After dropping Saturday’s match against Pacific Lutheran, the Whitworth Pirates redeemed their weekend with a heart-stopping, win over Puget Sound on Sunday.
After the win, Whitworth sits in a tie with Linfield for third place in the Northwest Conference. The two teams have 15 points.
Katie Bischoff, ‘18, did the damage for Whitworth. Her overtime free kick won Sunday’s match in a golden goal situation, and gave the Pirates a 1-0 win over the reigning conference champions.
“I was just thinking ‘I want to be done with this game,” Bischoff said. “I want to win this.”
The junior midfielder experienced a bit of personal redemption as well. Bischoff sat out all of last season with an injury, but put in the work to come back and contribute at Whitworth. Head Coach Bryan Olson said he wasn’t surprised that Bischoff made the match-winner, because she trained for it every day.
Coach Olson was also pleased with the effort from a defense that came to play. Prior to the match, Puget Sound led the conference in scoring. Whitworth shut them out. Diana Dewald, ‘18, and Tatum Fredrickson, ‘19, led the effort on Whitworth’s back line.
“[Dewald and Fredrickson] are dependable and steady,” Olson said. “They know what’s needed of them.”
After a scoreless first half, the Pirates led off the second on the attack, securing three corner kicks in the first five minutes before Puget Sound came back with chances of their own. The teams combined for four shots in the first 10 minutes of the second half. None of the shots made their way to the back of the net though, setting the stage for Bischoff’s match-winner.
Saturday was a bit more somber for the Pirates. Pacific Lutheran showed the Parent’s Weekend crowd why they are one of the top teams in the conference, shutting out Whitworth 2-0.
The Lutes shutout the Pirates despite Whitworth’s improved attack putting up nine more shots against PLU than their previous matchup. PLU’s Takara Matsui, ‘17, showed why she’s one of the top 10 goalkeepers in the nation, improving her top 10 mark in goals against average to .235 with the shutout.
Sienna Tanner, ‘18, put in a great effort in her net as well. Tanner finished with five saves on seven shots on goal. She also facilitated Whitworth’s passing from the back.
On the offensive end, Leah Corra, ‘18, and Kelly Wucherer, ‘19, led the Bucs with a two shots apiece. Arielle Van Peursem’s, ‘19, hustle and speed provided Whitworth with a multiple corner kicks, but Matsui stonewalled every Pirate opportunity.
Next week, the Bucs will be back on the road. They take on Whitman on Wednesday at 5 p.m. before traveling to Portland to take on Willamette on Sunday at Noon. Fans can follow both matches on WhitworthPirates.com.