By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth women's soccer squad returns to Whitworth Soccer field this week to host Northwest Conference rival Whitman on Wednesday and Linfield on Saturday. Wednesday's match will start at 2:30pm and Saturday's match will begin at noon as the first leg of a men's-women's doubleheader.
Check the Whitworth women's soccer schedule for live links to follow the action.
The Pirates: The Bucs (1-6-6 overall, 1-5-4 NWC) snapped an extended scoring drought and secured their first win of the season over the weekend.
Whitworth earned a 1-0 shutout road win over Pacific (Ore.) on Saturday. After a scoreless first half, the Pirates turned up the pressure and broke through with their first goal since September 20th. Maia Santa Monica forced a turnover and drove the net for a shot. The ball was deflected out to Rebekah Hines who fired it into the back of the net. Karlee Roderick made four saves as the Bucs held on for their first win. Seven of the 10 Whitworth shots we on goal, led by Santa Monica with two shots on target.
On Sunday, the Pirates played one of their best offensive matches of the season but settled for a 1-1 draw at Willamette. Whitworth had a season-high 18 shots in the match, nine in each half. Despite the Bucs' offensive dominance, the Bearcats took the lead in the first half. The Pirates kept the pressure on and evened the score with a goal from Addison Dizard in the second half. Hines sent a shot toward the net that was saved but Dizard cleaned up the rebound and kneed the ball across the goal line. Whitworth finished with an 18-7 advantage in shots led by Emma Ellerd with four. Karlee Roderick made one save and allowed the lone goal while Paige Broadrick entered for the final 24 minutes.
The Opponents: Whitman (3-4-7 overall, 2-3-5 NWC) travels to Spokane after a draw with Willamette and a 3-2 loss to Pacific last weekend. The Blues are fifth in scoring with eight goals in conference play but earn quality chances with a league-best seven shots on goal per game. Sophomore Bailey Bell leads the attack with six goals and junior Leah Barnes has a team-high 35 shots. Sophomore Eleanor Johnson has 11 starts at goalkeeper with a .813 save percentage. The Blues took down the Pirates 1-0 on September 14th in Walla Walla.
Linfield holds an 8-2-4 overall record and 6-2-2 conference mark heading into this weekend. The Wildcats are on a three-game winning streak, including a 2-1 win over Pacific last week. Linfield leads the NWC in goals in conference play with 18. Their nine goals allowed rank fourth. Sophomore Lize Rendon leads the team with five goals. Senor Mia Curtaz has a team-high five assists and second highest shot total (14). Junior Alexa Fritz has started all 14 games at goalkeeper for Linfield and holds a .783 save percentage. The Pirates and Wildcats have split their season series each of the last two seasons. Linfield defeated Whitworth 2-0 in McMinnville on September 28th.
NWC Standings: Pacific Lutheran (26 points) remains atop the conference with an 8-0-2 record. Puget Sound (7-0-3, 24 points) holds second with Linfield (6-2-2) trailing. Pacific (3-3-6) separated into fourth with Willamette (2-4-6) making a jump to fifth. Whitman (2-3-5) sits in sixth while Lewis & Clark (2-6-2), Whitworth (1-5-4) and George Fox (0-8-4) look to make moves up the board.
Watch on FloCollege: All of Whitworth's Northwest Conference athletic events will be streamed through FloCollege in 2025-26. Fans can sign up to watch Pirate sports on the FloCollege portal. Registration is $120 for an annual subscription or $20 per month. Those who register with a .edu email address get a significant discount.
The Coach: Whitworth soccer alum Cameron Bushéy is in his fourth season as head coach of the women's soccer team. The Pirates have a 27-26-18 record under Bushéy and a 25-21-12 mark in the Northwest Conference.
Bushey 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 hosts Lewis & Clark and George Fox on November 1st and 2nd in the final home weekend of the season.
