It was a good opening round for the two Apple Cup foes as both Washington State and Washington advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament last week, though they were in close contests.
A handful of players from the area are also still in the postseason mix at Santa Clara and Western Washington, which begins play in the NCAA DII tournament this week after a dramatic finish to the GNAC championship.
In the NAIA, the national tournament kicks off this week after some exciting conference tournament action last week in the Cascade Collegiate Conference, which saw four women's teams advance (two at-large) in addition to the two automatic berths on the men's side. Corban defended its regular season men's title with a narrow win over sixth place season finisher Eastern Oregon, which earned the second berth thanks to a pair of dramatic shootout wins in the previous rounds. The EOU women, second on the season, won the league championship to join regular season champ Oregon Tech in the national tourney. Rocky Mountain, and Southern Oregon were added on as at-large. A few area players also got a reprieve as an at-large as Embry-Riddle (Arizona) included in the field despite slipping in the semifinals after winning their regular season league championship.
-- For games through Sunday, November 17 --
NCAA DI TOURNAMENT - NCAA BRACKET [+]
Notable First Round Games
11.15 - Boise State 1-5 BYU (2)... In their first-ever meeting, the fourth-ranked and two seed Cougars showed why they are the last unbeaten side and leading scoring team in the nation, tallying back-to-back in the 19th and 20th minutes to take control. Boise State answered in the 22nd when Morgan Stone and Mckenna Kynett combined to feed Emily Curry to pull within one. It remained close the rest of the half, but BYU tallied nine minutes into the second half and added two more in the 64th and 67th to lock it up. The loss brought to an end the amazing career of striker Raimee Sherle (Meridian, ID), who finished with numerous program records.
11.15 - Memphis 0-1 Washington State... The Cougars and 14th ranked Tigers went over an hour deadlocked before Averie Collins (Bozeman, MT) worked her way through the midfield and found Makamae Gomera-Stevens in the 62nd minute for what proved to be the game-winner from just inside the box, advancing to the second round for the third consecutive season. Ella Dederick made just two saves as the defense limited the Tigers to just four shots in the contest. They will now face one seed Virginia, which is ranked third in the nation. The only two times they met previously, coincidentally, came in the same season. They played to a scoreless draw in Charlottesville in September of 2011 and met again later that year in the tournament, falling 3-0 at Virginia in the second round.
11.15 - Utah 0-4 Duke... The 12th ranked Blue Devils expanded on a one goal first half with three more int he second to end the season for the Utes and trio of players from the area: Makayla Christensen (Meridian, ID), Payton McBride (Boise, ID) and starter Kylee Geis (Boise, ID).
11.16 - Seattle 0-1 Washington (4)... Meeting again after a scoreless stalemate early in non-conference play, the duo were locked in another tight affair. A goal in the 56th minute for the Huskies proved to be the difference, knocking the Redhawks out of the tournament and spoiling hopes that their first-ever win in 17 games against the Huskies would come in such a high profile moment. The loss ended the season for area players Paige Malm (Spokane, WA) and Kelsey Crosby (Spokane, WA).
11.16 - Northern Colorado 0-6 Colorado... The Buffs dominated the contest, but were held off by the Bears until the 29th minute. They tallied twice in the first half and added four in the second, ending the campaign for the Big Sky Champions and Britney Donais (Kennewick, WA), who saw action off the bench.
11.16 - California 0-1 (OT) Santa Clara... Kelcie Hedge (Post Falls, ID) nearly gave the Broncos the win in the 50th minute only to see her header cleared off the line by a Bears defender. The match would end up going to overtime where the Broncos would get the winner in the 100th minute to move on. They now face 13th ranked Oklahoma State.
Second Round Matches
11.22 - Santa Clara v Oklahoma State (at USC) 11:00 am
11.22 - Washington v South Florida (at Florida State) 11:00 am
11.22 - Washington State @ Virginia (1) 4:00
Third Round Matches
11.24 - Washington/USF v (1) FSU/Brown 10:00 am (at FSU)
11.24 - WSU/Virginia v West Virginia/Central Connecticut St 1:00 (at Virginia)
11.24 - Santa Clara/Oklahoma St v (2) USC/Texas A&M 1:30 (at USC)
WOMEN - GREAT NORTHWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
GNAC Conference Tournament - Interbay Stadium (Seattle)
Semifinals - Thursday
Central Washington 1-2 Western Washington... Darby Doyle (Spokane, WA) set up the opening goal for the regular season champions in the 31st minute, but the Wildcats quickly responded two minutes later when Sophia Keenan and Paige Devine combined to set up a 16 yard finish from Bella Brown. The Vikings would net the game-winner from close range in the 65th minute to advance.
Western Oregon 1-4 Seattle Pacific... Claire Neder (Spokane, WA) helped set up Chloe Gellhaus (Spokane, WA) for the opener int he 24th minute and then tallied herself four minutes later. Makena Rietz (Walla Walla, WA) lofted a 22 yard effort into the upper corner in the final minute of the half for a convincing lead at the break. Early in the second half Sierra Smith (Boise, ID) set up a fourth as the Falcons rolled to the win.
Championship - Saturday
Seattle Pacific 1-2 Western Washington... Gellhaus scored her second of the weekend with a 14 yard effort in the 19th minute, but the Vikings rallied for the victory and the automatic berth into the NCAA DII tournament with goals in the 26th and 81st.
GNAC Standings
*1 - Western Washington 12-0-0... 36 pts
*2 - Seattle Pacific 9-3-0... 27
*3 - Western Oregon 7-3-2... 23
*4 - Central Washington 6-5-1... 19
Concordia 5-6-1... 16
MSU Billings 5-7-0... 15
NW Nazarene 3-7-2... 11
Saint Martin's 2-10-0... 6
Simon Fraser 2-10-0... 6
* Clinched tournament berth (4 total)
NCAA DII TOURNAMENT - Full Bracket [+]
First Round
11.22 - (3) Western Washington v CSU Stanislaus (6) 10:00 (at Sonoma St)
Second Round
11.24 - WWU/CSUS v (2) Sonoma St/Cal Statel LA (7) 1:00 (at Sonoma St)
WOMEN - NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
NCAA DIII Tournament - Full Bracket [+]
11.16 - Pacific Lutheran 1-2 (OT) Trinity... Trailing since the 16th minute the Lutes answered in the 51st to tie it up and took the hosts to overtime before falling in the 92nd minute. Cassidy Crosswhite (Spokane, WA) made three saves for the Lutes in the match. The loss marked the end of the season for several players from the area, including seniors Brianna Hunting (Kennewick, WA) and Sarah Burns (Kennewick, WA). Trinity would ultimately advance to the third round.
WOMEN - CASCADE COLLEGIATE CONFERENCE
The women's tournament proved to be a dramatic affair as only one contest was decided by more than one goal, kicking off with four 1-0 contests in the quarterfinals that all went over an hour in a stalemate before the winners were scored - two of them in overtime. Regular season champion Oregon Tech was upset in the opening round, but had already earned an automatic berth to the NAIA tournament. Eastern Oregon would earn their third consecutive trip to the tournament with Rocky Mountain and Southern Oregon also joining the field as at-large invites.
CCC TOURNAMENT (Springfield, OR)
11.12 - Quarterfinals
(8) Corban 1-0 Oregon Tech (1)... The Warriors delivered the biggest surprise of the quarterfinals, knocking out the unbeaten regular season champions. Megan Harvey (Boise, ID) scored the deciding goal in the 72nd minute.
(7) Carroll 0-1 Eastern Oregon (2)... After an hour of scoreless soccer the Mountaineers found the winner in the 67th when Cailin Koupal connected with Kaitlyn McLeod for the game-winner. Savannah Hutchinson made three saves for the clean sheet while Sydney Green made eight stops for the Saints, who also had four team saves in keeping the game close.
(5) Southern Oregon 1-0 (OT) Northwest (4)... Though the Eagles were the higher seed, a 94th minute goal for the Raiders made it a second 1-0 win for SOU on the season between the two.
(6) College of Idaho 0-1 (OT) Rocky Mountain (3)... A rebound opportunity in the 108th minute was put away by Alexis Robbins to avoid the upset and the potential for penalties. Maia Wetzel (Helena, MT) made four saves for the shutout while Kylee Atkins (Boise, ID) had seven for the Yotes in the loss.
11.13 - Semifinals
(8) Corban 0-3 Eastern Oregon (2)... In the only game deciding by more than a goal it was only a one-goal affair at the break courtesy of a Camie Edgington tally in the 41st minute. Lindsay Balkenbush (Spokane, WA) made it two in the 58th minute and Morgan Farrington (Meridian, ID) put the match out of reach in the 78th. Hutchinson made another three saves for her second shutout.
(5) Southern Oregon 0-0 (1-3 SO, 4 rds) Rocky Mountain (3)... Wetzel made four saves to keep the Raiders at bay and converted the opening kick in the shootout before stopping SOU's second attempt and watching the third and fourth ones go wide and high while the Bears were perfect.
11.15 - Championship
(3) Rocky Mountain 1-2 Eastern Oregon (2)... Both needing a victory to join regular season champion Oregon Tech in the NAIA tourney, it was a thriller. Nan Kiebert (Sandpoint, ID) gave the Mountaineers a very early lead with a goal in the opening minute of the contest courtesy of Farrington. Who else but Lauryn Gamache scored the equalizer for the Bears with Alyssa Schneider finding her in the 59th to even it up. The celebration, though, was short-lived as EOU's Jenna Jensen (Spokane, WA) scored what held as the game-winner just over a minute later. The Mountaineer defense was key in the contest as EOU outshot RMC 17-7 in the game and allowed just two shots on target with Hutchinson finishing with just one save. Wetzel had six saves at the other end.
CCC Standings
*1 - Oregon Tech 10-0-2... 32 pts
*2 - Eastern Oregon 9-2-1... 28
*3 - Rocky Mountain 9-2-1... 28
*4 - Northwest 9-3-0... 27
*5 - Southern Oregon 7-3-2... 23
*6 - College of Idaho 6-4-2... 20
*7 - Carroll 6-5-1... 19
*8 - Corban 6-5-1... 19
Providence 4-8-0... 12
Evergreen 3-9-0... 9
Warner Pacific 3-9-0... 9
Northwest Christian 1-11-0... 3
Multnomah 0-12-0... 0
* Clinched tournament berth (8 total)
NAIA Tournament - Full Bracket [+]
First Round
11.22 - Oregon Tech v Marymount California 11:00 (at Westmont)
11.22 - Southern Oregon v Campbellsville 1:00 (at William Carey)
11.22 - Rocky Mountain v MidAmerica Nazarene 1:00 (at Midland)
11.22 - Eastern Oregon v Bethel (TN) 4:00 (at John Brown)
11.22 - Embry Riddle AU v Mount Vernon Nazarene (at Vanguard)
Second Round
11.23 - RMC/MNU v Midland (15)
11.23 - OIT/MC v Westmont (7)
11.23 - EOU/Bethel v John Brown (13)
11.23 - SOU/Campbellsville @ William Carey (1) 11:00
11.23 - ERAU/MVN v Vanguard (11)
WOMEN - Additional Notes for Week 13 [games through 11.17]
11.14 - Marymount 1-0 Embry-Riddle AU... The visitors stunned the regular season champion Eagles with a goal early in the second half of the conference semifinal.
11.16 - Holy Names 1-7 Hawaii Pacific... Defender Maia Angell (Spokane, WA) scored in her final game with HPU, converting a penalty for the sixth goal.
- - - - - -
MEN - GREAT NORTHWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Thursday
Northwest Nazarene 2-1 (OT) Concordia... Jake Levine (Spokane, WA) broke the stalemate with a goal in the 64th minute via Brandon Parsio. The hosts answered in the final minute of the match, but Aoci Watambela's cross in the 98th found the head of Dominic Abdel-Ahad for the winner.
Seattle Pacific 4-1 MSU Billings... The visitors tallied in the 18th minute, but the Yellowjackets answered quickly a minute later with Brady Tesch delivering a cross to Shantik Bedrosian for the equalizer. SPU, though, reclaimed the lead in the 24th and added two more in the first eight minutes of the second half to lock up the win.
Simon Fraser 1-0 Western Washington
Saturday
Seattle Pacific 1-0 Northwest Nazarene... The Falcons finished a massive final weekend jump from sixth to third with their second win of the week. The winning strike came in the 48th minute.
Western Washington 4-0 Concordia
Simon Fraser 2-1 Saint Martin's
GNAC Standings
*Western Washington 10-1-1... 31 pts
Simon Fraser 8-3-1... 25
Seattle Pacific 6-6-0... 18
MSU Billings 5-6-1... 16
Saint Martin's 4-7-1... 13
Concordia 4-8-0... 12
NW Nazarene 3-9-0... 9
* League Champions (no tournament)
NCAA DII Tournament - Full Bracket [+]
Second Round
11.23 - (6) Western Washington at St Mary's (3) 3:00
Third
MEN - NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
NCAA DIII Tournament - Full Bracket [+]
11.16 - Pacific Lutheran 1-6 North Park... The season came to a close in Chicago, where the hosts led from the fourth minute. The Lutes evened it up in the 58th, but North Park quickly answered in the 61st and pulled away with back-to-back goals int he 71st and 73rd. It marked the close of the career for senior Jackson Moore (Spokane, WA).
MEN - CASCADE COLLEGIATE CONFERENCE
CCC TOURNAMENT (Springfield, OR)
Unlike the women's tournament, the first round featured primarily one-sided affairs and the event saw plenty of goal scoring as there was an average of nearly four goals per game for the tourney. The tournament was highlighted by five seed Eastern Oregon's run. They won back-to-back games in dramatic shootouts, earning an automatic berth to the NAIA tournament as they met regular season champion Corban, which survived a semifinal hriller, in the CCC championship game. A stunning quarterfinal upset for Rocky Mountain may have cost them an at-large berth as finalists EOU and Corban were the only ones to make the field for the NAIA tournament.
11.12 - Quarterfinals
(8) College of Idaho 1-6 Corban (1)... The Warriors grabbed the lead in the ninth and went up two on an own goal in the 21st. Bekir Cinac (Boise, ID) made it a one goal affair again in the 53rd on a free kick from about 30 yards, but the Warriors answered in the 60th and pulled away quickly with goals in the 62nd, 68th and 69th.
(7) Evergreen 2-0 Rocky Mountain (2)... The Geoducks registered the biggest quarterfinal upset, getting on the board in the 51st and adding some late insurance in the 88th to lock it up.
(5) Eastern Oregon 0-0 (4-3 SO, 7 rds) Oregon Tech (4)... In a complete reversal of the Owls' regular season 4-0 win, the two were deadlocked in a scoreless stalemate despite EOU finishing with a 23-3 advantage in shots (7-0 on goal), requiring a tiebreaker shootout. After controlling the play the whole match the Mountaineers found themselves in a dire situation after three rounds as they trailed 3-1, but an OIT shot over the target in the fourth round opened the door for sophomore keeper Max Rose to be the hero. He denied their fifth round attempt to force sudden death and then made two more in the sixth and seventh rounds to send EOU through to the semifinals.
(6) Northwest 0-3 Southern Oregon (3)... The Raiders scored twice in the first half and wrapped up a season sweep of the Eagles with a second goal off a corner kick.
11.13 - Semifinals
(5) Eastern Oregon 2-2 (5-4 SO) Southern Oregon (3)... The Mountaineers got on the board five minutes into the match when Elvis Pavon connected with Alexander Zuluaga and five minutes before intermission added a second when Patrick Larsen scored via Erik Mattice. The second half was a different matter as SOU turned things up and used a 10-1 advantage in shots to pull even with a tally in the 63rd and a penalty in the 82nd.
(7) Evergreen 3-4 Corban (1)... The Warriors grabbed an early two goal lead with two in the first 12 minutes but the Geoducks kept things tight the rest of the way with a goal in the 29th to pull within one. Miguel Rodriguez (Milton-Freewater, OR) put Corban back up two in the 36th, but Evergreen made it one again in the 44th on an assist from Tino Pantaleon (Wenatchee, WA), who finally pulled them even in the 76th with a goal. The unbeaten Warriors, though, came up clutch with the winner in the final minute of the contest.
11.15 - Championship
(5) Eastern Oregon 1-2 Corban (1)... The Warriors snatched the lead 20 minutes in and added a key second goal in the 62nd minute. Felipe Madero answered quickly in the 65th via Jorge Chavez but were unable to find an equalizer before the final whistle sounded. Both, though, were assured spots in the NAIA postseason regardless of the result. Corban may have benefited from the win, however, earning a home game in the first round of the tournament.
CCC Standings
*1 - Corban 12-0-1... 37 pts
*2 - Rocky Mountain 11-2-0... 33
*3 - Southern Oregon 10-2-1... 31
*X - Providence 8-5-0... 24 (withdrew)
*4 - Oregon Tech 7-5-1... 22
*5 - Eastern Oregon 7-6-0... 21
*6 - Northwest 6-6-1... 19
*7 - Evergreen 6-7-0... 18 (tiebreaker, read above)
*8 - College of Idaho 6-7-0... 18 (Providence withdrawal)
Carroll 6-7-0... 18
Warner Pacific 5-6-2... 17
Northwest Christian 3-10-0... 9
Walla Walla 1-12-0... 3
Multnomah 0-13-0... 0
* Clinched tournament berth (8 total)
NAIA Tournament - Full Bracket [+]
First Round
11.22 - Eastern Oregon @ Baker (KS) 1:00
Second Round
11.23 - UC Merced / Menlo Winner @ Corban (12) 3:00
11.23 - EOU/Baker v Tennessee Wesleyan TBD (at Baker)
MEN - AREA DI & Additional Notes for Week 13 [games through 11.17]
11.15 Bowling Green 1-0 Akron... Tor Saunders (Spokane, WA) saw his season come to an end in the conference semifinal despite the keeper only seeing two shots on goal as the Zips outshot the visitors 20-6.
11.15 - CSU Bakersfield 0-1 Seattle... The 19th ranked Redhawks prevailed in the WAC semifinals.
11.16 - Gonzaga 2-0 Pacific... Theo O'Malley scored seven minutes in via Isaiah Jackson and made it a brace courtesy of Demetrius Kigeya in the 59th. Johan Garibay made four saves in the shutout as the Bulldogs moved up to third with the victory.
11.16 - Florida Gulf Coast 1-2 NJIT... Noah Bushey (Spokane, WA) scored the opening goal, but the top seed rallied for the win in the conference final.
11.17 - Seattle 1-1 (2-1 SO) Utah Valley... After a 1-1 draw, the Redhawks won the WAC title thanks to three saves in the shootout.
WCC Standings (Final)
Saint Mary's 7-0-0... Loyola Marymount 6-1-0... Gonzaga 3-3-1... San Diego 3-4-0... Portland 3-4-0... Pacific 3-4-0... Santa Clara 2-4-1... San Francisco 0-7-0 (no tournament)
PAC12 Standings (Final)
Washington 8-2-0... Stanford 6-2-2... Oregon State 5-3-2... California 4-4-2... UCLA 2-6-2... San Diego State 1-9-0 (no tournament)
NCAA DI TOURNAMENT - NCAA BRACKET [+]
Notable First Round Games
11.21 - Seattle @ Loyola Marymount 7:00
Notable Second Round Games
11.24 - Boston College / Yale @ Washington (6) 5:00
11.24 - Seattle/LMU @ Stanford 5:00
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