By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth closes out the 2025 men's soccer season with a road trip to the west side. The Pirates battle Pacific Lutheran on Saturday before the season finale at Puget Sound on Sunday. 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 (7-4-4 overall, 7-3-4 NWC) played their final home matches of the season last weekend and came away with a win and draw.
Whitworth shut out Lewis & Clark 2-0 on Saturday. The Bucs scored two first half goals to secure the win, one from the head of Johny Cortez in the 10th minute and one from a Dominic Gusman penalty kick in the 24th minute. The Pirate defense allowed just one shot on goal in the match, tied for a season low. Aiden Chase earned his fourth clean sheet at goalkeeper.
The Bucs dominated offensively on Sunday, setting new season highs in shots (24) and shots on goal (12), but settled for a 1-1 draw against George Fox. Whitworth recognized eight seniors prior to kickoff and two of them connected for the Pirate goal. Dominic Gusman lobbed a corner kick to the far side of the box where Jordan Voigt headed inside the near post for his first goal of the season. An unlucky bounce allowed the Bruins to tie the game in the second half. Whitworth finished with a 24-9 advantage in shots and allowed just three shots on goal. Gusman led the Bucs with seven shots.
Lockdown Defense: Whitworth's defense has been a major key to success this season. Against conference opponents, the Pirates have allowed the second fewest goals (16) and hold the second-best goals-against average (1.14). Whitworth also leads the conference with seven shutouts
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. Freshman Ethan Bell has also been an anchor for the Pirate defense and he earned NWC Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week recognition on November 3rd. Dax Flanders has three clean sheets and Aiden Chase has four in net.
The Opponents: Pacific Lutheran (12-3-3 overall, 11-0-3 NWC) carries a six-match winning streak into this weekend. The Lutes beat Linfield and Pacific (Ore.) on the road last week. PLU has the league's best attack with 45 goals in conference play. They have allowed 17, third lowest. Forward Owen Bliskis leads the conference with 13 goals and teammate Connor O'Brien leads with 11 assists. Goalkeeper Gio Aguilar-Gutierrez has a save percentage of .807 and 1.16 goals against average. Whitworth ended a nine-match losing streak against the Lutes with a 1-1 draw in Spokane on October 12th.
Puget Sound is 7-7-3 and 6-6-2 in conference play heading into the final weekend of the season. The Loggers will host first-place Whitman on Saturday prior to playing Whitworth on Sunday. UPS ended a three-match losing streak with a 4-1 win over Linfield last weekend. The Loggers' 24 goals against NWC opponents are third best, but they have given up the fourth most goals with 24. Midfielder Rhys Foote leads the team with eight conference goals and five assists. Luke Mamiya and Parker Norris have split time at goalkeeper, with Mamiya having the better save percentage at .757. The Loggers and Pirates have played a 1-1 draw in each of their last five matches, including this season on October 11th in Spokane.
NWC Standings: Whitman (12-0-2, 38 points) holds the top spot in the NWC, two points ahead of Pacific Lutheran (11-0-3). Whitworth (7-3-4) separated into third with Willamette (5-3-6) trailing. Puget Sound (6-6-2) is close behind in fifth while Pacific (4-7-4) and George Fox (3-8-4) look to make a move. Linfield (1-10-3) and Lewis & Clark (0-12-2) will finish as the bottom pair.
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 29-15-11 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 will begin the 2026 season next August. Check whitworthpirates.com for Pirate men's soccer updates.
