SPOKANE, Wash.- Whitworth completed a remarkable run to a second straight Northwest Conference men's soccer title on Saturday, shutting out Pacific 4-0 to win the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.
One season after losing eight starters from a conference championship team, Whitworth returned to the top of the standings with balanced offense and solid defense. The 14th-ranked Pirates finished the regular season 14-2-3 overall and 10-2-2 in the NWC. Whitworth finished two points ahead of Whitman (9-2-3) in the final conference standings. Ben Rotert (Sr., D, Bozeman, Mont.) gave Whitworth a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute when he headed in Cameron Bushey's (Fr., MF, Spokane, Wash.) corner kick. It was his first goal of the season. John Prugh (Sr., F, Bozeman, Mont.) scored less than two minutes into the second half to give the Pirates some important breathing room. His seventh goal of the season was assisted by younger brother Eddy Prugh (Fr., F, Bozeman, Mont.). Whitworth essentially clinched the game in the 52nd minute when Bushey converted a penalty kick for his fourth goal of the year. Caleb Barnhill (Sr., F, Sultan, Wash.) put the finishing touches on the win when he broke away from the defense for his NWC-leading 13th goal of the season with a minute to play. Andrew Stevermer made three saves in 82 minutes for Pacific (10-6-4, 6-4-4). Chris Grasso played the final eight minutes for the Boxers. Jeff Srock (Jr., GK, Colbert, Wash.) only had to make one save for the Pirates to post their seventh shutout of the season. Since a 3-1 loss at Pacific on October 11th, the Pirates have gone 6-0-2 and outscored their opponents 24-5. Whitworth's title is not only its second straight, but the fourth in the last five years and the fifth since 2001. The Pirates will find out who, when and where they will play in the NCAA Division III tournament when announcements are made on Monday morning. Go to Athletics Home Page > Men's Soccer > Sports Releases > |
