There was no shortage of drama on the final day of the regular season for the NWAC East as the top spots and final berths were all on the line.
The Spokane women won a first place showdown at North Idaho to win their fourth title in five years while below them Walla Walla earned the single point needed to avoid a play-in contest against Yakima Valley, which scored nearly as many goals as the rest of the division on the day in a win against Wenatchee Valley. The lone point for the Warriors also put them equal with NIC in the table, but the Cardinals hold the number two position thanks to a win and draw during the season head-to-head.
East Region Champs! pic.twitter.com/oWiBmKOZXZ— Spokane Soccer (@BigfootSoccer) October 24, 2018
On the men's side the Warriors also only needed a single point, but to win the league title. It was not needed though as second place Spokane faltered at North Idaho, but the match-up with Columbia Basin had dual implications as the Hawks were sitting a point back of idle WVC in fourth. A wild back-and-forth opening 20 minutes resulted ultimately in a draw that put CBC even with the Knights, giving them the third berth thanks to a win and draw head-to-head this season.
— WWCC Men's Soccer (@MSOC_WWCC) October 25, 2018
While all the drama played out among the leaders, it can't be left out that it was a big day for Blue Mountain on the road as the ladies picked up their first point of the season and the men their first victory.
WOMEN
Spokane 1-0 North Idaho :: In a showdown for the top spot the Bigfoot got the winner five minutes into the second half when Gaby Kennedy (Spokane, WA) found Megan Wilkinson (Pasco, WA). Micky Ramirez would finish out the clean sheet with seven saves for Spokane while her counterpart Kaysha Bailey (Lewiston, ID) made eight to keep the Cardinals' hopes alive.
Columbia Basin 0-0 Walla Walla :: Caitlyn Hossfeld (Spokane, WA) made three saves for CBC and Danielle Dowd (Rathdrum, ID) one for the hosts in a tight contest that saw only 15 combined shots.
Wenatchee Valley 2-4 Yakima Valley :: With an outside chance of forcing a play-in contest the Yaks found themselves trailing after just five minutes when a defensive clearance ricocheted off the shin of Erin Aamold (Wenatchee, WA) and into the goal for the Knights, who held the advantage until the Yaks went on a spree to close the half. Sessi Allot tied it up and put them ahead with back-to-back goals in the 40th and 42nd minutes via Courtney Handlen (Pocatello, ID). She would complete the hat-trick courtesy of Brittany Little (Yakima, WA) and then turned provider for Handlen to round out their scoring. Alysha Donovan (Quincy, WA) would add a goal late for the Knights with two minutes remaining.
Blue Mountain 1-1 Treasure Valley :: Kiana Corpuz tallied in the 30th minute for the Timberwolves and it looked like they might be headed toward their first victory when Lupita Patlan tied it up with 10 minutes remaining in the contest for the Chukars, who outshot BMCC 23-8 for the contest. Instead, the Timberwolves had to settle for their lone point of campaign with the draw.
Standings
1 - Spokane 10-1-3... 33
2 - North Idaho 8-3-3... 27
3 - Walla Walla 8-3-3... 27
Yakima Valley 8-4-2... 26
Columbia Basin 6-3-5... 23
Wenatchee Valley 3-8-3... 12
Treasure Valley 1-9-4... 7
Blue Mountain 0-13-1... 1
MEN
Blue Mountain 2-0 Treasure Valley :: Victor Gomez-Lozano scored four minutes into the match to put the Timberwolves in front and Ascencion Escobedo (Jerome, ID) converted a penalty in the opening minute of the second half to add some insurance. Dakota Curtis (Redmond, OR) made five saves to preserve the shutout and the first win of the season for BMCC.
Columbia Basin 2-2 Walla Walla :: Needing a result the Hawks grabbed an early lead 11 minutes in thanks to an own goal but the Warriors quickly bounced back with a strike from Eduardo Ramirez (Sunnyside, WA) in a contest that started with a frenzy. Just another minute later Oscar Cortez (Pasco, WA) found Gonzolo Frausto (Sunnyside, WA) for another go-ahead strike, but it again only lasted minutes as Edwin Romero (Walla Walla, WA) tied it back up again in the 18th minute via Freddy Rodriguez (Hermiston, OR). From there the two were deadlocked, which was just enough for the Hawks.
Spokane 1-2 North Idaho :: The Sasquatch grabbed the initial lead in the first half when Brennan Murphy (Spokane, WA) found Arturo Bahena in the 27th, but the Cardinals rallied in the second half. Creed McKinnon scored twice with the first coming via Connor Wold (Liberty Lake, WA) in the 68th to tie it up and the second with seven minutes remaining for the win.
Notes: Paul Cuevas (Yakima, WA) tallied three goals and Juan Soto (Yakima, WA) the other as Skagit Valley downed Edmonds 4-0 with Jorge Ramirez (Yakima, WA) and Edgar Ramirez (Yakima, WA) registering an assist each, and Victor Perez (Okanogan, WA) the shutout with six saves.
Standings
1 - Walla Walla 8-1-3...27 pts
2 - Spokane 7-3-2... 23
3 - Columbia Basin 6-2-4... 22
Wenatchee Valley 7-4-1... 22
North Idaho 5-6-1... 16
Treasure Valley 1-8-3... 6
Blue Mountain 1-11-0... 3
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