SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth women's lacrosse team will split this week's matches with one at home and one away. The Pirates will host Whitman College on Wednesday evening (5:00 pm) before traveling to play at the University of Puget Sound on Saturday (1:00 pm).
Check the Whitworth women's lacrosse schedule for live links to this week's matches.
The Pirates: Whitworth (9-4 overall, 5-3 NWC) is currently in third place in the NWC standings. The Pirates are averaging 14.5 goals per game (third in the NWC) and allowing 10.6 goals per contest (fourth in the NWC).
Whitworth came from behind four times before ultimately defeating visiting Linfield 15-12 on Saturday afternoon in the Pine Bowl. The Pirates trailed 3-1, 6-4, 8-6 and 10-8 before outscoring the Wildcats 6-2 in the fourth quarter. Campbell Vincent scored four goals, while Sierra Witte totaled three goals and one assist and Abby Hahn had two goals and two assists. The Pirates dominated the draw, controlling 23 of 31 in the match. Megan Whitman and Kenzie Hemman had seven apiece. Hemman also had four caused turnovers and five ground balls, while Sage Fosnock made six saves and Faith Rempfer made two in her ten minutes of action.
Whitworth could get nothing going in Sunday's 22-2 loss to NWC-leading George Fox in the Pine Bowl. The Bruins outscored the Pirates 6-1 in the first and stretched the lead to 16-1 at halftime. Whitworth ended with 20 turnovers. GFU was especially strong at drawing and converting free-position shots, making seven of nine in the match. Caitlin Smith and Rebecca Irwin scored the Pirate goals. Megan Whitman had six draw controls and three ground balls. Fosnock finished with five saves.
Winning Season Clinched: With the victory over Linfield on Saturday, Whitworth reached nine victories and clinched the first winning season in school history. One more win will give the Pirates double-figures in victories for the first time ever. Whitworth began playing lacrosse in 2019, then had to restart from scratch after COVID-19.
Finding Balance: Whitworth ranks among the top scoring teams in the Northwest Conference in 2024, but the Pirates have only one player among the top ten individual scorers in the NWC – Campbell Vincent is eighth (2.85 goals per match). The reason is balance. Eleven different Bucs have scored at least two goals this season and ten different players have scored at least ten. Vincent leads the team with 37 goals. Abby Hahn leads the team in assists (16), while Rebecca Irwin and Vincent lead the squad in total points (61 apiece).
Net Minding: Sage Fosnock ranks third in the Northwest Conference in goals against average this season, giving up 10.73 goals per contest. They rank third in the NWC in saves percentage, stopping 41.5% of the shots they have faced. The Whitworth defense provides a strong wall of support in front of Fosnock, limiting opponents to only 23 shots per game this season.
Milestone Opener: Whitworth won its season opener for the first time in school history, defeating Eastern Oregon 21-5 on Feb. 17. The Pirates started playing lacrosse in 2019 and had never won the first match of the season until this year. The 16-goal margin of victory was also the largest-ever for the Bucs, surpassing the 14-goal margin during a 19-5 win over Whitman in 2020.
Hot Start: Whitworth's 4-0 start was the best in school history and marked the first time the Pirates had ever won four straight matches at any point in a season.
The Opponents: Whitman comes into Wednesday's match 8-5 overall and 4-4 in the NWC, right behind Whitworth in the standings. The Blues had the same results as the Pirates from the weekend, losing to George Fox 19-12 before defeating Linfield 16-6. Whitman averages 13.8 goals per game and gives up 12.7 goals per contest. Senior A Madeleine Sherry leads the NWC in goals scored (67), and with 23 assists she ranks second in total points (90). Junior M Gracie Maulik has 34 goals. Whitworth won the first meeting of the season between the teams 20-9 in Walla Walla on March 20th.
Puget Sound is 3-8 overall, 2-6 in the NWC heading into a home contest against Lewis & Clark on Wednesday night. The Loggers are coming off a 10-8 win at Pacific (Ore.) on Sunday. UPS averages 8.1 goals per game and allows 15.1 per match. Sophomore M Cat Schilli leads the team with 36 goals, while senior A Maya Sheklow has 18 goals. Whitworth defeated Puget Sound 16-5 in Spokane on March 23rd.
Coming up next: Whitworth will host Pacific and Willamette on April 27 and 28 to conclude the regular season.
