McMINNVILLE, Ore. - In a match-up that featured two of the Nortwest Conference's best, Whitworth (3-4-2) and Linfield (6-2-2) battled to a scoreless stalemate on a cloudy afternoon Sunday at the Linfield soccer field.

The tie puts Whitworth at 3-2-2 in Northwest Conference play and Linfield at 3-1-2.

Both defenses took advantage of a moist field surface in stumping their respective offensive opponents. Linfield outshot the Pirates 7-1 in the first half but was unable to take advantage.

The ball did touch the net in the 47th minute for Whitworth, offering a moment of hope for the Bucs, but a flag on the far side of the pitch indicated an offside player and the goal was discounted. Only four Pirates were able to get shots off through the entire match, while the Wildcats put up 15 shots by eight different players.

Whitworth's tough defense was led by goalkeeper Callie Bergstrom, who made five saves for the Pirates.

Offensively, the Wildcats were led by senior Anna Sours (Sr., Jacksonville, Ore.), who fired off six shots but to no avail. Lauren Pyrch (Soph., West Linn, Ore.) and Marie Johanson (Jr., Seattle, Wash.) each added two shots for the 'Cats.

AROUND THE NWC: Willamette (5-4-1) defeats George Fox (1-6-3) 4-0...Lewis and Clark (2-6-2) defeats Whitman (4-6) 2-0...Pacific (6-3-1) defeats Pacific Lutheran (2-6) 2-0.

NEXT UP:  The Wildcats return to action Saturday at noon for a NWC matchup with Pacific Lutheran (2-6) in Tacoma.