INW SUPPORT THE PLAYERS CAMPAIGN

This weekend's forfeited trip to Oregon in the WPSL NW by the Spokane Shine, by all unofficial accounts, will most likely mean the end of the team's future inclusion in the division under current management. INWsoccernews, which also longs for the return of PDL soccer to the region, believes keeping an elite amateur women's team in the greater-Spokane area is important to player development and inspiration for the youth.

To that end, I call for everyone - past Shine game attendees; all friends and family of players; and soccer enthusiasts and administrators - come out for the Shine season finale Tuesday night at Spokane Falls Community College (7:00) to SUPPORT THE PLAYERS and send a message to the other teams in the division and league management that the Spokane area should continue to be considered for future inclusion, though likely via a new team/ownership.

Most importantly, let's honor a group of players that includes many that have stuck with it and battled through difficult conditions this year with a big send-off in the final game of the season. They may be going into the game with -6 points in the table, but maybe with YOUR SUPPORT they can go out on a positive note, perhaps even register an upset VICTORY.

Spread the word and bring out your friends!  --  Tuesday, July 2, 7:00 @ Spokane Falls CC

- Gerald Barnhart

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Spokane Shine season to end with disappointment again; Forfeits could mean end of team

The Spokane Shine could be waving farewell at their finale Tuesday at Spokane Falls CC | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

For the second consecutive year, the Spokane Shine season will come to a close amid controversy and disappointment as the team will once again be forfeiting a road trip, though under completely different circumstances. Though they have a home game remaining Tuesday against SRR Issaquah SC, the club will not be making its final road trip to Eugene and Bend over the weekend.

Last year the division championship squad, mired in player depletion and a minimal budget, were denied the opportunity to compete in the WPSL Western Conference tournament in California when management chose to forfeit their place in the postseason, allowing Issaquah SC to take their place.

Spokane Shine make AC Seattle work for 4-2 road win Wednesday

Spokane finally scores twice, but AC Seattle stays in playoff contention | Photos: Gerald Barnhart - GALLERY

Plagued by a short-handed roster for two weeks, the Spokane Shine finally had a full contingent of players on hand late Wednesday afternoon for their home contest against league newcomer AC Seattle. Despite putting forth their best effort of the season thus far in a near draw, the Shine came up short of earning their first points of the campaign with the visitors getting two goals from Romina Pinna, including a stoppage time dagger.

Lower Division Five Stars: Round Twelve

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A weekly list of the top five players or performances of each round in NASL, USL Pro and MLS Reserves in all competitions…

ROUND ELEVEN (June 19-23)

Player – Club (5 Star Selections)

Jose Angulo - Pittsburgh Riverhounds (2) 
Scored a pair of goals in the Riverhounds 4-3 comeback victory on the road versus Harrisburg and added a goal and assist to the weekend tally in a 4-1 victory against Antigua.

Lower Division Power Rankings - June 26

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Carolina and Tampa Bay were the only teams in the top six from last week to register victories, but still remain second and third behind Orlando City, which has now been idle in league play for two weeks. A few teams from the bottom are trying to push their way up the list, but the upper half will be tough to surpass.

This Week (Last Week) Club (League) :: W-L-D :: Notes

1 (1) Orlando City (USL Pro) :: 10-1-2 :: Idle in league play, but played to a 4-3 loss in an international friendly against Fluminense.

2 (2) Carolina RailHawks (NASL) :: 5-1-4 :: Rallied from two down at home to defeat Minnesota 3-2, moving back atop the league table.

3 (3) Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL) :: 4-4-3 :: Used a pair of penalties on the road to hand division-leading Atlanta a 2-1 loss

WPSL NW Three Stars - Week Four

A weekly list of the top three players or performances each week in the WPSL Northwest Division.

WEEK FOUR (June 20-23)

Jen Stoltenberg, THUSC

Alia Guagni - AC Seattle
Scored the opening two goals in the first 12 minutes that made it difficult for Eugene to rally in Seattle's 5-2 home win.

Jen Stoltenberg - THUSC Diamonds (2)
Scored the second and third goals in the club's 7-1 comeback win in Spokane Saturday with three assists in the final four goals, and converted from the spot Sunday for the equalizer in a 1-1 draw at Emerald City. It is the second consecutive INW Three Stars selection for her.

Erin Vaughan - SRR Issaquah SC
Scored two goals in the club's 4-1 win against visiting Eugene Saturday and added a goal and two assists Sunday in a 5-0 shutout at home against Bend.

Others considered: Cori Bianchini (Westside), Brandi Dawson (THUSC), Macy Jo Harrison (Issaquah), Hannah Kimsey (THUSC), Gaia Mastrovincenzo (Eugene), KaUa Wall (Issaquah)

Note: Players listed alphabetically

Previous Weeks:

One: Taylor Boyer (Eugene); Kennya Cordner (Issaquah); Jaclyn Softli (Issaquah)
Two: Brandi Dawson (THUSC); Marina Nesic (Emerald City); Amanda Perez (Issaquah)
Three: Kate Bennett (Emerald City); Valentina Giacinti (AC Seattle); Jen Stoltenberg (THUSC)

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WPSL NW Week 4 Recap: Seattle area trio showing dominance in the division

The fourth week of the WPSL Northwest season saw the Seattle trio and Tualatin Hills United separate themselves at the top of the table from the rest as six of the seven contests were showdowns featuring teams from Washington playing Oregon. The northern state got the better of the weekend's contests with a 4-1-1 record, bringing the overall season record versus their southern foes to 7-2-1 with six games left between the two states.

Lower Division Recap: Round 12

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It is coming down to the wire in the NASL where the lead again switch, going back to the Carolina RailHawks, who could now lock up the Spring title this week with their showdown with second-place Atlanta Saturday. It won’t be easy, however, with a Quarterfinal US Open Cup contest Wednesday on the road against Real Salt Lake. Meanwhile, the other highlights of the week were a pair of international friendlies in Florida where Orlando City played a 4-3 thriller against Fluminense and Fort Lauderdale fell 4-0 to Cruzeiro.

THUSC Diamonds shine in Spokane, roll to comeback win

The scoring drought ended for Spokane, but THUSC celebrated far more often | Photos: Gerald Barnhart - GALLERY

Short-handed with only 10 players, the Spokane Shine held a surprising lead at halftime Saturday night courtesy of Julia Moravec, but the visiting THUSC Diamonds found their finishing touch in the second half and flew by the hosts for a dominating 7-1 victory led by two goals and three assists from Jen Stoltenberg.

Down the stretch: The final weeks of NASL Spring 2013

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With just three weeks remaining, the race for the spring title and the right to host the NASL Soccer Bowl later this fall is a wide open race with five of the seven clubs still in the hunt with only six points separating the league-leading Atlanta Silverbacks and San Antonio Scorpions, who are tied for fifth.

The top three clubs in the table currently all have a full slate of games remaining whilst the fourth-place Tampa Rowdies, the defending league champion, have a tall task ahead of them, trailing by five points with only two games left on top of a stretch that has seen them go winless (0-3-1) in their last four since US Open Cup play began.

WPSL NW Three Stars - Week Three

A weekly list of the top three players or performances each week in the WPSL Northwest Division.

Jen Stoltenberg | GoDucks.com 

WEEK TWO (June 10-16)

Kate Bennett - Emerald City
The Bellevue native forced the own goal with her corner against AC Seattle and later set up the game-winner for the 2-1 decision. The former Cal midfielder, who sat out her junior season last fall at Washington following her transfer, also set up the opening goal versus Spokane in a 3-0 win.

Valentina Giacinti - AC Seattle
The former Italian youth international scored the team's lone goal to pull even in a 2-1 loss at Emerald City and scored the second goal in a 2-2 road draw against Issaquah.

Jen Stoltenberg - THUSC Diamonds
Three goals and four assists in a pair of victories against a pair of quality opponents made this a no-brainer selection as she jumped to a significant lead in the scoring table for the division. The University of Oregon (2007-10) all-time scoring leader provided a pair of assists in a 3-2 win against Westside and then let loose for three goals and two assists in their 6-1 victory over Eugene Metro.

Others considered: Casey Berrier (Emerald City); Molly Boyd (Issaquah); Marina Galaz (Emerald City); ShayLee Miner (Eugene); Caitlin Plese (Spokane)

Note: Players listed alphabetically

Previous Weeks:

One: Taylor Boyer (Eugene); Kennya Cordner (Issaquah); Jaclyn Softli (Issaquah)
Two: Brandi Dawson (THUSC); Marina Nesic (Emerald City); Amanda Perez (Issaquah)

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WPSL NW Recap: Busy week 3 sees THUSC, Emerald City win twice each

Week three was an intra-state round with all eight games featuring match-ups between opponents from the same state. The big winners were Emerald City in Washington and Tualatin Hills United SC Diamonds in Oregon as both clubs picked up a pair of victories to keep pace with Issaquah, which dropped its first points of the season in a draw.

Lower Division Five Stars: Round Eleven

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A weekly list of the top five players or performances of each round in NASL, USL Pro and MLS Reserves in all competitions…

ROUND ELEVEN (June 10-16)

Player – Club (5 Star Selections)

Blake Brettschneider - Rochester Rhinos (2)
Tallied a goal and an assist in a 3-0 victory against visiting VSI Tampa Bay.

Lower Division Power Rankings - June 18

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The top two last week both upset MLS opposition this week and the rest of the top 10 had results against varied opponents that just didn't warrant moves up or down the list in comparison to the others. The bottom half of the list, however, saw some movement with Rochester and San Antonio posting victories.

This Week (Last Week) Club (League) :: W-L-D :: Notes

1 (1) Orlando City (USL Pro) :: 10-1-2 :: Idle in league play deservingly after knocking off a second MLS club in the US Open Cup Wednesday, downing their MLS affiliate Sporting KC 1-0 on the road without their loaned players.

2 (2) Carolina RailHawks (NASL) :: 4-1-4 :: Carolina opened the week with a 3-1 overtime victory at home in the US Open Cup, downing their second consecutive MLS club, Chivas USA. They then traveled to Edmonton, and earned a 1-1 draw with a late tally.

Lower Division Recap: Round 11

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It was another big week for the Lower Divisions as two of the four remaining clubs in the US Open Cup made more headlines by knocking off a second consecutive MLS opponent in the 100th edition of the tournament. Plus, in league play the Atlanta Silverbacks moved back atop the NASL table and the Rochester Rhinos are finally pulling themselves up from the canvas and fighting back in USL Pro

WPSL NW Three Stars - Week 2

A weekly list of the top three players or performances each week in the WPSL Northwest Division.

WEEK TWO (June 3-9)

Brandi Dawson - THUSC Diamonds
Set up all three goals for a 3-1 win in the team's league debut.

Everyone stood out for Emerald City Saturday

Marina Nesic - Emerald City
Nearly skipped picking anyone as EC thoroughly dominated at just about every position on the field equally, but Nesic set up the opening goal and then finished things off late with another assist and, finally, a goal to cap the 7-0 win in Spokane.

Amanda Perez - SRR Issaquah SC
Scored two first half goals in a 3-0 win at Westside before going out injured.

Others considered: Romina Pinna (AC Seattle); Jen Stoltenberg (THUSC) - Note: Players listed alphabetically

Previous Weeks:

One: Taylor Boyer (Eugene); Kennya Cordner (Issaquah); Jaclyn Softli (Issaquah)

#INWsoccernews

Lower Division Five Stars - Round 10

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A weekly list of the top five players or performances of each round in NASL, USL Pro and MLS Reserves in all competitions…

ROUND NINE (June 3-9)

Player – Club (5 Star Selections)

Jose Cuevas - Charleston Battery
Pair of goals in 4-1 win against Dynamo Reserves.

Lower Division Power Rankings - June 11

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The weekly edition of the mixed Lower Division power rankings based on results from all competitions. Four of the top five also play in the US Open Cup this week, which could play into the next edition of the rankings.

Last week I said positions 2-4 were difficult to judge. With this week's results the list expanded to include teams from 2-6 as Harrisburg and Charleston jumped into the mix. One thing is clear - there are four distinct groups. Orlando City is alone at the top followed by the teams from 2-7. After that is a muddled group of nine teams in the middle followed by a foursome at the bottom that just don't look like things will either change or start going their way; though I would suspect if any did, it would be Rochester.

WPSL NW Recap: THUSC, AC Seattle win in debuts; SRR Issaquah sweeps Oregon trip in Week 2

A pair of clubs made their debuts in the second week of play in the Northwest Division with victorious results as the Tualatin Hills United SC (THUSC) Diamonds were 3-1 winners at home against the Bend Timbers and AC Seattle shutout visiting Spokane 4-0. The big winner on the week, though, was SRR Issaquah with a pair of wins on the road in Oregon.

Lower Division Recap: Round 10

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It was an off week for the US Open Cup coupled with a light week in Major League Soccer, so that meant a lot of MLS Reserve League action this week.  With the league tables not seeing much change for the week, the topic of the week really fell to the MLS-USL partnership with five interleague matches finishing 1-1-3 between the USL Pro and the Reserve League clubs, bringing the record for the season to a combined 4-3-5 for USL Pro.

AC Seattle win inaugural match, blank Spokane Shine 4-0

Newcomers AC Seattle took it to the Spokane Shine in their debut Sunday evening, blanking the visitors 4-0 for their first win in the WPSL with Romina Pinna capping the evening with the final two goals. The result drops Spokane, who were on the road for the first time, to 0-3-0 on the season.

Gonzaga duo lead Emerald City in dominant 7-0 road win against Spokane Shine

Gonzaga's Harber (left) & Lee (right) celebrate in big ECFC win | Photos: Gerald Barnhart - GALLERY

Last year the Spokane Shine allowed seven goals all season. In their second match of the campaign Saturday night visiting Emerald City put that same number past the hosts in the span of 90 minutes. Six different players found the back of the net along with an own goal for Emerald City in the win, though Marina Nesic had a goal and two assists and the Gonzaga duo of Tori Lee and Cricket Harber returned to town and each scored.

Emerald City came into the match having played to a scoreless draw and a 1-0 road loss against Spokane in their debut campaign last year. The scoreless status against the Shine came to an end quickly at Spokane Falls Community College Saturday night when Nesic sent a ball behind the defense four minutes into the match that allowed Megan Chapin to continue her run to goal, putting it in from about 16 yards out.

“Happy with the result; happy that we had, I think, seven different goal scorers,” said Emerald City head coach Niki Taylor. “It’s a long ride over and back so as a visiting team it’s a good result to get and now we’ll head home and hopefully get another couple next week.”

GoalWA & INWsoccernews introduce Evergreen Cup to crown top Washington WPSL club

There is nothing like regional rivalries, and in that vein regional soccer news sites goalWA.net and INWsoccernews.com have partnered together to honor the best WPSL team in Washington State in head-to-head competition – the Evergreen Cup.

While the division standings and playoff berths will be determined by overall league play, the introduction of the Evergreen Cup will bring attention and drama to the in-state rivalries between AC Seattle, Emerald City FC, Spokane Shine and the Seattle Reign Reserves presented by Issaquah SC (SRR Issaquah).

“We started the Ruffneck Cup a year ago to recognize the top PDL team from the Puget Sound area and it was a great success, so it was only natural to discuss doing something similar for the four WPSL teams in the state,” said goalWA editor David Falk. “The teams and fans were immediately enthusiastic about the Ruffneck Cup last year, and the 2013 edition kicked off with great anticipation.”  

Toronto FC leads Reserve League in ‘average salary’

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Released on May 1 when the Reserve League was barely under way for the season, the MLS Player Union’s list of salary figures was meaningless in terms of examining how teams were allocating their budget on the field outside of the first team. With every club now having played at least two games, the numbers have been crunched for the Reserve League and loaned MLS players according to those MLSPU figures.

Despite having used seven non-salaried players (academy, trialists & guests) out of 22 total, Toronto FC has utilized an extremely high amount of salary toward its Reserve League team thus far, exceeding the next highest team, Seattle Sounders, by more than 43,000 on average with a total of $114,973 spent on Average Salary of Total Player Appearances (ASTPA). At the other end of the ASTPA spectrum is the New York Red Bulls, who have come in at $40,071 with nine of the 24 players used being non-salaried.

WPSL NW Three Stars - Week 1

A weekly list of the top three players or performances each week in the WPSL Northwest Division.

WEEK ONE (May 31 - June 2)

Jaclyn Softli | Photo: Wilson Tsoi / GoalWA.net

Taylor Boyer - Eugene Metro Azul
Set up the equalizer in the first half and tallied the insurance goal in the second half in a 4-1 victory against Bend.

Kennya Cordner - SRR Issaquah
Scored twice in the opening game to help lead Issaquah to a 3-0 victory over rival Emerald City.

Jaclyn Softli - SRR Issaquah
Scored the opening goal and set up both of the other two goals in Issaquah's 3-0 win against rival Emerald City in the opener.

Others considered: Madison Misi (Westside Timbers); Caroline Karlsson (Emerald City)

Note: Players listed alphabetically

#INWsoccernews

Lower Division Five Stars - Round 9

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A weekly list of the top five players or performances of each round in NASL, USL Pro and MLS Reserves in all competitions, including the US Open Cup Third Round…

ROUND NINE (May 27-June 2)

Player – Club (5 Star Selections)

Blake Brettschneider – Rochester Rhinos
Tallied a goal and an assist to pull the Rhinos even twice in a 2-2 draw against the Blues. It marked the first time this season in 10 games that the team scored more than one goal.

Lower Division Power Rankings - June 4

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The weekly edition of the mixed Lower Division power rankings based on results from all competitions, including the US Open Cup. Last week's edition saw the top five teams go 4-0-1 in the Open Cup vs MLS opposition.

The top four remain the same this week, mostly because I just couldn't justify any one team jumping past another. In fact, I even considered giving 2-4 all the same ranking so they were even. The top six right now are the elite and I don't see much hope for anyone in the bottom five.

Lower Division Recap: Round 9

The most definitive week of the year for all the Lower Division clubs in the United States took place in Round 9 with the entry of Major League Soccer teams in the US Open Cup for the Third Round. A dozen match-ups on Tuesday and Wednesday provided the so-called minnows an opportunity to eat the big fish and, as usual, a handful of upsets were dealt by the NASL and USL Pro.

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In fact, four teams, two from each league advanced and the Richmond Kickers nearly made it five, taking DC United to penalties after 120 scoreless minutes Tuesday. Both of the USL Pro clubs delivered their blows on Tuesday with the Charleston Battery knocking out the San Jose Earthquakes and league-leading Orlando City trumping the Colorado Rapids 3-1. On Wednesday it was the NASL’s turn with the Carolina RailHawks eliminated the LA Galaxy for the second straight year 2-0 and the league champion Tampa Bay Rowdies slipping by, 1-0, the four-time US Open Cup finalist and three-time champion Seattle Sounders, ending the MLS club’s 22-game unbeaten streak in the tournament. Recaps & more available at TheCup.us [+]

Bragging Declaration: All five of the previously mentioned successful teams in the US Open Cup were the top five in the LD Soccer News’ weekly power rankings announced the Monday prior to the Open Cup Third Round.  

WPSL NW Recap: Cordner brace highlights opening weekend

The Seattle Reign Reserves presented by Issaquah SC (SRR Issaquah) put an emphatic end to their holdover stalemate from last year with local rival Emerald City, blanking them 3-0 Friday evening on a brace from Kennya Cordner. Meanwhile, newcomers Westside Timbers earned a win in their opener while splitting a two-game road trip.

Spokane Shine fall late to visiting Westside Timbers 2-1

The new-look Shine came up short versus newcomer Westside Timbers | Photos: Gerald Barnhart - GALLERY

The coach and venue may have changed, but the storyline has pretty much stayed the same from last year as the Shine struggled to find the back of the net in a 2-1 defeat. In Saturday night’s season opener the visiting Westside Timbers capitalized on one of their few opportunities with an 89th minute winner from Annie Jonsson.

For the most part, the game was a rather tight affair as neither side really saw many good looks on goal. The outcome was surprising, however, as the 13-woman squad the Timbers brought slowly saw the balance of possession grow to Spokane’s favor and move to Westside’s defensive end throughout the contest. In the end though, the newcomers to the division only needed two chances to claim the three points.