Northwest Conference play is underway for the Wildcat Fall teams, with Winter teams warming up for their seasons to come in the next few weeks. Volleyball, men's soccer, and women's soccer saw their first road trips to Washington State last weekend, and football captured their first NWC win over George Fox in Newberg last Saturday.
Each of the teams will see action at home this Saturday for Homecoming weekend on campus. Football hosts Pacific, looking to extend their winning streak to three games, and the rest of the team's take on rival George Fox in a Saturday quadruple header. Homecoming weekend kicks off on Friday with events all across campus. From wine tasting, baseball alumni batting practice, an alumni swim meet, women's basketball reunion, to class reunions dating back 50 years. Wildcats of the past and present look to take over campus for a weekend full of festivities.
 
VOLLEYBALL
 Wildcat volleyball (4-7, 2-4 NWC) continues their NWC schedule with one match on the road this Friday before taking part in the Homecoming weekend by hosting George Fox (5-8, 2-5 NWC) on Saturday evening. Linfield dropped two matches against the strong Tacoma schools last weekend, but they aim to get back on track in Portland against Lewis & Clark (0-13, 0-6 NWC) on Friday at 7 p.m. 
Freshman libero Naia Alefaio-Foifua claimed her second NWC Volleyball Defensive Athlete of the Week honors this Monday, ranking second in the conference in digs per set after totaling 56 over her last three matches. Alefaio-Foifua teams up with Madison Millard and Katelyn Mawdsley on defense, while Nora Myre and Lani Taliloa captain the offensive side of the ball. 
 
The matchups:
Friday, October, 10 | 7 p.m.
@ Lewis & Clark (0-13, 0-6 NWC) | Portland, Ore.
Saturday, October 11 | 6 p.m. 
vs George Fox (4-8, 1-5 NWC) | Ted Wilson Gymnasium
Watch live and on-demand here: https://www.flocollege.com/schools/6469740-linfield-university
 
WOMEN'S SOCCER
Wildcat women's soccer (5-2-4, 3-2-2 NWC) saw their nine-match unbeaten streak come to a close last weekend on the Tacoma road trip, falling to the top-two teams in the conference in Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound on their turf. The offense was stymied for the first time since the first match of the season, but they find themselves with a great opportunity against two opponents below them in the table this weekend in Lewis & Clark and George Fox. Lize Rendon still remains tied for second in the conference in goals (5), while Mia Curtaz has racked up five assists due to her connection with Jenna Stanley on corner kicks. 
 
The matchups:
Saturday, October 11 | 12 p.m. 
Vs George Fox (0-4-6, 0-3-4 NWC) | Linfield Soccer/Lacrosse Complex
Sunday, October 12 | 12 p.m. 
@ Lewis & Clark (2-6-2, 2-3-1 NWC) | Portland, Ore.
Watch live and on-demand here: https://www.flocollege.com/schools/6469740-linfield-university
 
MEN'S SOCCER
Men's soccer (1-9-1, 1-5-1 NWC) found their stride on offense last week, scoring seven goals over three games and earning a 1-1-1 record to get points on the board in the conference standings. The 'Cats were led by the breakout of junior Ross Vargo, scoring the equalizer in a 1-1 draw against Willamette and adding a pair in Sunday's match at PLU. Senior Sam Haynes also netted a pair of goals in a 3-2 win over Puget Sound on Saturday. Haynes and Vargo now lead the team in scoring, with each totaling nine shots on the season. 
The team aims to pair the defense from two weeks ago with last week's offense in matchups against two of the bottom three teams in the conference standings. 
 
The matchups:
Saturday, October 11 | 2:45 p.m. 
Vs George Fox (3-5-3, 1-4-2 NWC) | Linfield Soccer/Lacrosse Complex
Sunday, October 12 | 2:45 p.m. 
@ Lewis & Clark (0-9-1, 0-6 NWC) | Portland, Ore.
Watch live and on-demand here: https://www.flocollege.com/schools/6469740-linfield-university
 
MEN'S & WOMEN'S GOLF
Women's golf completed their Fall season prep work last weekend in North Plains, Oregon, as Kariss Whitford and Addison Nations led the Wildcats squad that has featured five first-year student-athletes in the first three tournaments this season. The men's team has enjoyed a week-off from competition following the PLU Invitational a pair of weeks ago. Douglas Bailey and Ryder Ng led the 'Cats in their last tournament, each earning a top-15 finish. Both teams close out their Fall seasons this Sunday and Monday, looking to earn valuable position in the conference standings for next Spring's championships. 
 
On The Tee:
Sunday and Monday, October 12 & 13 | Lake Oswego, Ore. | Oswego Lake CC
NWC Fall Classic | 36 holes
 
FOOTBALL
Linfield football (2-1, 1-0 NWC) is in week two of a seven week stretch of Northwest Conference match ups. The Wildcats return home after claiming a 35-17 win over the George Fox Bruins last Saturday in Newberg, led by Luke McNabb who threw three touchdowns while rushing for 120 yards. Reid Gray was a highlight on special teams and defense for the 'Cats, housing a 94-yard kick return early in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to two-scores. Gray also added four tackles and a pair of pass breakups in the game. Gray's efforts against the Bruins earned him the conference's Defensive Athlete of the Week honors. Brady Crenshaw led the team in tackles with eight, but forced a pair of turnovers, a fumble early in the game and grabbing an interception in the second half. 
The 'Cats are set to take on the Pacific Boxers (1-3, 0-1 NWC) on Saturday at 1 p.m., looking to extend their win streak to three games.
 
The matchup:
Saturday, October 11 | 1 p.m. | Maxwell Field
Vs Pacific (1-3, 0-1 NWC)
Watch live and on-demand here: https://www.flocollege.com/schools/6469740-linfield-university
 The series between Linfield and Pacific dates to 1897, with Linfield holding a 52-24-4 advantage. The Wildcats have won the last 16 games in the series, including a 68-28 win in Forest Grove in 2023. That was the fifth-highest combined score in Linfield football history … the last meeting in McMinnville was the Wildcats' 42-27 win in 2023 … The Boxers' last victory was in 1988, by a score of 38-24 in Forest Grove. The teams did not meet between 1990 and 2010 as Pacific dropped football after the 1991 season (the schools did not meet in 1991) then resumed the series in 2010. …  The first meeting between the schools was November 13, 1897, with then-McMinnville College taking a 12-4 win in Forest Grove. Pacific then went 19-3-3 in the series through the 1950 season. After the teams traded wins through the 1950s, Linfield has won 42 of the last 44 games dating back to 1960 … Even with that gap from 1991 through 2009, the series with Pacific is Linfield's third-most-played with 80 games prior to 2025, trailing Willamette (96 games through 2024) and Lewis & Clark (89 games through 2024) … One of the stranger scores in Linfield's football history came against Pacific in 1984, with the Wildcats winning 2-0 in McMinnville … Linfield has a 26-9-4 record in games played in McMinnville and a 26-15 edge in games played in Forest Grove … Pacific's last win in McMinnville came in 1954 by a 20-0 score … Linfield's widest margin of victory was 67 points in 2015 in McMinnville, a 77-10 win; the Wildcats' widest margin in Forest Grove was 46 points, 46-0 in 1961. Pacific's widest margin of victory was 39 points, 39-0 in 1903 in Forest Grove. The Boxers' widest margin in McMinnville was 32 points, 32-0 in 1952 …
(Kip Carlson)
 
LINFIELD SPORTS NETWORK ON FLOSPORTS
This summer, the Northwest Conference and its nine affiliated institutions announced an exclusive media rights partnership, bringing nearly all NWC broadcasted sports to the FloSports platform for the foreseen future. This deal now requires fans, families, and students to purchase a subscription to the platform to view Wildcat sports live and on-demand. 
To learn more about FloSports, the Linfield Sports Network, how to subscribe, and even how to get a discounted subscription, visit: https://golinfieldwildcats.com/news/2025/8/29/general-interest-wildcats-home-openers-one-week-away-flosports-streams-on-deck.aspx


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