INW College Recap - Week 13: Season coming to a close, with a few exceptions

It was a difficult weekend for college soccer fans in Eastern Washington as the Washington State Cougars were knocked out of the tournament at home in penalty kicks, and despite finishing third with an emphatic win in their home finale, the Gonzaga men were not selected Monday for the men's tournament.

Elsewhere, however, some teams will continue to play in national tournament action. Rocky Mountain College is the lone team from the region still alive with their NAIA tournament campaign set to begin this weekend, but there are several other schools featuring INW players still in play. Among them are the Santa Clara women (DI), Puget Sound women (DIII), Corban men (NAIA), Concordia women (NAIA) and Westminster women (NAIA)

Gonzaga soars by Gaels, hope midnight howl enough to get selection committee's attention

Ludwigs and Phillips provided plenty to celebrate Sunday in home finale | Photos: Gerald Barnhart - GALLERY

Aside from one long-range effort that was on the mark for the Gaels, the Gonzaga Bulldog men completely dominated the team's home finale en route to a 3-1 victory Sunday in a showdown for third place in the West Coast Conference. More importantly, the Bulldogs put an exclamation point at the conclusion of their impressive 2013 campaign hoping that it would be enough to send the Zags into the NCAA tournament via the selection committee, which will announce the field Monday morning.

Tourney hopeful Zags fall 1-0 to San Francisco, face must-win Sunday against Gaels who moved to third in Portland

The Zags wrap up their home season with Senior Day at noon Sunday | Photos: Gerald Barnhart - GALLERY

The NCAA tournament-hopeful Gonzaga men were dealt a big blow Friday afternoon amidst the constant, frigid drizzle that came down, falling 1-0 to visiting San Francisco in the first of their final two games of the season. They play again Sunday at noon, hoping a win against Saint Mary's in a showdown for third in the conference will be enough to earn an at-large berth.

INW College Recap - Week 12: WSU Cougars extend streak vs rival Huskies to a decade; GU men sweep LMU

The result itself may not have looked dominant by the 1-0 scoreline, but the numbers on a larger scale are much more impressive as Washington State is now 7-0-3 over the last 10 years against Washington. More importantly, the Cougars are reaching new heights in program accomplishments - most wins and best conference finish at second - and are on the verge of a third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, fifth in the last six years.

Meanwhile, the Gonzaga men are still on the hunt for a potential NCAA berth, finishing a split on the road in California with an impressive victory over conference-leading Loyola Marymount before heading home for the final two games of the season this week.

INW College Recap - Week 11: Washington State downs two ranked sides; Double-split for Gonzaga

It was a statement week for Washington State as the Cougars knocked off two ranked opponents in Pullman. First they rallied past 21st-ranked California for a 3-1 victory and then they stunned 6th-ranked Stanford - their first win at home against Stanford since 1993, which also ended a pair of amazing Cardinal road streaks.

Meanwhile, a little further north the Gonzaga duo split their respective pair of contests. The Bulldog men split, ending a lengthy winless stretch in conference play on the road with a win in Portland before returning home and falling to Santa Clara. The lady Zags went to overtime in both games on the road, falling at Pacific and rebounding to defeat Saint Mary's.

INW College Recap - Week 10: DI round-up - Several INW programs still in mix for postseason play

The Big Sky Conference regular season came to a close and all three programs in the region missed out on the top four and a playoff spot, including 2012 co-season champions and playoff finalists Montana and Idaho State. The Bengals, with a shot at making the final cut, won their opener on the road at North Dakota, but lost a decisive battle for fourth with Northern Colorado in the second outing.

Meanwhile, ISU's counterparts are still alive for a chance to reach the playoffs. The Boise State Broncos, facing two of the league's top teams, narrowly fell at home to powerhouse San Diego State but rebounded to edge New Mexico. The Vandals of Idaho lost at Kansas City, but won on the road versus New Mexico State to remain in a three-way race for fourth.

Across the Palouse, and the border, the Washington State Cougars, strong contenders for an NCAA tournament berth, posted a sweep of their PAC-12 counterparts in Arizona, blanking both the Wildcats and Sun Devils on the road.

INW College Recap - Week 9: DI round-up - Boise State wins in advance of big homestand

Though they currently sit fourth in the conference, the Boise State Broncos posted a 3-0 victory at Colorado to remain in a tight group in contention for the regular season title with the top two teams, San Diego State and New Mexico, coming to town this week. It was a tough week for Gonzaga as the men suffered their first conference loss at Santa Clara after nipping visiting Portland midweek and the women dropped an overtime decision at fifth-ranked Portland in a bizarre finish.

In the Big Sky, Idaho State split their two games this week amidst a record-setting performance from Amanda Ellsworth while the Montana Grizzlies snared a narrow victory over visiting Eastern Washington. In the Palouse, it was a depressing week as Washington State lost at home to the struggling Beavers and Idaho dropped a pair of one-goal decisions at home.

INW College Recap - Week 8: DI round-up - Gonzaga men continue unbeaten WCC start

The Gonzaga men's program continues to enjoy one of its most successful seasons in years, downing visiting Loyola Marymount and posting a 3-3 draw in a game against San Diego they had the better of play in. Meanwhile, the GU women split in California. Also splitting results on the weekend were Washington State, who scored three in each game, and Boise State. The Big Sky's INW trio saw mixed results as Montana also split, earning their first conference win, while Idaho State played to a draw and Eastern Washington lost twice, including being the first to lose to second-year Big Sky program North Dakota, who were zero for 13 previously.

Outstanding Gonzaga performance spoiled by San Diego in 3-3 draw

Clark Phillips (L) and Nick Hamer (R) jubilation from equalizers | Photos: Gerald Barnhart - GALLERY

In what could have been a marquee result in their West Coast Conference campaign with the offense running on all cylinders throughout the contest as they held the better of play, the Gonzaga Bulldog men had to settle for a 3-3 draw Sunday at home versus San Diego, which used two penalties and a corner to make things much more difficult than needed to be.

San Diego took the lead twice on set pieces with Nick Hamer equalizing for the Zags after the first and Clark Phillips the second before adding his own go-ahead goal in a dramatic five-goal second half.

INW College Recap - Week 7: DI round-up - In California Gonzaga men earn two road draws & WSU women split

The Gonzaga men had not earned a point on the road in conference play since 2009, but the Bulldogs continue to surprise many this season and came away with two points this weekend with a pair of draws at Saint Mary's and San Francisco in which the defense allowed just one goal. Also in California this week was Washington State. The lady Cougars suffered their first loss of the year against the third-ranked UCLA Bruins but rebounded with a win at USC. In other Division I results, the INW trio of Eastern Washington, Idaho State and Montana only picked up two wins in six combined Big Sky contests; Idaho split a pair of road games and Boise State won in their lone home contest.

INW College Recap - Week 6: DI round-up; Bengals & Grizzlies still deadlocked in Big Sky

With conference play underway for most of the Division I programs, the Big Sky kicked things off this week with a championship rematch between Idaho State and Montana, who ended up playing to a third consecutive draw between the two programs. Meanwhile, in their Pac-12 opener Washington State was surprisingly stymied by the Oregon Ducks in a scoreless draw.

Gonzaga men close out successful non-conference slate with 2-1 win over Seattle U

The Zags had plenty to celebrate in the wet conditions Saturday | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

Back home after nearly a month on the road in which the Bulldogs enjoyed their greatest success in quite some time, the Gonzaga men, ranked 23 by Soccer America, found some freedom from the wind in the second half Saturday afternoon to build a two-goal lead against Seattle University en route to a 2-1 victory on a very wet and blustery afternoon.

INW College Recap - Week 5: DI round-up; Gonzaga men top another ranked foe on the road

Fresh off of receiving their highest ranking since 1997, No. 19, the Gonzaga men continued their lengthy road series in Chicago, suffering a 1-0 setback before rebounding to defeat 21st-ranked and unbeaten Wisconsin. Meanwhile, the Washington State women remain unbeaten by adding a pair of non-conference victories in California to their ledger heading into conference play, and the ladies of Boise State finished their non-conference slate unbeaten against PAC-12 opposition (2-0-1) with a win at Arizona State before falling at 13th-ranked Baylor.

Scoreless stalemate for Gonzaga women and Nevada

Gonzaga women now hit the road for five consecutive over the next month | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

In a mostly lackluster afternoon, the Gonzaga women played to a scoreless draw Sunday versus visiting Nevada in a game in which neither team really assumed full control, though the Bulldogs began to show some life near the conclusion and into overtime.

Johnson brace leads Gonzaga women to 3-0 win against Eastern Washington

Local foes Eastern Washington and Gonzaga squared off once again Tuesday | Photos: Gerald Barnhart - GALLERY

In a showdown of area foes, Gonzaga rolled a 3-0 victory on a blustery and cool afternoon against visiting Eastern Washington, led by the duo of sophomore Heather Johnson, who tallied twice, and freshman Karley Baggerly.

INW College Recap - Week 4: Big wins for Gonzaga men, women highlight area DI results

The Gonzaga men continue to roll with another surprising road result and it may have rubbed off onto the women's side as the Bulldog women posted their first victory over a PAC-12 school since 2007, ending a 15-game losing streak against the conference. Also on the women's side, Eastern Washington won against future Big Sky foe Idaho for the second straight year; Boise State picked up a pair of wins in North Dakota; and Washington State had a pair of good results.

Gonzaga women post first win against Oregon State, PAC-12 since 2007

The Bulldogs dominated in a rare win against PAC-12 opposition | Photos: Gerald Barnhart - GALLERY

A corner kick goal from Tori Lee in the first half led the Gonzaga women to a 1-0 victory over visiting Oregon State Sunday afternoon to end a three-game losing skid.

Perhaps most importantly, though, it was the lady Zags first victory against a PAC-12 opponent since they defeated the Beavers October 5, 2007 by the same scoreline. The Bulldogs, who fell at Oregon State 2-0 a year ago, had gone 15 consecutive games without even earning a draw against opponents from the high-profile conference.

INW College Recap - Week 3: Road wins for Gonzaga men highlight regional DI results

The headline makers in the region at the Division I level this week were underdog sides Gonzaga and Boise State. The Bulldog men claimed a pair of stunning road victories in California, including one against a well-ranked opponent, and the Broncos played to a scoreless draw against Washington State as well as Weber State.

INW Collegiate Recap - Week 2: Around the Division I Leagues

The Washington State Cougars were the big winners on the week among the region's Division I teams, posting shutout victories over nearby foes Idaho and Eastern Washington that were led by senior striker Micaela Castain.

The narrow 1-0 loss by the Eagles, however, was a bit of a moral victory; just as was the same scoreline as Gonzaga men fell to the University of Washington. Boise State, meanwhile, registered a real quality victory by downing the Huskies in Seattle, 1-0, two days after falling in overtime, 2-1, to Seattle University.

College Recap - WCC & PAC-12: Cougars top Huskies, hope for NCAA spot

The Gonzaga women wrapped up their campaign with a thumping of nearby rival Eastern Washington in a non-conference match-up while Washington State continued its run of dominance over state rival Washington, hoping that an NCAA tournament berth is in the future with a 12-6-1 overall record.