By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth women's soccer will hit the road for the final time this season this weekend. The Bucs will visit Willamette on Saturday before heading to George Fox on Sunday. Both matches will begin at 1:45 pm as the second leg of a men's-women's doubleheader.
Check the Whitworth women'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: Whitworth moved to 4-9-1 overall and 3-8-1 in the Northwest Conference after splitting a pair of matches last weekend.
The Pirates fell 2-0 in a midweek trip to Whitman on Wednesday night. The Whitworth defense held tough until the Blues broke through with the first goal in the 42nd minute. Whitman went up by two on a breakaway less than a minute into the second half. The Bucs sent six shots toward net in the second half but were unable to cut into the lead. Emma Ellerd and Kaiti Low led the attack with three shots each and Karlee Roderick made nine saves in net.
The Bucs bounced back with a 3-2 home win over Pacific (Ore.) on Sunday. The Pirate attack led the way as they finished with a season-high 20 shots and 11 shots on goal. Emma Ellerd got the scoring started with a goal in the seventh minute. The Boxers tied the match on a penalty kick just before halftime. Katherine Kent and Lily Cardenas extended the lead with their first goals of the season early in the second half. Pacific got one back in the 60th minute but the Whitworth defense held on for the win. Roderick made four saves at goalkeeper while Ellerd and Low led the offense with five shots each.
The Opponents: Willamette heads into this weekend with a 6-7-1 overall record and 4-7-1 NWC record. The Bearcats rank fifth in the conference in goals scored (12) and sixth in goals allowed (19) against league opponents. Sophomore Samantha Rodriguez leads the attack with four goals on the season. Nine other Bearcats have scored a goal. First year keepers Isabella Arias-Lasalde and Logan Hellyar have split time in net, with Arias-Lasalde posting the better 0.87goals against average. Willamette earned a 1-0 win over the Bucs in the teams' first meeting on October 4 in Spokane.
George Fox has lost four matches in a row leading up to its matchups with Whitman and Whitworth this weekend. The Bruins are at the bottom looking up in the conference standings at 1-11-1 (2-12-1 overall). They have scored five goals and given up 32 through 13 conference matches. Senior Isabella Hector and first-year Maddie Twichell each have two goals to lead the attack. Sophomore's Marissa Lam and Myann Johansen have split time in goal. Lam has a 2.57 goals against average and Johansen sits at 2.05. Whitworth has not lost to GFU since 2018 and defeated the Bruins 2-1 earlier this season on October 3 in Spokane.
NWC Standings: Puget Sound remains unbeaten in the NWC with a 12-0 record and 36 points. Pacific Lutheran (8-2-2, 26 pts.) is in second, and Whitman (8-3-1, 19 pts.) is in a close third. Linfield (7-4-1, 22 pts.) gained separation in fourth. Lewis & Clark (4-6-3, 15 pts.), Willamette (4-7-1, 13 pts.), Pacific (4-10, 12 pts), and Whitworth (3-8-1, 10 pts) are looking for strong pushes. George Fox (1-11-1, 4 pts) holds ninth.
The Coach: Whitworth soccer alum Cameron Bushéy is in his fifth season as head coach of the women's soccer team. The Pirates have a 33-37-21 record under Bushéy and a 29-30-15 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: The Whitworth women return to Spokane for tough final home weekend against Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound on November 7 and 8.
