SPOKANE, Wash.- It came down to the final match on the final weekend of the season, but two impressive shutouts gave Whitworth its second consecutive Northwest Conference soccer title and fourth in the last five years. Whitworth finished with 32 points in the final NWC standings (3 for a win, 1 for a tie), two points ahead of Whitman (9-3-2, 30 points). Click here for the NWC standings. The Pirates were rewarded with the opportunity to host a first round match in the NCAA Division III tournament. Whitworth will take on Augsburg (Minn.) on Thursday at 1:00 p.m. on the Whitworth soccer field. The winner of Thursday's match will play at Redlands on Sunday. Click here for complete bracket . (PDF) Whitworth (14-2-3 overall, 10-2-2 NWC) defeated George Fox 5-0 last Friday, and clinched the conference title with a 4-0 win over Pacific last Saturday. Live Video Stream: Thursday's match will be streamed live over the internet on this link: mms://media.whitworth.edu/events. The stream will begin a couple minutes before kick off.
Olson Honored: Whitworth's Bryan Olson (Jr., D, Missoula, Mont.) was named the Northwest Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday for his performance over the weekend. At center back, he helped the Pirates limit George Fox and Pacific to only three combined shots on-goal. Whitworth's keepers only had to make three saves this weekend to post the two shutouts. Tournament History: Whitworth is making its fifth appearance in the NCAA Division III men's soccer tournament. In 2001 the Pirates defeated Colorado College (1-0) and tied Macalester College (advanced 4-2 on penalty kicks) before falling to eventual finalist Univ. of Redlands (1-0 in overtime). In 2004 Whitworth again defeated Colorado College (2-1) in the first round before losing at St. Norbert College (3-2) in the second round. In 2005 Whitworth earned a first round bye, then defeated Redlands (4-0) in the second round, Wartburg (3-0) in the sectional semifinal and Trinity University (2-1, ot) in the sectional final to advance to the NCAA Division III final four. That run ended with a 2-1 loss to Gustavus Adolphus in the national semifinals. Last season Whitworth knocked off Gustavus Adolphus 2-1 in the first round before losing 2-0 at Wis.-Oshkosh in the second round. The Pirates are 7-4-1 all-time in the NCAA tournament. Goal Scorer: Whitworth's Caleb Barnhill (Sr., F, Sultan, Wash.) continues to lead the Northwest Conference in goals per game (0.68) and in total goals (13). He also leads in total points (28) and has three game-winning goals this season. Prugh Two Too: Eddy Prugh (Fr., F, Bozeman, Mont.) and John Prugh (Sr., F, Bozeman, Mont.) have proven a dangerous combination this season. The brothers have combined for 14 goals and eight assists. Each is among the NWC leaders in goals scored (7) and John is among the leaders in assists (5). Scoring Machine: The Pirates lead the Northwest Conference in all offensive categories this season. Whitworth is first in total points per match (7.26), first in goals per match (2.63) and first in assists per match (2.00). The Montana Mountain: Bryan Olson, who has led the Pirates in minutes played each of his first three seasons, joins with Travis Jette (Sr., Missoula, Mont.) and Ben Rotert (Sr., D, Bozeman, Mont.) to form the bulk of Whitworth's defensive line. The trio has limited opponents to 72 shots on goal (3.8 per match) this season. They are a big reason Whitworth's team goals-against average is 0.89. Powerhouse Schedule: Whitworth took on five non-conference opponents that posted a cumulative record of 70-23-4 in 2007. Three of them (Gustavus Adolphus, UC Santa Cruz and Wisconsin-Whitewater) were participants in the NCAA Division III tournament last season, while Cal Lutheran was co-champion of the SCIAC. National Rankings: There was not an update in the top 25 this week, so the Pirates will remain 14th in the NSCAA/adidas Division III coaches poll until the final post-season poll is released later in the fall. The Bucs are currently ranked second in the west region. Click here for the latest NSCAA national DIII poll. The latest NSCAA West Region rankings are here. The Coach: The fall of 2008 marks Sean Bushey's 13th season as the head men's soccer coach at Whitworth. No coach has ever served longer in that capacity at Whitworth. Bushey, who has his USSF "A" license, has a 156-71-25 record in his 13th season as the Bucs' head men's soccer coach (166-77-27 in 14 years overall). He has led the Pirates to four Northwest Conference titles in the last five years, and five titles overall. Last season (2007) Whitworth won an NWC title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament. In 2005 he led Whitworth to the NCAA Division III Final Four after the Pirates won their second straight NWC championship. It was the first time a men's soccer team had repeated as Northwest Conference champions in more than ten years. In 2004 he led Whitworth to its second NWC title in his tenure and to the second round of the NCAA tournament, while in 2001 he led the Pirates to a conference championship and the NCAA Regional Finals. He has been named Northwest Conference Men's Coach of the Year three times. Over the last ten years (including this season), the Whitworth men are 134-43-19 (.731). Live Stats Offered: Live statistics of all Pirate home matches this season will be available on the Whitworth University Men's Soccer web page. The link for the matches is: The Opponents: Augsburg (11-3-6) is making is first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament. The Auggies finished third in the regular season standings of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics Conference, then knocked off Gustavus Adolphus 3-0 on the road in the semifinals of the conference tournament. Augsburg then played MIAC champion and highly-ranked Carleton to a 0-0 tie in the conference finals before the title was decided 5-3 in Carleton's favor with a PK shootout. Junior forward D.J. Wendell leads the Auggies in scoring with 12 goals, while junior defender Alex Hildebrandt has six assists this season. Junior keeper Pascaul Venter has been exceptional in goal with a 0.43 goals-against average and eight shutouts. Whitworth and Augsburg have never played. The teams do have two common opponents this season. Whitworth defeated Gustavus Adolphus 4-0 at home on October 31st, and beat Wisconsin-Whitewater 2-1 on September 11th. The Augies fell 1-0 to GAC in the regular season before defeating the Gusties in the conference playoffs. They tied Whitewater 1-1. The winner of Thursday's match will play at Redlands on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Redlands (16-4-2) won the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletics Conference and is making its eighth straight NCAA tournament appearance. The Bulldogs defeated Pomona-Pitzer 2-1 in overtime of the SCIAC tournament final. Redlands is a veteran squad led by senior forwards Russ Schunk (18 goals, 2 assists) and Alex Parker (12 goals, 5 assists). Senior midfielder Bryan Fakkema has nine assists this season. Goalkeeper Evan Hobson has a 0.92 goals against average and seven shutouts. Whitworth and Redlands last played in 2006 when the Bulldogs won 1-0 in California to open the season. The teams have met twice in the playoffs. In 2001 Redlands won in overtime in the regional final, while in 2005 Whitworth won 4-0 in the second round. Go to Athletics Home Page > Men's Soccer > Sports Releases > |
