GAME DAY PREVIEW

The Records

Linfield enters the second half of the NWC slate at 2-6 overall and 2-4 in North-west Conference play. Whitman sits in second place at 5-3 overall with a 4-1 NWC mark.

Linfield At A Glance

The Wildcats won back-to-back games over Pacific and Puget Sound to close the first half of NWC play. Their lone game last week was a 14-8 non-conference loss to Carroll University (Wis.). Gabby Crist ranks fourth in the NWC with 31 goals. Her seasonhigh eight goals against Puget Sound are tied for the top performance in the league this season. Crist also leads the ‘Cats with six assists and 36 draw controls. Grayce Miller is the team’s leader in ground balls (27) and caused turnovers (18). Caity Babcock has 46 saves and a 9.69 goals against average in eight appearances and five starts in goal.

Whitman At A Glance

Whitman will play four games this week. The Blues played at Spalding and Centre on Tuesday and Wednesday on their Kentucky road trip before returning to NWC play to take on Linfield and Pacific. The Blues have the top two goal scorers in the league in Madeleine Sherry and Erin Magnuson. Sherry’s 36 goals lead the conference while Magnuson’s 33 rank second. Sherry also leads the team and is third in the NWC with 17 assists. Korin Wheaton is 4-1 in goal with 57 saves and an 8.83 GAA.

The Series

Linfield is 6-9 in the all-time series with Whitman. Both teams have had their streaks. The Blues won eight straight games between 2015 and 2018, but the Wildcats took five straight meetings from 2019 to 2022, scoring 20 or more goals in four of those wins. The ‘Cats fell 20-8 to the Blues in their season opener on Feb. 25 in Spokane, Washington.