SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth men's soccer is back in action at Whitworth Soccer Field this week. The Bucs will host rival Whitman on Wednesday at 2:30 pm and Pacific (Ore.) on Sunday at noon. Sunday's match will be played as the first leg of a men's-women's doubleheader.

Check the Whitworth men's soccer schedule for live links to follow the action.

Watch on FloCollege: All of Whitworth's Northwest Conference athletic events will be streamed through FloCollege in 2026-27. Fans can sign up to watch Pirate sports on the FloCollege portal. Registration is $120 for an annual subscription or $25 per month. Those who register with a .edu email address get a significant discount.

The Pirates: The Bucs (4-8-2 overall) moved to 2-6-2 in conference play after splitting a pair of road matches last weekend.

Whitworth earned a 1-0 shutout win over Linfield on Friday evening. Zephyr Wall scored his first career goal and game-winning goal just before the two-minute mark. The Bucs played from ahead the entirety of the match and held off 25 total shots and eight shots on target from Linfield's attack. Oliver Hart made eight saves in the clean sheet and commanded a quality performance from the Pirate back line.

The Pirates were unable to avenge their prior loss to Lewis & Clark, falling 2-0 on Sunday. In a repeat of the first match, Eli Kraft and Sam London scored both goals for the River Otters. The Whitworth attack struggled to get going as they were held to just five total shots and three on goal. Hart made three saves.

The Opponents: Whitman heads to Spokane tied atop the NWC standings at 8-1-1 (10-2-2 overall). The Blues earned a pair of shutout wins over Lewis & Clark and Linfield last weekend. The aggressive Whitman attack has scored the most goals in conference play with 20. They are strong defensively as well with only eight goals allowed to conference opponents, second least. Junior midfielder Kevin Serrano ranks third in the NWC with seven goals to lead the attack. Nathan Alvarado and Riki Kobayashi add four goals each. Senior Niclas Isensee and Tait Whittemore have split time at goalkeeper, with eight starts and six starts respectively. Isensee leads the NWC in goals against average (1.10) during conference play. Whitworth played Whitman tough in Walla Walla on September 23, with the Blues coming out on top 1-0.

Pacific sits at 2-5-7 overall and 2-3-7 in conference play heading into this weekend. The Boxers are 0-2-5 in their last seven games, with their last win coming on September 26 against the Pirates in Spokane. During conference play, Pacific ranks sixth in the goals (15) and seventh in goals allowed (16). Senior midfielder Nico Lomanto leads the team with five goals. Trenton Zimmerman and Cole Affolter have each scored three times. Sophomore goalkeeper Kobi Miyamoto posts a 1.63 goals against average in nine starts.

By Committee: The Bucs have shown that anyone on the field is a threat to score, having scored 10 goals by eight different players so far this season. Ralph Borromeo, Jaxsen Teeter (2), Boden Thomson (2), Lucas Waarvick, Ryland Crane, Sebastian Alvarez, Zephyr Wall and Greyson Wheeler have all put the ball in the back of the net.

Hartbreaker: Goalkeeper Oliver Hart is having a breakout sophomore season for the Pirates in net. He new career-high with 10 saves in a shutout at Pacific Lutheran and ranks first in the NWC in save percentage (.833), goals against average (1.12), and saves per game (5.00).

Hart was voted the NWC Men's Soccer Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week on October 12.

NWC Standings: Pacific Lutheran and Whitman sit tied atop the standings with 8-1-1 records and 25 points. Puget Sound (4-1-5) and Willamette (5-3-2) are tied in third with 17 points each. Pacific (2-3-7, 13 pts) and George Fox (3-6-3, 12 pts) are fighting for fifth. Linfield (2-6-2, 8 pts), Whitworth (2-6-2, 8 pts) and Lewis & Clark (2-9-1, 7 pts) are each hoping to make a push.

The Coach: Kevin Moon became the Pirates' head coach in 2023 and has a 33-24-14 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:  The Pirates will head to Oregon on their final road trip of the season to take on Willamette on October 31 and George Fox on November 1.