noon.
Check the Whitworth men's soccer schedule for live links to follow the action.
The Pirates: Whitworth (4-3-1 overall, 2-1-1 NWC) went 1-1 on the road last week.
A rough first half at Whitman last Wednesday led to a 2-1 setback against the Blues. Whitman led 2-0 at halftime after outshooting the Pirates 8-1 in the first 45 minutes. The second period was evenly played and Caden Martin scored his first goal of the season in the 58th minute from an assist by Cole Friesen to get the Bucs within one. Aiden Chase made a pair of saves in goal for Whitworth.
On Sunday Whitworth scored a pair of quick goals at Linfield then withstood a second-half barrage of shots by the Wildcats for a 2-0 road win. Beckett Arthur scored his second goal of the season in the fifth minute. Five minutes later Clayton Crockett doubled the lead from another assist by Friesen. Linfield outshot Whitworth 15-7 in the second half, but very few of those attempts were on target. Chase finished with five saves, two in the second half, to post the Pirates' third shutout in four NWC contests.
The Opponents: Lewis & Clark (0-7 overall, 0-3 NWC) is looking to pick up its first win since restarting the program in 2023. The Pioneers will host Linfield on Wednesday before visiting Whitworth on Saturday. Last weekend L&C lost at home to Pacific Lutheran (4-1) and Puget Sound (2-0). Jim Tursi is coach of both the men's and women's programs for the school. The goal scored against PLU was the second of the season by the Pioneers and put in the net by Ishan Abraham. Last season Whitworth defeated L&C 6-1 at home and 3-0 in Portland.
Willamette is 1-4-3 overall and 1-1-2 in the NWC under first-year head coach Matt Corti-Young. The Bearcats fell 2-0 at home to George Fox in their only match last weekend. Graduate student Sean Kim has two goals and one assist this season, while sophomore Matt Chase also has two goals. Whitworth swept Willamette in 2023, winning 3-2 on the road and 6-2 at home.
The Coach: Kevin Moon became the Pirates' head coach in 2023 and went 12-4-4 in his first year. Perhaps no one more connected to the history of Whitworth men's soccer was ready for this role. Moon was a Pirate player from 1988 through 1991, winning three NCIC titles under Whitworth Heritage Gallery Hall of Fame coach Einar Thorarinnson. Moon served four stints as an assistant coach at Whitworth under several head coaches. He was an assistant coach for the women's team from 1992 through 1996, when the Pirates won a pair of NCIC titles under Damon Hagerott. He was an assistant coach for the men under Sean Bushey in 2001 when the Pirates won a conference crown. Moon returned as an assistant coach with the women's program from 2010 through 2015 under both Hagerotts – Damon and Jael. He was back with the Pirate men under Morgan Cathey in 2018 and 2019.
He also has significant coaching experience in the Inland Northwest. Kevin has a USSF National A License and was an ODP Washington Staff Coach from 2008-10. He was also a 2014 ODP Idaho Staff Coach..
Coming up: Whitworth will play at Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran on October 12th and 13th to close out the first half of the NWC schedule.
