It was a good day for the East sides in the first round of the NWAC playoffs as they swept their four contests with both three seeds winning on the road and the two seeds prevailing at home. All four were close one-goal affairs in a day's slate that saw seven of the eight games decided by just one goal, two of them in overtime. Matters were especially tight on the men's side where there were no goals before the 60th minute in any of the four games. Also sweeping all four matches on the day was the West.
MEN - FIRST ROUND
E3 Columbia Basin 1-0 S2 Chemeketa :: In an extremely tight affair that saw just seven combined shots recorded, the Hawks would get an early advantage with a straight red card to a Chemeketa defender just five minutes in. Despite that CBC was unable to get on the board until Uriel Mendoza (Prosser, WA) set up Oscar Cortez (Pasco, WA) at the hour mark. Alexander Flannery (Kennewick, WA) made four saves for the shutout, leaving just the top seeds out of the North and South that were idle.
S3 Portland 0-1 E2 Spokane :: The two sides battled in a tight affair that saw very few quality opportunities to get on the board thanks to sound defensive play and keepers that controlled matters well in the air, particularly on set pieces. The Sasquatch, though, were able to make one free kick count though as a pair of centerbacks combined for the winner. Carlos Campo delivered a well-lofted ball from the midfield stripe that dropped into the six. Hunter VanCleave (Missoula, MT) rose with goalkeeper Isaac Aguilar and got enough of a piece of the ball as the keeper's hands reached to grab it to knock it away, dropping narrowly in over the line in the 65th minute for his third of the season. Caleb Garbuio made seven saves for the shutout.
W3 Pierce 2-1 (OT) N2 Peninsula :: The visitors broke a stalemate in the 69th minute but lost a defender to a red card in the 75th. They were still near a win when Peninsula finally struck in the 88th to pull even. In overtime, however, Pierce (5-6-1) was able to get a winner in the 100th minute to advance in a surprising upset against the Pirates (10-3-2)
N3 Everett 1-3 W2 Tacoma :: The contest dragged scoreless well into the second half before Everett broke through in the 67th minute for the lead. Tacoma, though, tied it up in the 74th and added two more in the next 12 minutes to pull away.
Upcoming Schedule
Quarterfinals, Saturday November 3
E2 Spokane v N1 Whatcom 12:00
W3 Pierce v E1 Walla Walla 1:00
E3 Columbia Basin v W1 Highline 6:00
W2 Tacoma v S1 Southwestern Oregon 12:00
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
WOMEN - FIRST ROUND
E3 Walla Walla 2-1 S2 Lane :: Bailey Johnson (Idaho Falls, ID) scored for the hosts 30 minutes into the match and they held onto the advantage until Caitlin Crist found Klarissa Barajas (Kennewick, WA) in the 65th to even things up. Ten minutes later Haley Wammock (Yakima, WA) struck to give the Warriors the victory. Danielle Dowd (Rathdrum, ID) made two saves in the win.
S3 Portland 0-1 E2 North Idaho :: The Cardinals outshot the visitors 16-5 in the contest but were unable to find a winner until the very final moments of the match when Ellory Ferris (Ellensburg, WA) tallied in the 90th minute to advance to the quarters. Kaysha Bailey (Lewiston, ID) made five stops in the lone shutout of the day in the four women's matches.
W3 Tacoma 3-2 (OT) N2 Whatcom :: The two sides exchanged goals in a back-and-forth affair with Tacoma taking the lead in each half only to see Whatcom equalize. They would get the win, though, 62 seconds into overtime.
N3 Edmonds 1-2 W2 Bellevue :: The hosts led from the eighth minute with Edmonds pulling even in the opening minute of the first half. They quickly restored the lead, though, with a strike in the 52nd minute and held on for the result.
Upcoming Schedule
Quarterfinals, Saturday November 3
E3 Walla Walla @ W1 Highline 12:00
W3 Tacoma @ E1 Spokane 1:00
E2 North Idaho @ N1 Peninsula 5:00
W2 Bellevue @ S1 Clark 12:00
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
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