By: Caden Frank
SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth men's soccer will play its final home games of the 2023 season this weekend, facing off against Linfield on Saturday and Willamette on Sunday. Both matches are at 2:30 as second halves of men's-women's doubleheaders.
On Sunday the Pirates will honor Seniors Andyn Moldonado, Chris Barry, Eric Shaporda, Christian Pumpelly, Andrew Wolotira, and Jett Manglona.
To follow the action, check out Whitworth men's soccer schedule for live links to streams and stats.
The Pirates: Whitworth (9-4-3 overall, 7-2-3 NWC) cemented themselves in second place with a Wednesday night draw at Whitman last week and a win on Sunday at Pacific. The Pirates' 24 points puts them five points ahead of a three-way tie for third and eight points behind Pacific Lutheran with just four games remaining.
The Pirate defense was stifling last week earning back-to-back shutouts for the first time since their first two matches of the season (a 0-0 tie against Carroll College and a 7-0 win over Walla Walla). Aiden Chase and Anton Dershem split time at keeper in each match, both were excellent and shared credit for the shutouts.
On Wednesday, the Pirates outshot Whitman 17-9 (5-5 in shots on goal) but neither team could break the ice. Cole Friesen nearly had a goal in the 89th minute to give Whitworth the win, but it was knocked aside. On Sunday, Whitworth got out in front early on an 11th minute goal from Eric Shaporda, his eighth of the season, and the Pirates never let Pacific back in it. Whitworth's defense didn't allow a shot for the first 72 minutes, and when the Boxers finally did get a shot, it was off target. The Pirates outshot Pacific 12-1, 7-0 in shots on goal, to earn the season sweep over the Boxers.
Defense is hot: This weekend, Whitworth will look to build on their recent success defensively. A shutout against Linfield on Saturday would give them three straight shutouts, the last time that happened was 2019 when Whitworth shut out George Fox, Pacific, and Puget Sound consecutively. In 2015, the Pirates shut out five NWC opponents in a row on their way to a program record in goals allowed in a season.
The Opponents: Linfield (4-9-3 overall, 4-6-2 NWC) has not posted a winning record since 2007 and they are on pace to fall shy of that mark again. However, they have proven to be competitive within the conference, picking up a win over defending-champion Willamette, and a tie against first place Pacific Lutheran. The 'Cats are 6th in the NWC in the standings, goals scored (25), and goals allowed (30). Linfield is coached by Andrew Duvall who's in his fourth season. Their biggest offensive threat is Senior forward Sid Kosaris who's led the team in scoring for two straight seasons and was selected to the second team all-NWC in 2022. Kosaris is eighth in the conference in goals (6) and 10th in shots (29). He will be a major focus for the Pirate defense this weekend.
Willamette (6-9-1 overall, 6-5-1 NWC) has been on the downswing after winning the conference in 2022. The Bearcats won their first three conference matches but have slipped slowly, and they go into this weekend as losers in four of the last five matches, including a 2-1 loss to eighth place George Fox on Sunday. Willamette has had no shortage of opportunities, ranking first in the conference in shots (284) and second in shots on goal (108), and they rank third in goals scored (32), only behind PLU and Whitworth. The Bearcats are led by coach Sam Adelman, and their leading scorer is Jett Starr who's nine goals put him fourth overall in the NWC. The Bearcats defense ranks third-worst in the conference, and the Pirates' will look to take advantage of that.
The Coach: Kevin Moon is the Pirates' interim head coach in 2023, and was a Pirate player from 1988 through 1991, winning three NCIC titles under Whitworth Heritage Gallery Hall of Fame coach Einar Thorarinnson. He was an assistant coach for the men under Sean Bushey in 2001 when the Pirates won a conference crown.
Coming up: Whitworth will close out the 2023 season on the road at George Fox and Lewis & Clark.
