By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – After a preseason trip to Montana, Whitworth women's soccer heads back to Whitworth Soccer field this weekend for its home opener and Northwest Conference opener. The Pirates host Lewis & Clark on Saturday and Linfield on Sunday. Both matches will begin at 2:45 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: The Bucs (1-1) split their first two matches of the season against a pair of NAIA opponents in Montana.
On Saturday, Whitworth cruised to a 2-0 shutout win over the University of Providence. Kayla Santa Monica scored both goals for the Bucs, one in each half. The Pirates finished with a 14-6 advantage in shots and 6-3 lead in shots on target. Santa Monica, Emma Ellerd and Hailey Herboth each had two shots on goal to lead the attack. Karlee Roderick made three saves in the clean sheet.
On Sunday, the Pirates fell 1-0 to Carroll College. The shot total was 23-3 in favor of Carroll, but the Bucs generated quality chances to score but couldn't convert. The Saints' game-winning goal came in the 68th minute. Lily Cardenas and Herboth were the only two Pirates to record a shot. Roderick tied a career-high 10 saves in net.
The Opponents: Lewis & Clark heads to Spokane with a 1-2-2 overall record. The River Otters split their first two NWC matches with a 2-0 loss to Pacific (Ore.) and a 1-0 win over George Fox last weekend. So far this season, L&C ranks middle of the pack the NWC in the attacking third and defensive third with .800 goals scored per game and 1.2 goals allowed per game. Four different players have scored a goal, led by Grace Smith who has taken a team-high 10 shots. Lucia Barron Nunez has started all five matches at goalkeeper, posting a .800 save percentage and 1.52 goals against average. Last season, the Bucs fell 2-0 and tied 0-0 in two matches against L&C.
Linfield is 2-1-1 heading into its first weekend of NWC action. The Wildcats will play Whitman on Saturday before heading to Spokane on Sunday. Each of Linfield's matches have been competitive, low-scoring battles, resulting in two goals scored on the season and two goals allowed. Despite the even scoring, the Cats have outshot opponents 59-24. Julia Alvarez and Sophia Leiber have the two Linfield goals. Maddie Funk and Tati Zahajko have each made two starts at goalkeeper. Funk leads the two with five saves and no goals allowed. Whitworth and Linfield split their two matchups last season.
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 30-29-20 record under Bushéy and a 27-23-14 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: Whitworth will host Whitman on Wednesday, September 23 before heading to Oregon to visit Pacific on Saturday, September 26.
