By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth men's soccer squad will head on its first Northwest Conference road trip of the season this week. The Pirates battle Whitman on Wednesday at 5:30 pm before playing Pacific (Ore.) on Saturday at noon. Saturday's match will be 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 Pirates (2-3-1, 0-1-1) were able to come out of last weekend's matches with a point after fighting for a draw on Sunday.
Lewis & Clark defeated Whitworth 2-0 on Saturday. The win was L&C's first since the program returned to varsity status in 2022. The River Otters scored two goals in the second half, the first with a header and the other a penalty kick. The Pirates finished with a 9-4 advantage in total shots but could not cut into the lead.
On Saturday, the Bucs battled to a 1-1 draw with visiting Linfield. Linfield played a strong first half before breaking through in the 47th minute with a goal. Whitworth kept fighting and eventually found the back of the net in the 72nd minute after Boden Thomson gained possession of a free kick and scored. Oliver Hart made three saves in the final eight minutes to hold the draw.
By Committee: The Bucs have shown that anyone on the field is a threat to score, having scored six goals by five different players so far this season. Ralph Borromeo, Jaxsen Teeter, Boden Thomson (2), Lucas Waarvick and Greyson Wheeler have all put the ball in the back of the net.
The Opponents: Whitman is off to a strong start this season with a 4-1-1 overall record and 2-0 NWC record. The Blues' only loss came to Mary-Washington in their season opener, and since then have outscored opponents 9-1 in the last five matches. Whitman ranks second in the NWC in goals (9) and is equally stout in the defensive third, ranking second in goals against average (.67). Three Blue players have scored two goals, with junior midfielder Kevin Serrano pacing the team with eight shots on goal. Niclas Isensee and Tait Whittemore have split time in net, both posting a save percentage above .900. The Blues beat the Pirates 3-1 in both matchups last season.
Pacific (Ore.) heads into the weekend at 1-3-2 overall and 1-1-2 in NWC matches. The Boxers have scored eight goals and have given up 10 on the season. They have also been outshot by opponents 63-53. Senior midfielder Nico Lomanto leads the attack, leading the team and tied for second in the conference with four goals. Sophomore goalkeeper Kobi Miyamoto has played each available minute in net for the Boxers, posting a .688 save percentage and 1.67 goals against average. Whitworth defeated Pacific 1-0 in both meetings last season.
The Coach: Kevin Moon became the Pirates' head coach in 2023 and has a 31-19-13 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 return to Whitworth Soccer Field to host George Fox on October 3 and Willamette on October 4.
