Whitworth Women Having A Ball Tissue, Peterson Key Players As Pirates Hold Onto Top Spot

Those who practice Zen seek enlightenment through introspection and intuition. The Whitworth Pirates women’s soccer team is pursuing another dimension with the power of Jen.

Actually, make that Jens.

The Pirates are atop the Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges with the tremendous play of Jennifer Tissue at forward and Jennifer Peterson in goal.

Whitworth (7-0-1 NCIC, 10-4-1 overall) has outscored its opposition 31-22. Tissue is responsible for more than half the goals (16) while Peterson has a goals-against average of 1.5.

Whitworth travels to Linfield Saturday before heading to Willamette on Sunday. The Pirates return home Oct. 28 to play Pacific Lutheran at 3 p.m. and will play host to Pacific the next day at noon to close out the regular season at the Pine Bowl.

The NCIC playoffs start Nov. 1.

Whitworth is banking on the continued success of Tissue and Peterson to fulfill their goal of going to the national playoffs.

Tissue, squeezably soft in name only, has been a prolific goal scorer since she first stepped on a soccer field at the age of 6.

When asked to talk about her offensive abilities, Tissue, ever-so modest, came up empty. Seldom does that happen when she’s on the field.

“She (Tissue) is just a magician of the broken play. She positions herself so well with the ball around the goal - she is just a sight to watch,” Whitworth coach Daman Hagerott said.

Tissue, a former Shadle Park High School star, played with Spokane Skyhawks club teams from ages 15-19. Teammates included Suzie Boots and Danielle Hamacher, both of whom now play at Stanford.

Skyhawks coach Eddie Birrer, and Hagerott, both agree that Tissue could be playing soccer at the Division I level.

“My most vivid memory of Jen was seeing her about 2-feet off the ground, and parallel with the ground, to score a header that was hit so hard it seemed like the ball was going to shoot through the back of the net,” Birrer said.

“If there is a chance to score, she is going to put it in the net.”

Still, the ever-bashful Tissue is quick to point out that the play of Pirates midfielders Haley Nichols and Joy Cullen have also created more offensive opportunities for her as well.

“You can only be as good as the people around you,” Tissue said. “My teammates do a good job of setting each other up. We’ve got good team chemistry, and everybody plays their roles well.”

Nichols has six goals and seven assists while Cullen has two goals and 10 assists. An offensive Bermuda Triangle, they have been playing together for six years.

At the other end of the field, Peterson has been allowing just under two goals a game and has four shutouts. An academic senior, she still has another year of playing eligibility. A torn ACL in her right knee forced her to redshirt last season.

“If you look at early season goals, she (Peterson) just keeps stepping into her own stride,” Hagerott said.

Said Peterson: “This team is putting all of the pieces of the puzzle together. We just all keep getting better each game.”

Hagerott took over the team three years ago, Tissue’s freshman year. She led the team in scoring that year as well. But in her sophomore season, opponents got wise and marked her with two and sometimes three defenders.

This season, Tissue has been up to the challenge.

“Jen (Tissue) is difficult to close down on,” Hagerott said. “She has an incredible ability to hold the ball despite the defenders. In turn that frees up the rest of the team.”

Said Birrer: “She is extremely versatile. She’s played everything but goalie, and she could probably do that if she asked her to.”

Fortunately for the Pirates, Peterson has those duties well in hand.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo