By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth men's soccer will play its final home matches of the 2025 season this weekend. The Pirates host Lewis & Clark on Saturday before George Fox visits on Sunday's senior day. Both matches will begin at 1:45pm as the second leg of a men's-women's doubleheader.
Check the Whitworth men's soccer schedule for live links to follow the action.
The Pirates: The Pirates (6-4-3 overall, 6-3-3 NWC) played a split schedule last week and came away with split results.
The Bucs traveled to Whitman on Wednesday and fell 3-1. The Blues took a 1-0 lead into halftime before adding a goal in the 53rd minute with an indirect free kick in the box. Whitworth responded with Lucas Joehnk's second goal of the season off an assist from Johny Cortez, but the Blues netted an insurance goal to secure the win. Whitman led 23-9 in total shots and 12-5 in shots on target. Dax Flanders made a season-high nine saves.
On Saturday, Whitworth rebounded with a 1-0 win over Linfield at Whitworth Soccer Field. The Pirates had 15 shots in a dominant first half, leading to a game-winning goal by Lucas Diaz in the 37th minute. Fellow freshman Christoff Zimmerman sent a long cross to Diaz at the right side of the box, who collected the pass and sent the ball past the goalkeeper for his third score of the season. The score held after an evenly played second half. Whitworth finished with a season-high in both shots (20) and corner kicks (11). Aiden Chase made one save in the shutout effort.
Lockdown Defense: Whitworth's defense has been a major key to success this season. Through 12 conference games, the Pirates have allowed the third fewest goals (15) and are tied for the second-best goals-against average (1.25). Whitworth's league-high six conference shutouts are double that of the next conference team.
Leading the back line are senior defenders Johnny Finnegan and Reeves Oakman. Finnegan was named NWC men's soccer Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week on October 6th. Dax Flanders and Aiden Chase each have three clean sheets in net.
The Opponents: Lewis & Clark (0-13-3, 0-10-2 NWC) heads to Spokane still looking for their first win of the season. Last weekend, the Pioneers fell 4-0 to Pacific (Ore.) before a 1-0 loss at George Fox. L&C has scored an NWC-low eight goals and allowed a league-high 29 goals in conference play. Despite the struggles, the Pios have had strong goalkeeper play from junior Micaiah Garan, who has a .736 save percentage that ranks fourth in the conference. Junior Dylan Weinstein leads the attack with three goals and senior Ben Schwartz has two scores and an assist. Whitworth has won all six meetings with L&C since the program's reintroduction in 2022, including a 4-0 win in Portland on October fifth.
George Fox visits with a 5-8-4 overall record and 3-7-3 NWC mark. The Bruins earned a 1-0 win over Lewis & Clark in their lone match last weekend. GFU has scored the sixth-most goals in conference play (17) but can put pressure on opposing defenses with 13.69 shots per game, third most in the conference. Seniors Eugene Peltier and Issac Williams lead the attack with five goals each. Peltier adds a team-high five assists. Junior Chase Nelson has a .691 save percentage in 12 starts at goalkeeper. The Pirates have a 21-0-2 home record against the Bruins since 2001. Earlier this season, Whitworth beat GFU 1-0 on October 4th in Newberg.
Senior Sunday: Prior to Sunday's match against George Fox, the Whitworth men's soccer seniors will be celebrated for their accomplishments and contributions to the program as they play their final match at Whitworth Soccer Field. Aiden Chase, Reeves Oakman, Johnny Finnegan, Jordan Voigt, Ben Hippauf, Adrian Petrillo, Dominic Gusman, and Keegan Davis will be recognized.
NWC Standings: Whitman (10-0-2, 32 points) holds the top spot in the NWC, two points ahead of Pacific Lutheran (9-0-3). Whitworth (6-6-3) and Willamette (5-3-6) are tied in third with 21 points. Puget Sound (5-5-2) sits in third with Pacific (3-6-4) and George Fox (3-7-3) trailing. Linfield (1-8-3) and Lewis & Clark (0-10-2) are looking to close the gap.
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: Kevin Moon became the Pirates' head coach in 2023 and has a 28-15-10 record heading into his third season at the helm. 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 closes the 2025 season in Tacoma to visit Pacific Lutheran on November 8th and Puget Sound on November 9th.
