By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth women's soccer begins the second half of the Northwest Conference schedule this week with a final trip to Oregon. The Pirates visit Pacific (Ore.) on Saturday before playing Willamette on Sunday. Both matches will start at noon in the first leg of a men's-women's doubleheader.
Check the Whitworth women's soccer schedule for live links to follow the action.
The Pirates: Despite a winless weekend, Whitworth (0-6-5 overall, 0-5-3 NWC) was able to earn a point in the standings against the top two teams in the conference.
On Saturday, the Pirates tied Puget Sound 0-0. Whitworth's Emma Ellerd had a chance to score the go-ahead goal in the 70th minute with a penalty kick, but her shot was saved. The Pirate defense fought off 10 UPS corner kicks and limited the Loggers to just three shots on goal. Lily Parker and Madison Carr played a strong 90 minutes on the back line, and Karlee Roderick earned her second clean sheet of the season.
Whitworth fell 1-0 to visiting Pacific Lutheran on Sunday. Neither team found the back of the net in the first half, but the Lutes turned up the pressure and broke through in the second. PLU's Liv Olson headed in her conference-leading eighth goal of the season at the back post to give the Lutes the advantage. PLU outshot the Bucs 14-9 and had a 5-3 advantage in shots on goal. Emma Ellerd, Riley Ng, and Kylee Russell each had a shot on goal to lead the Whitworth attack. Roderick made four saves.
Whitworth is looking to end a 703-minute scoring drought that dates back to September 20th against Willamette.
The Opponents: Pacific holds a 3-3-6 overall record and 2-1-6 mark in the NWC heading into this week. The Boxers have played scoreless draws in three of their last four matches but came away with a 1-0 win over George Fox last week. They visit Linfield on Wednesday before hosting Whitworth on Saturday. Pacific holds a .833 goals against average, tied for third best in the conference. The Boxers have scored seven goals this season and average 7.75 shots per game. Senior midfielder Gwendolyn Saing leads the attack with three goals. Senior forward Mirella Garcia has two goals and two assists. Senior Kylie Pascual and sophomore Jaelynn Moo have each made six starts at goalkeeper. The Pirates and Boxers tied 0-0 in their first matchup in Spokane on September 21st.
Willamette is 2-5-5 overall and 1-4-4 in conference play heading into this week. The Bearcats tied with Lewis & Clark and Pacific last weekend. The Bucs can hope to find the back of the net again in this matchup as Willamette has given up 20 goals, second most in the conference. Offensively, the Bearcats have scored 12 goals and average one per game. Junior Claire Warthen leads the team with five goals and 24 shots. Juniors Maddee Reid and Natalie Rodriquez- De La Torre each have a pair of assists. Senior Sierra Edwards has started all 12 games at goalkeeper and holds a .642 save percentage. Willamette beat the Pirates 2-1 in Spokane on September 20th. George Fox and Whitman will visit Salem this week before the Pirates battle the Bearcats on Sunday.
NWC Standings: Pacific Lutheran (20 points) holds the top spot in the conference with a 6-0-2 record. Puget Sound (5-0-3) has 18 points with Linfield (5-2-2) close behind with 17. Pacific (2-1-6), Whitman (2-2-4), and Lewis & Clark (2-4-2) each have two conference wins pushing to get in the mix. Willamette (1-4-4) is in seventh while Goerge Fox (0-5-4) and Whitworth (0-5-3) still seek their first wins.
Watch on FloCollege: All of Whitworth's Northwest Conference athletic events will be streamed through FloCollege in 2025-26. Fans can sign up to watch Pirate sports on the FloCollege portal. Registration is $120 for an annual subscription or $20 per month. Those who register with a .edu email address get a significant discount.
The Coach: Whitworth soccer alum Cameron Bushéy is in his fourth season as head coach of the women's soccer team. The Pirates have a 26-26-17 record under Bushéy and a 24-21-11 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 returns to Spokane to host Whitman on Wednesday, October 22nd before Linfield visits on Saturday, October 25th.
