Making a List: Area Duo on MLS Combine List + NWSL Draft List

Gonzaga University's Ben White and Rafael Sanchez of Selah, WA were among the 60 players on the initial list of college players set to participate 2018 adidas MLS Player Combine in Orlando, FL from Jan. 11-17, 2018. They were among several players from the northwest on the list as well a handful of others named to the NWSL's preliminary draft list, which was also announced Thursday.

2017 Fall High School League Honors

Here is a round-up of all the Fall High School Awards announced by the leagues around the region.

Sounders Set for MLS Cup Rematch in Toronto

The Sounders took care of business Thursday evening, adding to a 2-0 first leg lead with a 3-0 victory against Houston Dynamo at CenturyLink Stadium. The 5-0 aggregate sends the defending MLS Cup champions back to Toronto for a rematch of last year's MLS Cup. The game is next Saturday, December 9.

PHOTO - HOLIDAY DEAL!!

EXTENDED THROUGH DECEMBER 31!!!

Great News: Due to a great Black Friday deal, INW Soccer News has invested in some upgraded camera equipment.

Bad News: It was still a pretty good chunk of change to do so.

The Good News For You: I decided to do a holiday pricing deal after all.... Get your orders in NOW to ensure prompt delivery from the third party print companies.

High School Photos - Great Holiday Gifts!!

Thanks for following our High School coverage this year on INWsn. It's not quite done (keep an eye out following T-Day), but since we are in the gift-purchasing season, I wanted to make sure everyone has seen all of the galleries we have posted this year as photos for family and friends make AWESOME GIFTS. More importantly, it helps keep INWsn running. Unfortunately there are no Black Friday discounts, but that's because I keep my rates extremely affordable to begin with!

College Tourney Update: WSU, Baylor Reach Record Rounds

Wendlandt and the Bears celebrate advancement to Elite 8 (Baylor photo)

The second weekend of NCAA Tournament action was quite the time for area schools and players. Washington State reached the Round of 16 for the first time and Camryn Wendlandt (Coeur d'Alene, ID) helped Baylor reach the Elite 8 for the first time in program history. Featuring a trio of area players, Santa Clara also won its second round match on Friday away from home.

Meanwhile, Averie Collins (Bozeman, MT) and her top-ranked Stanford side are taking care of business and reached the Elite 8 with a pair of shutouts.

Wendlandt and Baylor will now face top-seeded Duke on Friday in the Elite 8, looking to clinch a spot in the Final Four in Orlando. After a close call in their opening match, 1-0 against UNC-Greensboro, the Blue Devils dominated against a pair of Baylor's Big XII peers Oklahoma State and Texas with 7-0 and 3-0 wins, respectively. After 1-0 overtime regular season losses to both, Baylor beat Texas, 2-1 in overtime, and Oklahoma State, 3-0, in the first two rounds of the conference tournament, respectively, en route to the league title and NCAA tournament. Stanford will host 10th-ranked Penn State.

In other tournaments, Western Washington's NCAA DII title defense came to an in the Third Round on the road in San Diego and all of the area Cascade Collegiate Conference sides were knocked out on the road in their opening round games of the NAIA tournament. The Martinson sisters - Riley and Ashtin - are still going in the NAIA tournament, however, with Embry-Riddle AU and a pair of players are still in the NCAA DI men's tourney with Stanford and Akron advancing to the second round.

Maria Sanchez Helps Lead Santa Clara to Third Round

The Santa Clara Broncos advanced to the third round of the NCAA tournament with a 3-1 road win versus Vanderbilt on the road Friday in South Carolina.

Cougars Advance on Three Dederick Saves in Shootout

In a back-and-forth affair in Florida that finished 2-2, it was Ella Dederick that quickly became the star of the contest as the keeper made three consecutive saves in rounds 2-4 to give the Cougars a 3-1 victory in the tiebreaker to send them onto the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.

College Tourney Update: Cougars Post First Round Upset; Baylor & Santa Clara Advance

The opening weekend of the major collegiate women's tournaments saw some great results and performances from area teams and players ranging from the Washington State and Western Washington women advancing to a near-stunner from Eastern Washington at USC.

Meanwhile, the NWAC crowned its champions and the NAIA tournaments were set for later this month.

HS Daily - 11.13.17: Area Sides Advance to State Semis

A team from eastern Washington will be making a trip west later this week for the state semifinals in nearly every classification with Central Valley (4A), Kamiakin (3A), West Valley (2A) and both Saint George's (B) posting victories over the weekend. A side from central Washington is guaranteed to play for the 1A title with Cascade and La Salle facing one another in their tournament.

Nearly every quarterfinal match-up was a thriller on the weekend with all but one being decided by one goal. After a 4-0 district title win earlier in the week, the rivalry showdown for CV against University was a much different affair in the state tournament with a second half goal deciding the outcome. Kamiakin, meanwhile, needed overtime down at Lampson to move forward and West Valley (Spokane) rallied from two down to win in a dramatic overtime result, continuing a fantastic postseason run from an Eagles squad that finished the season fourth in the Great Northern League. Deer Park was eliminated in a close 1A contest by La Salle while in the B tournaments St George's blanked their visiting opponents in contrasting fashion with the girls winning 1-0 and the boys 4-0.

INW Best XI - Week 11: Michkiosky, Rodriguez Lead Sides to Playoff Upset Wins

Midfielder Katie Michkiosky helped lead six-seed Northwest University to the championship game of the Cascade Conference tournament and a berth in the NAIA tournament, scoring two goals along the way. Walla Walla CC, the third seed out of the NWAC East topped a pair of higher seeds to reach the Final Four, scoring key goals in both matches for the Warriors.

For games through Monday, November 6 (Conclusion of CCC tourney)... Final edition will be after national tournaments

Lower Division Updates 11.10.17: Concordia, Western Washington Split GNAC Women's Titles

DII powerhouse and defending champion Western Washington avenged their streak-breaking loss in the season finale at the hands of Concordia with a victory in the conference tournament final against the Cavaliers. The result gave the Vikings the automatic berth back into the tournament, but the regular season Cavs were also happy to learn on Monday that they were awarded an at-large spot as well.

In the Northwest Conference the Whitman men topped local rival Whitworth on the final day to move third in the standings, a change in the table that had far-reaching implications as it determined the automatic berth to the NCAA tournament between co-champions Willamette and Pacific Lutheran.

In a surprising turn of events, the Cascade Conference women's tourney saw the seventh, sixth and fourth seeds advance to the semifinals with top seed Eastern Oregon, which went on to capture the title. Both tops seeds prevailed in the postseason with Southern Oregon going on to win the men's CCC tourney. By virtue of NAIA automatic berths going to the regular season champions EOU and SOU, the Northwest University women and Corban University men also earned NAIA berths as finalists.

DI Round-Up 11.09.17: Eagles and Cougars Headed to NCAA Tournament; Lands of Disney

Separated by 67 miles on US-195, the Eastern Washington University and Washington State University women are departing the frigid conditions of the Inland Northwest for warmer weather on opposite coasts. Both, coincidentally, are also headed to Disney destinations with the Eagles heading to Los Angeles, home to Disneyland, and the Cougars on their way to Orlando, home of Disney World.

Several other area players are also preparing for NCAA tournament matches this weekend by virtue of conference championships or at-large berths.

HS Daily - 11.09.17: CV, University to Clash Again; West Valley Moves On

Valley rivals Central Valley and University both picked up state tournament opening round victories Wednesday evening at Spokane Falls CC to move on to a second round match-up against one another. Meanwhile, out in the valley the Eagles rolled to a 4-1 win against Lynden to keep West Valley's postseason run going after finishing fourth in the GNL this season.

INW HS Best XI - Week 10: Underclassmen Lead Way in District Playoffs

In a week full of playoff action, only two seniors made INWsn's list this week. One of those seniors was Summer Yates, who continued her dominant ways in the postseason with five goals in two games last week to guide the Riverhawks through the loser's portion of the 3A bracket and back to the state tournament.

HS Daily - 11.08.17: Kamiakin Rolls & Deer Park Rallies to Advance

Kamiakin cruised to a 3A state tournament opening round win at home against Mountain View Tuesday evening while fellow MCC side Chiawana was knocked out of the 4A tournament in a close contest by Big 9 regular season champion Wenatchee.

Spokane sides also saw split results on opening day. Deer Park rallied for a 1A tournament win against visiting Cle Elum-Roslyn, the second-place finishers of the SCAC West. Mt Spokane, meanwhile, dropped a 1-0 decision on the road against Metro district runner-up Lakeside in the 3A tournament.

NWAC East Update: All-Star Selections Announced

The Northwest Athletic Conference announced the All-Star selections Tuesday evening, honoring the top players from around the league. Leading the selections were also the MVP and Coach of the Year honors.

Three different schools were recognized with the key awards with Israel Gonzalez (Grandview, WA) being named the Men's East MVP for Columbia Basin under coach Brian Gochoel, who was named co-Coach of the Year with Spokane's Kenny Krestian. Meanwhile, Spokane's Cheris Brown was honored as the Women's East MVP and Jordan Hacker of Walla Walla was named Coach of the Year.

NWAC East Update 11.7.17: Spokane, Walla Walla Reach Men's Final Four; Women Eliminated

On a dramatic Quarterfinal Saturday in the NWAC, the end results saw two of the three men's sides advance to the Final Four at StarFire next week while both women's sides were knocked out, marking the first time that the East will not have a women's representative in the semifinals since the league went to a four-division format in 2005.

It was quite a day on the men's side as the East division nearly saw all three advance to the semifinals. East men's champion Spokane took care of business Saturday against visiting Tacoma, but needed overtime in the snow to move on 2-1. Third seed Walla Walla tied the top seed out of the South 2-2, eliminating Portland in the shootout to move on. Tied 1-1 with West top seed Highline, Columbia Basin nearly made it three East reps in the semifinals for the first time since the four-division format started in 2005, but the tiebreaker eliminated the Hawks in the sixth round.

The women of the East being kept out of the semifinals for the first time marks just the second time since 2005 that the division will only have representatives in one set of semifinals. It previously happened to the men in 2011. See the full history below.

Unbeaten East champion Walla Walla found themselves in a hole they were unable to climb out of in a 3-2 loss at home against Tacoma while Spokane came up empty in a 3-0 loss at Highline in their quarterfinal contest.

Editorial Note: Post delayed awaiting the announcement of All-Stars (which have been selected but not released)... will put those up later! 

HS Daily - 11.07.17: Chiawana, Mt Spokane and Clarkston Advance to State; Tourneys Start Today

Battling for the final spots via elimination games Saturday, the Chiawana (4A) Riverhawks, Mt Spokane Wildcats (3A) and Clarkston Bantams (2A) advanced to their respective state tournaments.

Regular season GNL champion East Valley, however, saw its season come to an end at home with a shootout defeat in the crossover match and the pair of 1A NEA sides, Freeman and regular season champion Lakeside, were eliminated from the postseason.

At the 2B level the defending state champion boys and girls sides of St George's booked return trips to the state tournament to defend their titles, but it was not easy. The girls trailed much of the game against local side Northwest Christian but eventually prevailed in overtime. The boys also rallied to post a victory in overtime.

In a game delayed from Friday's snow storm in Spokane, the 4A regional title was decided on Monday with top seed Central Valley playing host to five seed University. The Bears claimed the double with a relatively easy victory over their rivals, ending the Titans' postseason hot streak.

Eastern Washington Repeats as Big Sky Champions; Faces USC Again

R E P E A T. The regular season Big Sky champion Eagles of Eastern Washington captured the conference tournament title for the second time on Sunday with a dominant performance against Northern Colorado. The accompanying NCAA tournament berth also, as it turns out, set up a repeat NCAA First Round match-up against University of Southern California, who they gave quite a challenge to a year ago in a 3-1 loss in Los Angeles.

HS Daily - 11.03.17: Deer Park Claims District Title

In a handful of playoff contests Thursday evening, Deer Park posted the lone lower seed to prevail, downing regular season Northeast A League champion Lakeside in convincing fashion to win the district playoff title and secure a spot in the state tournament.

Lakeside's postseason will continue in the regional crossovers with Caribou Trail opposition, hosting Cashmere. Freeman, which blanked Medical Lake, will travel to Leavenworth to take on CTL regular season and district playoff champion Cascade, which finished third at state a year ago.

Meanwhile, Mt Spokane narrowly topped North Central, avenging their regular season defeat, and to reach the final match for the second 3A seed to state. They will face Southridge, who fell to regular season MCC champion Kamiakin in the regional final. The Braves cruised to a big win to earn the first spot in the state tournament. Though Southridge was not as successful this season in league play as last year, the Suns were state finalists a year ago.

INW Best XI - Week 10: Keeper Cottrell Leads EOU to First Title

The Eastern Oregon Mountaineers captured their first conference championship in 17 years of the program's existence last week, posting two crucial wins with Rocky Mountain nipping at their heels just one point back. Leading the way was goalkeeper Cydni Cottrell, who guided the team to a pair of shutout wins on the weekend. They finished the season with eight shutouts in 11 league matches.

Though the Yellowjackets are mathematically out of contention for the GNAC title, the MSU-Billings men posted a pair of huge results last week against two top teams. Midfielder Guillaume Kremer scored key goals in a 2-1 win over powerhouse Simon Fraser that opened up the title race and tallied again as they topped Western Washington, severely damaging their potential to sneak in and grab the title on the final weekend.

Big Sky Plus - 11.01.17 DI Round-Up: Boise State Advances to Mountain West Semis

Boise State advanced to the semifinals of the Mountain West Tournament with another big performance from Raimee Sherle on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the opening round of the Big Sky Tournament saw Northern Colorado and Portland State advance to face Montana and Eastern Washington in the semifinals Friday.

NWAC East Tonight 11.1.17: East Teams Nearly Sweep Opening Round Games

Three of the four NWAC East sides in the first round of the NWAC playoffs Wednesday evening advanced to Saturday's quarterfinals against the divisional winners. The Spokane women and Columbia Basin men took care of business at home. On the road road, the North Idaho ladies came up short in overtime, but Walla Walla dismissed 10-1-4 powerhouse Peninsula on their home turf.

INW HS Best XI - Week 9: Crosby Leading Fifth-Seed Titans on Playoff Run

The University Titans entered the 4A postseason as the fifth seed out of the Greater Spokane League, but after three playoff wins in one week led by Kelsey Crosby, they are headed to the state tournament. She scored game-winners in the first two games and tallied a huge equalizer in the third before being fouled for a penalty that was the state-clinching winner.

HS Daily - 11.1.17: Tigers Rally for Win at Mead; WV Tops Rival EV

Halloween playoff action was full of treats with two back-and-forth affairs and had a trio of tricks with three players scoring three or more.

In a pair of wild upset contests, Lewis & Clark rallied in the final 13 minutes of the second half to earn a victory at Mead to keep its playoff run going in an elimination match, and fourth-seeded West Valley rallied twice at rival East Valley to claim the district title and a spot in the state tournament, sending the regular season champions to the crossover play-in games versus the CWAC.

Summer Yates lit it up again for Chiawana with all four goals for the Riverhawks, though, Richland made a rally attempt in the second half that made the contest close in the final 10 minutes. In the end, Chiawana advanced for a showdown with Lewis & Clark for the final 4A state berth.

In the 3A action Mt Spokane rolled to an 11-0 win against Kennewick with Allie Baribault and Amber Hickman registering hat-tricks in the contest. They will square off against North Central, 2-0 winners against rival Shadle, Thursday with the winner moving on to play Thursday's Kamiakin-Southridge loser on Saturday for the second berth to the state tournament.

Sweet Tweets: Kickin it on Halloween

Check out these Halloween-themed tweets from around the soccer world, near and far.

Lower Division Updates 10.31.17: Postseason Set for GNAC, CCC After Dramatic Finishes

The big showdown finally came in Bellingham Sunday with Corban and Western Washington squaring off in a battle of the unbeatens for the GNAC Women's Regular Season Championship. Concordia earned the win away from home, snapping numerous record streaks held by the second-ranked Vikings. Among them were:

   - 39 game win streak
   - 30 game home win streak (tied 7th longest in DII history)
   - 64 game unbeaten streak v GNAC opponents (2nd longest in DII history)
   - 29 game win streak v GNAC opponents
   - 45 game streak with a goal
   - 50 game unbeaten streak v West Region opponents

The MSU-Billings men kept playoff hopes alive, beating top team Simon Fraser and third-place Western Washington to move to third. The race tightened further with NNU playing Simon Fraser to a draw. The top four are now separated by four points with two match days remaining, including a tough pair of games for Simon Fraser against Western Washington and the new league leader Seattle Pacific.

Another league leader also suffered losses in the NWC with Whitworth dropping both games in the annual tough trip to face the duo of Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran. Though they trail PLU now by five points, the Pirates, enjoying one of their best season in program history, are still mathematically alive going into the final week of play.

On the men's side, Whitworth and Whitman both kept their positions as third and fourth in the league with a sweep of George Fox and Pacific.

In the Cascade Conference Rocky Mountain College finished second in both tables as the Eastern Oregon women captured its first league championship by winning both games to keep in one point in front of the Bears. On the men's side, a draw at Evergreen for the Bears allowed Southern Oregon to pull even and take the title on tiebreakers. The CCC tournaments begin Friday in Springfield, Oregon for both the men and women.

Big Sky Plus - 10.31.17 DI Round-Up: Local Sides Finish Home Slates

The Big Sky wrapped their season Friday, but DI action continued around the region and country.

Top Tweets 10.30.17: Weekend Highlights

Here's some great tweets from the past few days, including goal videos!

HS Daily - 10.29.17: University Stuns Mead, Joins CV at State

Top seed Central Valley survived a scare Saturday from Richland and fifth-seeded University surprised Mead, sending both Spokane Valley schools to the state tournament and setting up a Muddy Cleat rematch for the regional 4A title. CV won the first meeting at University 1-0.

In the 3A bracket, it will be an all-MCC showdown for the title with Kamiakin facing Southridge, who slipped past top GSL seed Mt Spokane to face the Braves, who were easy winners against North Central.

The 2A district title game will also be a rivalry contest with top seed East Valley kicking off their postseason action against fourth-seeded West Valley, which registered a second playoff upset in Clarkston.

NWAC East Tonight 10.28.17: Playoff Sides Learn Opposition

The six teams from the NWAC East headed to the postseason learned who their playoff will be as the brackets filled out over the course of the day Saturday with the final slate of games.

For the first time since the NWAC went to a four-division format in 2005, four teams finished unbeaten as was projected in the previous NWAC East update.  Peninsula, Clark and Highline all wrapped up their campaigns without a loss. Highline and Clark are teams of note as Highline is the potential second round opponent awaiting CC Spokane and Clark could be the side North Idaho faces if they win at Whatcom. Spokane hosts Skagit Valley, who missed a chance at the second seed, playing to a scoreless draw in their finale Saturday. Unbeaten East champion Walla Walla will host Tacoma or Clackamas

On the men's side, East champion Spokane awaits either Tacoma or Clark. Columbia Basin hosts Everett with Highline awaiting the winner while Walla Walla to Peninsula, and potentially Portland if they win.

Big Sky Plus - 10.28.17 DI Round-Up: Vandals Hand EWU First Loss, Come Up Short in Playoff Bid

The University of Idaho Vandals nearly got everything they needed, except a goal from either Sacramento State or Northern Arizona. The night finished with a 2-1 home win over Eastern Washington that gave the Eagles their first loss of the conference campaign on the eve of hosting the Big Sky Tournament. The win, though was bittersweet as they came up third in the four-way tiebreaker for the final two spots for the tournament.

The day started off well with North Dakota playing to a draw against Northern Colorado. Unfortunately, since that game came prior to the mid-table clash between Sacramento State and Northern Arizona, the Hornets and Lumberjacks both knew a draw would put them through in the case of a three-way tie with UND or a four-way cluster that also included Idaho. The Vandals needed one of them to win, however, leaving them alone in a head-to-head tiebreaker with UND, who they beat. Of course, the two sides played to a draw on a day in the Big Sky that saw four of the five matches finish deadlocked and the Vandals the only side to score twice. The draws also allowed Montana to earn the second seed and a bye to the semifinals. Idaho State, though, fell short of their bid to get out of last due to their draw.

Meanwhile, the Vandals' counterparts to the south, Boise State, wrapped up a record campaign in the Mountain West with another win, securing the third seed in the conference tournament.

INW Best XI - Week 9: Better Late Than Never

There's nothing more dramatic than a last-minute game-winner right? Well, this week's list fits in that category as it is just a 'tad' late. My apologies.

There were a lot of great defensive performances last week, but on the offensive end a few players really stood out. Boise State's Raimee Sherle was on fire in the Mountain West, scorching two opponents for five goals. A lot of players from Tri-Cities usually go to Walla Walla, but Pasco product Hector Magana tore up the Warriors by setting up all for goals for Spokane in their showdown last week.

Top Tweets 10.27.17: Tweets from the Week

Here's some great tweets from the past few days

HS Daily - 10.27.17: Lakeside, Deer Park Survive Scares

The top two seeds in the Northeast A League nearly found themselves in the losers portion of the 1A district bracket Thursday evening, but a goal two minutes into overtime put Deer Park through and a dominant Lakeside squad survived penalties thanks to three saves from Payton Williams after a thoroughly one-sided affair that went scoreless. 

In the Great Northern League, however, West Valley topped higher-seeded Cheney in a one-sided contest after having lost to the Blackhawks last week. Clarkston rolled to a win against Pullman in the other 2A playoff match. 

In the other half of the upcoming 2A crossover portion of the bracket, the CWAC saw the top two seeds fall in the second round of districts. Four-seed East Valley (5-4) stunned top seed Ellensburg via a shootout for a 2-1 win and Ephrata (7-2) topped Selah (8-1) in the other contest, sending Ellensburg and Selah into the loser-out contest.

NWAC East Tonight 10.25.17: Warriors Finish Perfect Season; CBC Men & Spokane Women Grab Second

Seeding for second for the men and women were both at stake Wednesday evening, but the highlight of the night may have been a run-of-the-mill 2-0 win for the Walla Walla women at Columbia Basin. That result gave the Warriors a perfect 14-0-0 campaign that is only the seventh since the league went to the four-division format in 2005.

HS Daily - 10.25.17: University Titans Stun Top Seed Chiawana

The GSL 4A fifth-seed Titans are on a roll. Two nights after knocking Gonzaga Prep out in the opening round University traveled to the Tri-Cities and handed top-seeded Chiawana Railhawks a surprising 1-0 defeat as the rest of the field began postseason play Wednesday night.

The other three 4A contests were also shutouts with Mead topping Hanford, Richland edging Lewis & Clark and Central Valley rolling to a big win over Walla Walla.

In the 3A bracket, the number two seeds both advanced with shutout wins as well with Southridge prevailing in overtime in a one-goal affair against Shadle Park and North Central taking care of matters against Kennewick.

Chiawana was the lone home / higher seed to fall on the night.

Lower Division Updates 10.25.17: Rocky Mountain Climbs to top of CCC

Rocky Mountain College had a great week with a full sweep of their four games, allowing the men to go atop the Cascade Conference table and the women to climb to second. The ladies pulled within a point of Eastern Oregon after handing the Mountaineers their first loss of the campaign in a 1-0 affair.

In eastern Washington, the Whitworth women and the Whitman men had great weeks in the Northwest Conference. The Whitworth ladies posted a pair of wins to move back atop the table following Pacific Lutheran's loss midweek. On the men's side Whitman earned a draw against second-place Pacific Lutheran on Saturday and edged Puget Sound Sunday to move into the top half of the table.

The Northwest Nazarene women clinched a spot in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference's tournament with a narrow win over last-place Central Washington while on the men's side all six contests were decided by one goal, including two in overtime. MSU-Billings and Northwest Nazarene came up short in their first outings of the weekend, but rebounded with wins in their second.

HS Daily - 10.25.17: Higher Seeds Advance in NEA Playoffs

It was a relatively uneventful evening Tuesday in postseason play as all of the expected teams advanced, though some of the scorelines were a bit of a surprise.

In the 3A opener between the bottom sides from the MCC and GSL, Kennewick moved on with a shutout win over Rogers in a game that was much closer than expected given the score between the two a year ago was 11-0.

In the opening round of the 1A Districts for the NEA, Freeman scored two in the second half to pull away against Riverside while Colville was surprisingly completely shutout in their match at Medical Lake.

INW HS Best XI - Week 8: Standout Performances in Three-Game Weeks Highlight Honors

Several teams faced tough three-game weeks to close out the season and several players rose to the occasion. Madison Sellars and Jessie Thomas helped lead Deer Park to a second-place finish in the Northeast A League with three wins and East Valley assured themselves of the top spot of the Great Northern League with three victories thanks, in part, to Player of the Week selection Kaitlin Harvey.

Top Tweets 10.24.17: Weekend Highlights, Honors and more

Here's some great tweets from the past few days, including goal videos!

HS Daily - 10.24.17: University Knocks Gonzaga Prep Out of Postseason

On the opening day of the postseason in the 4A Greater Spokane League and Mid-Columbia Conference tournament the University Titans upset host Gonzaga Prep 3-2 in overtime just three days after suffering a 4-2 defeat at the hands of the Bullpups in the regular season finale.

Further south there were no surprises as Walla Walla rolled to a big win over Pasco thanks to a four-goal night from Makena Rietz.

HS Daily - 10.23.17: Playoffs Kick Off Today

The postseason for the Mid-Columbia Conference and Greater Spokane League begins today with the Northeast A League kicking things off on Tuesday.

HS Daily - 10.23.17 GNL/NEA Edition: Deer Park Finishes Second with Win Over Freeman

The final week of play in the Northeast A League was a busy one with three consecutive gamedays, which saw the showdown for the second seed between Deer Park and Freeman play out.

Both won on Tuesday, though the Stags had to rally and earn the result via a shootout against Riverside while Freeman cruised to a win in Newport. The following night the two squared off in a tight contest that saw Deer Park prevail on a goal with two minutes remaining to move even with Freeman in the table.

The week closed out with Freeman winning at Riverside, but Deer Park took the second seed with a dramatic overtime comeback win at Newport.

In the Great Northern League, West Valley's bid for a higher seed fizzled out over the course of the week. Their four-game win streak gave way to three defeats last week as they fell at Cheney, at home to rival East Valley and on the road against last-place Pullman.

Round-up of the action for October 17-21

Big Sky Plus - 10.23.17 DI Round-Up: Montana Rallies to Clinch Tourney Berth

Two days after the four sides behind Eastern Washington dropped points, three of them punched their tickets to the Big Sky Tournament. Montana and Northern Colorado snatched up spots with victories while Portland State, which fell to UNC, were locked in via other results.

Idaho, the regular season champions a year ago, beat Idaho State to keep their hopes alive. They sit two points back of a foursome with one game remaining and two spots left up for grabs. The simplest scenario - devoid of tiebreakers - requires a win at still unbeaten Eastern Washington paired with a North Dakota loss to UNC along with either Northern Arizona or Sacramento State winning in their match-up against one another. Southern Utah, part of the foursome, has finished its season.

Also clinching a postseason berth Sunday was Boise State, which extended its unbeaten streak to six games in the Mountain West with a big win on Senior Day. Raimee Sherle had another big day with three goals and an assist, putting her atop the league table with 36 points and in a tie for the league lead with 15 goals.

Gameday: Whitworth Splits Sunday; Ladies Back Atop NWC

Eleven goals in two completely different contests saw the Whitworth women power past Pacific in the opener 5-1 Sunday afternoon and the men fall in heartbreaking fashion in a three-goal frenzy in the final five minutes against Pacific Lutheran that saw the Pirates go in front late only to give up two before the clock hit zeros.

NWAC East Tonight 10.21.17: Spokane, Walla Walla Clinch East Titles

With the top four in the men's table all playing each other over the final three games of the season, match day one did not disappoint on Wednesday with a dramatic night of action. It was followed by an eventful Saturday as well.

The Spokane men blanked Walla Walla in convincing fashion midweek, 4-0, to create some space at the top and assure themselves of a spot in the postseason. Meanwhile, North Idaho College, seven points back of third, kept hopes alive with a 2-1 victory over second-place Columbia Basin, pulling within four of WWCC and five of CBC going into the final two games.

On the women's side the Warriors essentially clinched the top seed, winning in a stunning comeback in Spokane 3-2 to move six points clear of North Idaho, which blanked Columbia Basin 2-0 to move into second.

Then on Saturday, the highlight of the day was a first-place showdown between Spokane and Columbia Basin. Spokane went into the match with a three point lead, needing just a draw to lock up the East title. The two battled in a scoreless stalemate that looked it was headed toward that exact result when a free kick in the final 10 minutes gave the Sasquatch their third consecutive title since missing the postseason entirely in 2014.

Earlier in the day Walla Walla, to no surprise, claimed the East title on the women's side with big win against North Idaho. Spokane, meanwhile, played to a draw against fourth-place Columbia Basin, remaining in third now a point behind rival NIC. It sets up a final day showdown between the two that will determine the seeding and whether Spokane's run of six years finishing first or second ends. meanwhile Yakima Valley has a chance at fourth if they can top Wenatchee Valley and CBC falls to Walla Walla.

HS Daily - 10.21.17: Dramatic Ends Result in Top 3A Seed for Wildcats

The matches went down to the wire on the chilly Friday afternoon, but in the end both North Central and Mt Spokane came up short in one-goal decisions against their 4A opposition on the final day of the Greater Spokane League season. The results left Mt Spokane atop the 3A standings. Meanwhile, Lewis & Clark's win over the Wildcats kept them third in the table while Gonzaga Prep finished fourth via a win over University.

Top Tweets 10.21.17: Celebrating Good Times

Here's some great tweets, including goal videos! 

Big Sky Plus - 10.21.17 DI Round-Up: Cougars Stun #2 UCLA; Eagles Clinch Big Sky Title

It was a monumental 24-hour period for several area players and teams Thursday night and through the day Friday. It started with Washington State posting a 1-0 upset win over second-ranked Stanford on a goal from Maegan O'Neill. On Friday, Eastern Washington clinched the regular season title and hosting rights for the Big Sky tournament thanks in part to Chloe WIlliams (Spokane, WA), who became the All-Time Big Sky Goal Scoring Leader. Meanwhile, down in California Kelsey Turnbow (Spokane, WA) tallied a hat-trick for Santa Clara.

Eastern Washington's victory over Idaho State was no surprise, but their clinching of the top seed was not entirely foreseen. All four teams behind them in the table all dropped points on the day with second place Portland State losing, Montana and Northern Colorado playing to a draw and Northern Arizona falling. Due to those results, the defending regular season champion Idaho, sitting 10th, are still mathematically alive for the sixth spot with two games remaining after a comeback win against Weber State.

HS Daily - 10.20.17 MCC Edition: Chiawana Claims Top 4A Seed; Kamiakin Unbeaten Champs

With a 9-1 record since Summer Yates returned from international duty with the USA YNT, the Chiawana Riverhawks no doubt deserve the top spot among the 4A schools in the Mid-Columbia Conference, but it came down to the final day of the regular season as Richland was in the running for the top seed as well.

Top Tweets 10.20.18: Goals, Laughs and More

Here's some great tweets, including goal videos!

HS Daily 10.20.17 - GSL Edition: 3A Top Seed Still at Stake on Final Day

 

Central Valley has run away with the regular season Greater Spokane League title, but going into the final match day today, races are still very open. The top seed from the 3A is still up for grabs between Mt Spokane and North Central. Seeding from third to fifth in the 4A group will all be determined as well with the three sides separated by just two points.

INW Best XI - Week 8: Defense Fuels Top Women's Sides

Many of the top teams in the area grabbed victories last week behind the effort of either stifling defensive performances in which their opponents were lucky if they had opportunities to get a shot on target or players that were offensive threats at the other end.

A number of Spokane area players have Western Washington and Concordia on top of the GNAC with unbeaten 8-0-0 and 7-0-1 records. The Vikings rolled to a pair of easy wins and the Cavaliers kept pace with a pair of shutout victories as well, including a narrow 1-0 decision against mid-table Northwest Nazarene. The defense for the Cavs, led by Katie Greene (Spokane, WA), allowed just one shot on goal in the two matches.

On the men's side, Rocky Mountain pulled within one point of the league leader Southern Oregon in the CCC thanks to a victory over previously unbeaten Corban that was propelled by Chasen Lashure. Down one on the road against the Warriors Lashure tied the match up before the break, and in the second half he scored again to push the lead to two en route to a big 4-1 result.

Lower Division Updates 10.18.17: Rocky Mountain Men Sweep in Tight CCC Race

In an extremely tight race for the regular season title in the Cascade Conference, the Rocky Mountain College men swept their two games against tough opposition on the road last week. The opened things up with a convincing 4-1 victory at Corban versus a Warriors side that is also challenging for the top spot, and then topped mid-table Northwest Christian 2-1. The Bears are 8-1-0 and have pulled away from the pack in a three-way race for the top seed in the postseason with 8-1-1 Southern Oregon and 7-1-1 Corban.

On the other side of the CCC the Eastern Oregon ladies are still perfect at 7-0-0, picking up an easy win at Warner Pacific that clinched a playoff spot.

Though longtime power Whitworth has turned a corner on their season with a four-game win streak thanks to a pair of road wins last week, the story remains the ladies in Spokane. The Pirates suffered their first defeat of the campaign over the weekend, but quickly rebounded with a thunderous 5-1 result in the second half of their trip for an 8-1-1 mark. The loss, though, allowed 9-1-0 Pacific Lutheran to jump into first.

In Nampa, the Northwest Nazarene sides had a fairly eventful week. The ladies split in a pair of close contests, falling via a penalty kick 1-0 on the road against unbeaten Concordia and defeating Western Oregon with a dramatic 1-0 overtime decision. The men topped MSU-Billings 3-1. The matches marked their final games as the Crusaders with the school announcing on Monday that it has officially rebranded as the Nighthawks beginning immediately, a decision that is believed to have made NCAA history according to the program because its men's golf team was playing in a tournament at the time of the announcement, making it the first team in NCAA history to undergo a name change in the middle of game competition.

Top Tweets 10.18.17 : NNU Takes Flight

Check out these tweets!

INW HS Best XI - Week 7: Kamiakin, Hanford Defense Stands Strong

In a week in which several of the top teams clashed over the course of three match days, a number of standout performances stood out, chief among them being the work put forth by the defensive units from Hanford and Kamiakin that led both the Falcons and Braves to a pair of wins earlier in the week before the two squared off in a scoreless stalemate on Saturday.

After a relatively easy campaign behind a great offense that allowed her to register four shutouts, Kamiakin's Grace Wilbur faced her first big test of the season with games against red-hot Chiawana - the second highest scoring team - and second-place Richland on Tuesday and Thursday. If that was not enough, the Braves had to finish the week against the league's second best defense when Hanford visited. She allowed just one goal on the week as they topped Chiawana 3-1, edged Richland in a narrow 1-0 decision and went the distance, claiming a shootout in after a scoreless draw versus the Falcons.

HS Daily - 10.16.17: Kamiakin Survives Shootout to Remain Unbeaten

A long week full of tough opponents may have taken its toll as the Braves had to go the distance on Saturday against Hanford, the league's second best defense. In their first shootout of the campaign, though, Kamiakin prevailed for yet another win to remain perfect at 12-0 for the season.

The final week for the MCC should go without much drama as most of the contests feature top sides facing teams from the bottom with the exception of Hanford (7-5), which plays at Chiawana and hosts Richland, the two sides above them in the race for top 4A seed and second overall in the league. Those two contests, though, will likely determine whether Richland (9-3) or Chiawana (8-4) take the top seed as they face Pasco (1-11) and Kennewick (2-10), respectively, in the their other matches. In 3A, Southridge and Kennewick, separated by one win, will square off on Tuesday in a key matchup. The Suns won the first meeting at home 4-3.

Saturday also saw plenty of drama in the GNL as both contests went down to the wire. Cheney pulled even twice but Clarkston prevailed in a shootout to go top of the table on points while East Valley found a literal last-minute winner to edge one-win Pullman on the road.

Top Tweets 10.16.17

Here's some of the most interesting tweets from this weekend, including goal videos!

Big Sky Plus - 10.15.17 DI Round-Up: Eastern Washington Edges Montana, Clinch Playoff Spot

It was a bit of an odd one in Cheney Sunday as the Eagles rushed the Montana goal quickly and created an own goal in the first minute of play that would stand as the deciding tally despite Montana having the vast majority of shots thanks to another quality defensive effort, own goal aside. The victory assured the Eagles of a postseason spot and put them in a commanding lead atop the table as the lone unbeaten. Sunday's contest was the second of back-to-back games against the second place opponents with the Grizzlies having jumped into the spot after Friday's results, allowing the Eagles to create a four-point gap over Portland State, who they defeated Friday, with three games remaining.

Meanwhile in Idaho, Boise State was the lone side celebrating on Sunday following a 3-1 Mountain West win at Wyoming. Idaho State was easily dispatched by Northern Arizona and Idaho fell yet again.

NWAC East Tonight 10.14.17: Couple Close Ones, But Business As Usual

A few of the top sides played to some close results on the scoreboard Saturday, though the statistics and flow of the game were decidedly otherwise. Chief among them was Spokane's 2-1 win at Wenatchee Valley in the women's contest where a handful of shots went off the woodwork. Similarly, the Walla Walla men and women only got two in their games at Treasure Valley.

In the end, though, all the top teams prevailed on the pitch to maintain their place in the tables, which clinched the three postseason sides - Spokane and North Idaho joining Walla Walla - in the women's table and putting the top three in the men's table on the verge of clinching with NIC seven points back of third with three games remaining.

HS Daily - 10.14.17: Tigers Top Mead in Shootout; CV Clinches

Needing as many points as they can get to help their case for finishing second, Lewis & Clark had to settle for two in a closely-fought contest Friday evening at Mead, winning the contest in a shootout after giving up a late equalizer.

The result, though, muddied the waters a bit more in the GSL race for second as five teams now sit separated by just two points with 7-0 Central Valley having clinched the top spot on points with two games remaining due to 5-2 Gonzaga having dropped a point in a shootout. Prep and Mead are now level at 14 points with University one point back and LC at 12 in the 4A standings.

Mt Spokane is in that group, but also in command among the 3A schools with a four point lead over North Central.

Meanwhile, Ferris is beginning to climb out of the basement thanks to a rout of Rogers Friday that kicked off a three-game swing against 3A opponents to close out the season. Unfortunately it comes to late as it would only max their total to 12 for the season having gone 1-4 against their fellow 4A sides.

Key contests in the final week of play next week will see University at Mead Wednesday and at Gonzaga Prep Friday in a pair of matches while LC plays host to Rogers and Mt Spokane. With the Tigers chasing a better postseason position, their final game could help North Central if the Indians can take advantage of their showdown with Mt Spokane on Wednesday and can get a win against Ferris in their finale.

Top Tweets 10.14.17: Big Day in Big Sky and more

Check out these great tweets, including goal videos!

Big Sky Plus - 10.13.17 DI Round-Up: Eagles Win Big Sky Top-of-Table Clash

Unbeaten Eastern Washington took care of business in what proved to be fairly easy fashion in a first-place showdown with Portland State Friday afternoon, and with Montana claiming a narrow win via overtime at Idaho, they will face a second consecutive top-of-the-table clash Sunday against the Grizzlies. Montana's win also left Idaho, by virtue of other results, in last place in the Big Sky a year after winning the regular season title.

HS Daily - 10..13.17: Kamiakin Survives Tough Tests to Remain Perfect

Facing a tough slate this week, the Kamiakin Braves topped Chiawana handily and edged second-place Richland to remain perfect atop the MCC going into the final week of the season.

The GSL, meanwhile, has quite a race going for second place in the league with four teams tied at 4-2, including 3A Mt Spokane, and Lewis & Clark just one game back. The teams from second (Mead) to sixth (LC) are separated by three points with three game days remaining. Gonzaga Prep pipped Mead in a shootout Wednesday to pull the Panthers within reach and University snatched a shootout win against Lewis & Clark to remain in the picture.

The Great Northern League is much more of a wide-open race than the season looked in the early going as West Valley and Cheney have picked up some momentum. The Eagles, in particular, have climbed out of a hole to third in the league with the top four separated by five points with five gamedays remaining.

In the Northeast A League, however, Lakeside is pulling away at 9-1 with Freeman suffering their first losses of the season recently as they took on a tough loaded schedule with make-up games. Deer Park and Medical Lake are in a race with Freeman for second in a league where matches among the league leaders are regularly featuring goalfests.

Top Tweets 10.13.17

Here's some of the most interesting tweets, including goal videos!

INW Best XI - Week 7: Montana Duo Lead Grizzlies, Battlin' Bears to Wins

The University of Montana moved to 3-1-1 with a pair of key wins over the weekend to stay near the top of the table with a big trip coming up this weekend in which they will face current Big Sky leader Eastern Washington. Bozeman native Alexa Coyle played a role in both of the game-winning goals as they edged Sacramento State 1-0 and topped Northern Arizona in a comeback win in overtime.

On the men's side goalkeeper Cole Catlin of Billings led his hometown Rocky Mountain College to a pair of shutout wins on the road against mid-table Montana foes Carroll and Providence.

For games through Sunday, October 8

Lower Division Updates 10.12.17: Northwest Nazarene Women Climb to Third With Two Wins

The Northwest Nazarene ladies took care of business at home with a win over struggling Central Washington but it was a big 1-0 overtime win against Seattle Pacific Saturday that helped push them up to third in the GNAC table on a weekend that saw several upsets with three previously winless sides picking up victories. MSU-Billings was among that trio with 4-1 result against mid-table Simon Fraser. The results, however, left Central Washington as the lone side without victory.

In the Northwest Conference, the story remains the Whitworth women, who finished the first swing through opponents unbeaten for one of the best starts in program history. Midweek they won a squeaker against rival Whitman and on the weekend they topped Linfield on the road in a close contest. On a quiet weekend on the men's side the Pirates completed the sweep against the Blues in a back-and-forth affair to pull even with Whitman in the table. The defending champions, though, still sit three games back of the leaders.

In the Cascade Conference the Eastern Oregon women continue to reign supreme with two more victories pushing them to 6-0-0 in the league, giving them a two-game points advantage over the rest. Rocky Mountain, though, swept fellow Montana foes Carroll and Providence on the road for a 4-1-0 mark to keep within striking distance of the Mountaineers. The RMC men did the same to advance their record to 6-1-0, sitting three points back of the leaders as part of a top four that have one or no losses.

NWAC East Tonight 10.11.17: NIC Men Top WVC to Stay In Hunt for Postseason

With the postseason drawing closer and closer, the gaps between the top sides and the rest of the NWAC East division teams is looming large. Walla Walla, Spokane and North Idaho have a clear separation on the women's side, but the on the men's North Idaho is sitting in the middle of the gap.

On Wednesday, contenders Walla Walla and Columbia Basin (Spokane was idle) took care of business against two of the bottom teams in the region. North Idaho, meanwhile, needed to make sure to do the same to maintain the two-game point deficit between themselves and the top three to keep a playoff spot within striking distance. Despite an initial two-goal lead at home against Wenatchee Valley, it was not an easy task as the Knights rallied to tie things up in the second before the Cardinals finally pulled away with the win.

The result was huge for NIC, which has all three leaders for their final three games of the regular season, and all three of the leaders face one another in their final games.  The three match dates from Wednesday October 18 to Wednesday the 25th will be dynamic gamedays.

Top Tweets 10.11.17: From HS Highlights to WC Qualifying notes & vids

Here's some of the most interesting tweets from this weekend, including goal videos!

INW HS Best XI - Week 6: Heroes Rise During Rivalry Week

A week that saw many rivals square off against one another produced quite a few standout performances. Chief among them may have been Chelsea Koker, who helped guide West Valley from near the bottom of the table to within striking distance of the leaders with wins against Cheney and rival East Valley. She provided the winner against Cheney and tallied a hat-trick while erasing a two-goal deficit at rival East Valley.

Big Sky Plus - 10.9.17 DI Round-Up: Montana, Eastern Among Big Sky Leaders as Idaho Gets First Win

The defending regular season champion Idaho Vandals finally picked up their first conference win this season in their fifth contest on Sunday with a 2-1 result at North Dakota. Meanwhile, Eastern Washington remains unbeaten in the top spot but are home to a pair of huge games next weekend, playing host to second place Portland State and third place Montana, which makes the relatively short trip west to play Idaho and Eastern.

Boise State also picked up a win Sunday with three first half goals holding strong against Colorado College, and a trio of locals from Spokane and Moses Lake scored goals around the nation.

Top Tweets 10.08.17

Here's some of the most interesting tweets from this weekend, including goal videos! Got a great tweet you want INWsn to see, tag us @INWsoccernews on Twitter. 

Gameday - Gonzaga Ladies Fall 2-1 to Santa Clara

In an evenly-fought affair, Gonzaga suffered their first loss at home this season in nine contests, dropping a 2-1 decision against a regular WCC power Santa Clara Sunday. In consolation, the goal was the Lady Zags' 35th of the campaign, setting a single season record for the program.

NWAC East Tonight 10.7.17: Spokane Men Jump to First, Walla Walla Women Still Perfect

The Spokane men jumped from third to first on the weekend as they topped the Blue Mountain and Treasure Valley duo while co-leader Columbia Basin played to a draw against Wenatchee Valley. The other former co-leader Walla Walla was idle. Meanwhile, North Idaho rebounded from last week's tragic trip south where they lost to Blue Mountain and tied Treasure Valley, beating both Friday and Saturday.

Columbia Basin's surprise loss to Wenatchee Valley, who had one shot on goal in the contest, created a clear separation between the top three and the rest in the women's table as Spokane and North Idaho picked up a double dose of wins against Blue Mountain and Treasure Valley on the weekend. Walla Walla remains unbeaten thanks to a 2-0 road win at Yakima Valley.

Big Sky Plus - 10.7.17 DI Round-Up: Gonzaga, Santa Clara Win Big Before Sunday Showdown

In the Big Sky Conference the Eastern Washington ladies kept their lone unbeaten status intact with an overtime victory on the road at North Dakota and Montana also picked up a narrow win, 1-0, against Sacramento State. The bigger results on the day, though, came in the West Coast Conference where Gonzaga rolled to a huge 6-2 victory against visiting San Francisco ahead of Sunday's home contest against Santa Clara, who won 4-1 in Portland with a pair of goals from Spokane native Kelsey Turnbow.

Top Tweets 10.07.17

Check out some of these great Tweets from the past two days. Goal vids from area colleges/players... and of course in this first edition: All Four USA Goals!!

HS Daily - 10.6.17: West Valley Upsets Rival East Valley, Pasco Gets First Win

In a pair of upsets on the night, the West Valley Eagles surprised rival East Valley with a 4-3 victory in a dramatic back-and-forth GNL affair and the Pasco Bulldogs picked up their first win in the MCC, getting the better of Hanford in a shootout after a scoreless stalemate.

In another big contest, Lakeside handed Freeman its first NEA loss as the two title contenders squared off, rallying for a 2-1 victory.

PLUS... first edition of stats tables below!

INW Best XI - Week 6: Rydeen Guides Mavericks in Pair of Shutouts

Goalkeeper Ryann Rydeen has been in a rotation with her teammate at Minnesota State, where the pair have been guiding a defense that had seven shutouts in eight games going into the weekend. She got the nod Friday against a winless Minnesota-Crookston, but more importantly was also chosen for a huge NSIC showdown against fellow unbeaten Bemidji State in which she recorded her fifth shutout of the campaign.

HS Daily - 10.5.17: Mead, CV & Shadle Edge Rivals

On a night full of rivalry contests, three of the four went down to the wire in one-goal or tiebreaker decisions. Mead nipped Mt Spokane on a last-minute strike, one goal gave Central Valley a win against University and a shootout was needed in a dramatic contest between Shadle Park and North Central.

Whitworth Women Edge Rival Whitman, Remain Unbeaten

The Whitworth ladies are still unbeaten after seven, posting their fifth shutout in conference play in a 1-0 victory against rival Whitman to move to 6-0-1. The defense has allowed just three goals against their conference opposition thus far with this Saturday's contest at Linfield being the final match of the first half of the season.

NWAC East Tonight 10.4.17: Warriors Sweep WVC, Spokane Unbeaten at North Idaho

The unbeaten Walla Walla Warriors posted another big win to move to 8-0-0 in the women's table while the men pulled even on points with Columbia Basin with their victory against the Wenatchee Valley Knights. Spokane, meanwhile, saw the ladies roll to a big win against the Cardinals while the defense led the men in a scoreless draw in which they did not allow NIC a single shot.

HS Daily - 10.4.17: Upsets and More Across All Three Leagues

It was a dramatic night across all three leagues Tuesday evening as several contests featured title contenders squaring off and several others featured upset performances from the underdogs.

In MCC Chiawana kept its hot run with the presence of Summer Yates going, reeling in second-place Richland with a victory over the Bombers to pull within one win in the table. Hanford, which came into the night tied with Chiawana in third, attempted to hand Kamiakin it's first loss, but only manage to keep them from getting their max tally of bonus points for the first time.

In the GNL Clarkston won the top-of-the-table clash with East Valley, handing the Knights their first loss while West Valley jumped out of a tie for last with a narrow win over Cheney, who missed an opportunity to pull even with the leaders in wins.

Another contenders clash in the NEA saw Lakeside claim a shootout win against visiting Deer Park after a 2-2 affair. Meanwhile, Riverside stunned visiting Colville to register their first victory of the season.

INW HS Best XI - Week 5: Comeback and Late Wins Net Weekly Honors

There were quite a few games last week that saw teams rally to wins with both Deer Park and Freeman rallying from two down for wins as well as a dramatic Mt Spokane win over an upper-class opponent from a one-goal deficit. Emmy Moore usually grabs the headlines for Deer Park now that Riley Martinson has graduated, but this week's Player of the Week selection Jessie Thomas has been going on a scoring spree of late. She scored seven goals and had an assist last week, but her nod for the award came from her involvement in all five goals in the Stags' comeback win against Colville.

Lower Division Updates 10.2.17: Whitworth and Eastern Oregon Women Still Unbeaten

Three weeks into one of their best conference starts in program history the Whitworth women are atop the Northwest Conference with a 5-0-1 mark. Facing regular powers in the conference, they played Puget Sound to a dramatic 2-2 draw on Saturday and then edged fellow unbeaten Pacific Lutheran Sunday in a top of the table clash, recording their fourth shutout in six games with a 1-0 decision for the top spot in the standings.

The Eastern Oregon ladies are also on top of the Cascade Conference table after four games, sweeping a pair of visiting Montana foes to move to 4-0-0 on the season. They beat Carroll 2-0 and Providence 3-2 in a back-and-forth thriller.

Outside of the region, Ryan Rydeen (Spokane, WA) and Megan Lowery (Hayden, ID / NIC) had outstanding performances for Minnesota State and the University of Mary, respectively.

Big Sky Plus - 10.1.17 DI Round-Up: Eags Remain Unbeaten, Cougs Blast Ranked Utah

Eastern Washington rolled to a big win over Southern Utah Sunday with a three-goal second half. The 4-0 result was their third consecutive shutout to start conference play and leaves the Eagles as the only unbeaten at 2-0-1. A little further south in Pullman the Cougars also posted a big victory, blanking 24th-ranked Utah 3-0 win.

NWAC East Update 10.1.17: Walla Walla Men Top Columbia Basin, Blue Mountain Get First Win

In the marquee contest of the week between two of the top sides in the men's side, Walla Walla moved to 4-2-0 on the season by handing Columbia Basin their first loss in a 2-1 decision, keeping the now 5-1-0 Hawks in striking range of the Warriors and 4-1-0 Spokane. Meanwhile, at the bottom of the table the Blue Mountain men picked up their first win of the year with a victory over North Idaho.

All six games on the women's sides were one-sided affairs, but the highlight among them was Yakima Valley's first victory in divisional play against an opponent other than Blue Mountain. The Yaks were off to a great start with only two losses in five games, but aside from the 15-1 win over Blue Mountain the other three had been draws.

Whitworth Women Tie Puget Sound, Remain Unbeaten

The Whitworth women continued their fantastic start to the Northwest Conference season, moving to 4-0-1 with a 2-2 draw against Puget Sound Saturday. The Pirate men, meanwhile, saw their struggles continue into week three of the campaign, falling to Willamette 3-1.

HS Daily - 9.30.17: Mt Spokane upends Gonzaga Prep

The Wildcats of Mt Spokane picked up their second victory over a 4A opponent just four games into the season, giving the lower classification three in the first two weeks of the Greater Spokane League season.

Meanwhile, Mead edged Ferris in a close contest and Shadle Park put forth another hard-fought effort against a second 4A opponent this week, but Lewis & Clark pulled away in the second half thanks to their deep bench.

Big Sky Plus - 9.30.17 DI Round-Up: Idaho State edges Griz, Zag Ladies Win WCC Opener

Preseason top four favorites Montana and Idaho had rough trips on the road in which they vastly outshot the opposition only to end up on the wrong side of the scoreline against a pair of teams that were predicted to finish in the bottom four. Southern Utah, selected 10th, downed the defending regular season champion Vandals 3-1 while Idaho State, chosen eighth, edged the Grizzlies 1-0.

Meanwhile, the hot starts for ladies at Gonzaga and Boise State continued. The Zags won their league opener on the road at Pacific and the Broncos for just the second time in program history topped New Mexico.

HS Daily - 9.29.17: Hanford Survives Scare, Cheney Edges Clarkston

On a night of games that were primarily one-sided, there were two contests that went down to the wire. Walla Walla gave visiting Hanford a handful, but the Falcons managed to snare a victory through a tiebreaker shootout after the pair finished even at two apiece. In Cheney, the mid-table Blackhawks made a bid to remain with the leaders with a narrow victory over visiting Clarkston.

Though they trailed early, Freeman and Deer Park both rallied and pulled away in their contests for three-goal wins.

HS Daily - 9.28.17: Prep, Ferris earn hard-fought wins as CV blanks LC

The 3A schools are looking like they may have an interesting race amongst themselves and create issues for the 4A teams in the table. After last week's performances by North Central against 4A opponents, the Highlanders gave Gonzaga Prep a scare Wednesday afternoon at Joe Albi only to come up short.

In another close-fought contest, Ferris prevailed in overtime in an odd affair in which all three goals came at the beginning of each period of play. Central Valley, meanwhile, took care of business in a key showdown between contenders with a shutout win at home against Lewis & Clark.

NWAC East Tonight 9.27.17: Walla Walla Women Edge Yakima Valley

The midweek slate was light with just three games Tuesday and Wednesday. Treasure Valley, not surprisingly, swept visiting Blue Mountain by a combined 13-2 scoreline and Walla Walla kept their record perfect at 6-0-0 in the women's table with a 2-1 decision against visiting Yakima Valley.

INW Best XI - Week 5: Defense Key in Week Five Contests

There were a number of outstanding defensive performances from teams around the region last week and several defenders also played key roles in their teams earning victories at the other end. From his midfield role Gonzaga's Christo Michaelson did both to earn Player of the Week honors while striker Lexi McQueary helped lead Corban to a comeback draw and a win on the road in Montana to earn the nod from INWsn on the women's side.

HS Daily - 9.27.17: Richland Edges Hanford as Comebacks Rule the Night

Three teams - Walla Walla, Clarkston and Freeman - picked up victories on the night despite allowing the opening goal and in a non-league affair West Valley rallied from three down to tie things up before falling in the final minute.

The highlight match of the day, though, was a Hanford at Richland, a contest that went down to the wire before Richland prevailed to stay within striking range of Kamiakin, which rolled to another big win to remain perfect on the season.

Lower Division Updates 9.26.17: Whitworth Women Off to Hot Start

In their best start since 2012, the Whitworth women are on a roll in the Northwest Conference with four wins in as many games and a three-plus game shutout streak that goes back to their conference opener. This week they picked up a pair of 1-0 road wins at George Fox and Pacific.

Also picking up a pair of wins this week were the MSU-Billings men and the Eastern Oregon ladies. The Yellowjackets took a 3-2 thriller against Northwest Nazarene and topped Concordia 3-1. The Mountaineers were 2-1 winners against Northwest University and edged Evergreen 1-0.

INW HS Best XI - Week 4: Flannery Shutouts Stand Out Amongst Lots of Scoring

With plenty of scoring throughout all of the leagues this season and the past week, the pair of shutout performances from North Central's Payton Flannery against a pair of 4A opponents for a win and shootout loss stood out for the Player of the Week nod, which could have just as easily gone to Summer Yates of Chiawana. Yates' reversal of the Riverhawks' results upon her return from international duty was stark.

Big Sky Plus - 9.26.17 DI Round-Up: Pair of Shutouts Gives EWU Four Points

The defending Big Sky champion Eastern Washington was stymied for a scoreless draw in their Big Sky opener by Sacramento State, but they were not alone as the Hornets did the same to regular season Big Sky champion Idaho two days later. The Eagles, though, bounced back with a big 4-0 win against Northern Arizona, which was coming off a win against the Vandals.

After a thrilling win against a ranked opponent and a drubbing of a vastly short-handed side last week, the Vandals were unable to find the form that led them to a pair of regular season titles the last two years. Idaho came up short against Northern Arizona and then suffered that stalemate with Sacramento State.

DI action around the rest of the region was highlighted by the Gonzaga women earning another victory as their hot start continues and their counterparts on the men's side earning a draw against 20th-ranked Air Force and a win on the weekend.

HS Daily - 9.24.17: Hanford Tops Walla Walla in Thriller

In a thriller, Hanford got back on the winning track against a valiant Walla Walla side that rallied from two down before falling to the Falcons. In a battle of two of the bottom sides, the Pasco Bulldogs were unable to get their first win, falling in a tight contest against Southridge.

NWAC East Tonight 9.23.17: Columbia Basin Men, Walla Walla Women Still Perfect in Division

Fifth with a 4-6-5 record a year ago, the Columbia Basin men are enjoying a fantastic start to this season. They picked up their fifth win in as many games Saturday with a 4-2 result against North Idaho to surpass last year's win total. On the women's side Walla Walla is looking like the powerhouse of old after having not finished top two in the division since winning the title in 2013, grabbing a 2-1 win against reigning three-time champion Spokane Saturday to move to 5-0-0.

It was an odd weekend on the ladies side as there was only one first half goal in the four non-Blue Mountain matches. All four games were close matches with North Idaho's win at Columbia Basin the biggest margin of victory at two goals.

HS Daily - 9.23.17: NC, Mt Spokane Raise Eyebrows; Chiawana on a Roll

The 3A duo of North Central and Mt Spokane are making things interesting in the Greater Spokane League for their 4A opposition this season. Following up on their 1-0 overtime surprise against Lewis & Clark on Wednesday, NC went the distance again with a 4A side before falling in a shootout to University. For the second time this week, however; a 3A side did post an upset as Mt Spokane got the better of Ferris on Friday.

Meanwhile, the return of Summer Yates is the storyline of the Mid-Columbia Conference. She scored two more for the Riverhawks as Chiawana gave Hanford its first loss of the campaign. At the other end of the table, Southridge and Kennewick played a thriller in which the Suns made an amazing comeback for the win in the final 22 minutes.

In the NEA, the Scotties are the definition of #FreemanStrong. In their return to play they posted two big shutout victories, tallying 11 goals.

INW Best XI - Week 4: Comebacks & Overtime Thrillers Highlight Weekly Honors

It was quite a week around the region for big comeback performances and overtime victories. Players of the Week selections Lauryn Gamache and Luca Battistotti led Montana schools Rocky Mountain College and MSU-Billings to overtime victories this week. RMC rallied from two down for their win. Also registering surprising comeback victories were the Idaho Vandals and Central Washington.

HS Daily - 9.21.17: NC stuns LC on GSL's Opening Day

Expected to be one of the contenders for the Greater Spokane League title, the Lewis & Clark Tigers suffered a setback Thursday afternoon against North Central that will force them to now be perfect the rest of the way in what is always a tight race for the league championship.

In a matchup of two title contenders, the Bullpups showed they will be a tough side to top as they put four on the board before Ferris answered in a two-goal victory. The rest of the league's slate went as expected.

Also, in a rare Wednesday GNL showdown, East Valley prevailed in a back-and-forth affair against rival West Valley. Both return to the pitch Thursday.

NWAC East Tonight 9.20.17: Walla Walla takes four in three days

Three days, three doubleheaders for this edition of the update. The action started with a Walla Walla sweep at Wenatchee Valley Monday and finished with another Warrior sweep Wednesday at North Idaho. On Tuesday Spokane and Columbia Basin split.

HS Daily - 9.20.17: Kamiakin routs Richland in top of table MCC clash

The two unbeatens atop the Mid-Columbia Conference squared off Tuesday, but it was a one-sided affair in which the visiting Braves rolled to a five-goal victory. Meanwhile, Chiawana gleefully welcomed back Summer Yates from international duty with a win that ended a three-game losing skid.

In other league play, the most dramatic contest of the night was Medical Lake's visit to Deer Park where the Cardinals came away with a late victory on a goal two minutes from time.

INW HS Best XI - Week 3: Freshmen playing big roles

A pair of freshmen led the Richland Bombers in a huge three-win performance last week and another posted a pair of shutouts for Gonzaga Prep. Three sophomores also played key roles for Colville, Ferris and Freeman.

HS Daily - 9.19.17: Eagles soar for West Valley, Lakeside

In rare Monday league contests the West Valley Eagles and Lakeside Eagles both picked up victories. West Valley needed a shootout to top Clarkston for a victory in their league opener while Lakeside rolled to a big win at Deer Park.

HS Daily - 9.17.17: Richland rolls to 4-0 with rout of Chiawana

In Saturday's league play, Hanford and Richland both picked up wins to remain unbeaten in the Mid-Columbia Conference. For Hanford it was just their second, but the Bombers' victory put them top of the table at 4-0.

College Update 9.17.17: Three leagues kick off seasons; Williams sets Big Sky record

The GNAC, Northwest Conference and Cascade Conference all started their league campaigns this week. On Saturday and Sunday there were quite a few interesting storylines in those leagues, but the bigger headlines came out of the non-league affairs among the DI sides.

In the GNAC Northwest Nazarene squeaked out a narrow win over MSU-Billings and Central Washington played Concordia to a draw as the women began play - the men's side, which saw MSUB upset 12th-ranked Upper Iowa, kicks off league play next week.

NWAC East Tonight 9.16.17: Yakima Valley earns 1-1 draw with Spokane

In a pair of tight contests on the women's side of the division, Yakima Valley College earned an unexpected 1-1 draw at home against CC Spokane Saturday and Columbia Basin snared an extremely late 1-0 victory over visiting Treasure Valley.

COLLEGE SCOREBOARD - Sept 15: Vandals rally in stunner, CCC kicks off league play

In what will probably go down as the most thrilling contest of the year in the region, the Idaho Vandals scored four unanswered late at home to erase a three-goal deficit for a win against Memphis.

Meanwhile, the NAIA Cascade Collegiate Conference kicked off league play Friday and saw a similar comeback performance from the Rocky Mountain College women in an overtime victory against Southern Oregon.