By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth returns to Spokane this weekend for its final two matches of the 2026 men's soccer season. The Bucs host Pacific Lutheran on Saturday and Puget Sound on Sunday's senior day. Both matches will begin at 11:00 am 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 (4-11-3 overall) fell to 2-9-3 in the Northwest Conference following a pair of road losses last weekend.
Willamette bested Whitworth 2-0 on Saturday. The Bearcats scored the match's first goal in the 40th minute and added a second in the 74th minute. The Bucs struggled to get the offense going, with five total shots and two shots on goal. Oliver made six saves at goalkeeper and Ralph Borromeo led the team with two shots.
The Pirates fell 1-0 to George Fox on Sunday. Whitworth fared better on the attack with 14 shots, though just two were on target. A late first half goal put the Bruins up, and the Bucs push for a game-tying score fell short. Three players recorded three shots to lead the attack. Henrik Dahlgren made the start in net and made six saves.
Senior Sunday: Seven Pirates will play their final match at Whitworth Soccer Field on Sunday. Connor Bly, Ralph Borromeo, Christian Waarvick, Lucas Joehnk, Sebastian Alvarez, Jackson Hammond, and Liam Bia will each graduate this spring and be honored pregame for their contributions to Whitworth men's soccer.
The Opponents: Pacific Lutheran (11-2-5 overall, 9-1-4 NWC) heads into this weekend eyeing another NWC title. The Lutes sit one point behind first-place Whitman, who PLU will visit on Sunday with a championship on the line. Whitworth will hope to spoil those hopes with a win on Saturday, while the Lutes are plenty motivated to avenge their 1-0 loss to the Bucs earlier this season. PLU boasts the best defense in the conference, having allowed just six goals in 14 matches to NWC opponents. Offensively, they have scored 20 goals, fourth most in the NWC during that stretch. Senior Connor O'Brien leads the team with nine goals, second most in the conference. Junior Ty Brunner adds six goals and four assists. Three different goalkeepers have played significant minutes for the Lutes, each posting a goals against average below 1.00 and a save percentage above 0.815.
Puget Sound is 6-2-8 overall, 5-2-7 in the NWC with two matches to play. The Loggers visit Whitman on Saturday, also hoping to knock the Blues from the top spot. PS ranks third in NWC play with 23 goals scored but have given up 19, fourth most. Senior Rhys Foote leads the conference with 10 goals on the season. Junior Jackson Smith is tied for second with nine goals and adds a team-high four assists. Freshman Mason Allison has held down the goalkeeper spot with a 1.10 goals against average and league-best five shutouts in 12 starts. Puget Sound earned a 2-1 win over Whitworth in Tacoma on October 10th.
By Committee: The Bucs have shown that anyone on the field is a threat to score, having scored 13 goals by nine different players so far this season. Jaxsen Teeter (4), Boden Thomson (2), Ralph Borromeo, Lucas Waarvick, Ryland Crane, Sebastian Alvarez, Zephyr Wall, Greyson Wheeler, and Colton Depner 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 set a new career-high with 10 saves in a shutout at Pacific Lutheran and ranks first in the NWC in save percentage (.813) and saves per game (5.29). He is currently fourth is goals against average (1.32) and second in total saves (74).
Hart was voted the NWC Men's Soccer Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week on October 12.
NWC Standings: Whitman holds first place at 10-2-2 (32 points) with two matches to play. Pacific Lutheran (9-1-4, 31 pts.) is one point behind with Willamette (8-3-3, 27 pts.) in striking distance.
The regular season Northwest Conference champion will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Div. III Tournament.
The Coach: Kevin Moon became the Pirates' head coach in 2023 and has a 33-27-15 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 be back in action next fall.
