SPOKANE, Wash. - Whitworth University will conclude one of the greatest women's soccer regular seasons in school history this week when the Pirates travel to Lewis & Clark College and Whitman College. Whitworth (15-2 overall, 12-2 NWC) lost a tough 3-2 decision to Puget Sound last Saturday before bouncing back to beat Pacific Lutheran 2-0.

With two games left on the schedule, the best the Pirates can do is tie Puget Sound (18-0, 14-0) for the NWC title. But it is unlikely the unbeaten Loggers will drop both of their remaining contests and UPS has already clinched the NWC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs by virtue of winning both games against Whitworth. Also, if Whitworth can win twice this week, the Bucs would set a school record for wins in a season.

The Pirates can still hang their hopes on an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. Last week Whitworth was ranked 2nd in the official NCAA Div. III regional ratings and there is little reason to believe the team has dropped from that spot after this past weekend.

Hagerott tied the school record for career assists

Pirates in the Rankings: Despite the loss to UPS Whitworth continues to be rated highly, both nationally and regionally. The Pirates are ranked 14th in the NSCAA/adidas top 25 poll and 11th in the D3kicks.com top-25 this week. The Pirates continue to be ranked second in the NSCAA/adidas west region ratings.

Leading the League : Whitworth's offensive efficiency has the Pirates atop the Northwest Conference statistics in points per game. Whitworth has 48 goals and 46 assists in 17 matches this year and the 8.35 points per contest average leads the NWC. In addition the season assists totals lead the league as well for overall total and assists per game (2.71).

Greta Thibodeau (Sr., F, Juneau, Alaska) leads the conference in assists as an individual with 10 in the 17 matches, while Penelope Crowe is second in the NWC with eight assists in 17 matches.

The Whitworth defense has been strong as well. Whitworth has allowed 14 goals against, the second lowest total in the NWC to this point.

An Amazing Season: The statistics demonstrate that 2007 has been one of the greatest years in Whitworth history. The Pirates have won 15 games, second only to the 1996 team that finished 16-5-2. The 2007 team is now also second on the all-time lists in goals scored (48, second to 68 in 1996), in assists (46, second to 48 in 1996) and total points (142, second to 184 in 1996).

Individually, Jael Hagerott (Sr., MF, Spokane, Wash.) is now tied for first all-time in career assists as a Pirate with 26. She is third all time in goals scored (29) and third in total points (84).

Making it Count: Whitworth's leading scorer, Kaylyn Plumb (Fr., MF/D, Spokane, Wash.), has scored eight goals this season which ranks seventh in the NWC for total goals and goals per match (0.47). However, she has four game winning goals in that season total, which is fourth in the league.

Coming Up Next: Whitworth will play at Lewis & Clark College (2-12-2 overall, 2-11-1 NWC) on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. All matches need to be completed by Saturday this week so that final scores can be submitted to the NCAA for tournament selections on Sunday. The Pioneers lost 3-0 at home to Willamette last Tuesday night and fell 4-1 at George Fox on Saturday in last week's action. In the first meeting of the season between Whitworth and L&C, the Pirates won 5-1 in Spokane on October 5th.

Whitman College (9-6-3, 8-4-2) is one of the hottest teams in the league, having won six matches in a row before Sunday's close 2-1 loss to Puget Sound. The Missionaries had beaten Pacific Lutheran 1-0 on Saturday to extend the streak. In the final match before Whitman began its streak, Whitworth defeated the Missionaries 2-1 in Spokane on October 6th. Saturday's match in Walla Walla will begin at 4:00 p.m.

Head Coach: Sean Bushey is 105-85-15 in his 11th year leading the Whitworth women. During that time he has also served as the Pirate men's coach.