Spokane Shadow expanding vertically with addition of senior teams in 2014

Soccer entertainment in Spokane has not been a bumpy road, but rather a mountain range of peaks and valleys. In 2014, however, the Spokane Shadow are returning to the senior level of the sport hoping the mountains are in the rear-view mirror.

The soccer world in the Northwest has evolved since the Spokane Shadow PDL team went dark after the 2005 season. The Sounders went from being a leading lower division side to a marquee MLS franchise and have been joined by successful Cascadia counterparts in Portland and Vancouver, creating a thriving soccer culture in the region. Now, Spokane fans will once again be able to come together at the pitch and cheer on their own team - likely two - courtesy of the announcement that the Shadow are relaunching a men's team and are planning to also feature a women's side beginning in 2014.

AC Seattle heads to Western Regionals for shot at WPSL Final Four

Celebrating NW championship | Wilson Tsoi / goalWA

It was quite a good year for AC Seattle, the newcomers among the Washington contingent in the WPSL northwest. Whether planned or by stroke of luck, the team’s slowly-scheduled start to the season allowed the side heavily comprised of Italian imports to feel out the competition before battling through a difficult final two-week span in which they played five of their 10 games, three of them in a four day stretch in the final week.

The end result was a 7-2-1 record good for third overall in the conference while going 4-1-1 against their in-state counterparts to capture the Evergreen Cup derby title.

INWsoccernews player honors unveiled for WPSL NW 2013

What a difference a year makes. Last year defense was one of the major themes for the WPSL Northwest. It was almost a complete reversal this year with scoring being one of the headline-making elements of the season as the Northwest grew to eight teams.

One of the aspects, however, that will likely forever remain in the WPSL Northwest is the role youth players have. A number of teenage players had an impact this season and showed promise for the future.

To that end, INWsoccernews has put together a list of not only the WPSL Northwest's top players for the 2013 regular season, but also a list of the some of the younger prospects for the future.

Not surprisingly, the regular season champion Tualatin Hills United SC Diamonds and the three greater-Seattle clubs dominated the Best XI for the season as they finished as the top four teams in the Northwest, suffering only six combined losses between them. A reserve group of players rounds out the Best XI, recognizing some of the other top players, including at least one from each club.

WPSL NW Playoff Preview: Regular season champs THUSC face tough test in Seattle

Four clubs set to square off in Northwest Playoffs this weekend | Photos: Gerald Barnhart (unless noted)

Six weeks of soccer in Oregon and Washington has reduced the field from eight teams to four as the top two clubs from each state head into the Northwest playoffs this weekend in the greater-Seattle area looking to advance to the WPSL Regional Tournament next weekend. Oregon's Tualatin Hills United SC Diamonds and Eugene Metro Azul head north Saturday to face AC Seattle and the Seattle Reign Reserves presented by Issaquah SC (SRR Issaquah) in the semifinals, respectively, with the winners to meet on Sunday.

They say defense wins championships, but the one thing in common among AC Seattle, Eugene Metro Azul, SRR Issaquah SC and the THUSC Diamonds heading into the postseason in the WPSL Northwest is that they were the four clubs that were never shutout this season, scoring in every game played.

WPSL NW Recap - Week 6: Playoff field set; AC Seattle wins Evergreen Cup derby

AC Seattle celebrates after clinching Evergreen Cup and playoff spot Friday night | Photo: Wilson Tsoi / goalWA

With the Tualatin Hills United SC Diamonds coming into the final week of the regular season as the only team to have clinched a playoff spot, Week Six was all about the three teams in Seattle chasing the two Washington berths while Eugene Metro Azul and Westside Timbers battled for the remaining slot from Oregon. Meanwhile, the Evergreen Cup was also on the line for bragging rights in Washington.

With three games in four days, AC Seattle's results in the the first three contests of the week would have a great impact on how things played out as they would visit Oregon playoff hopeful Westside and square off against Emerald City in a game that could decide the Evergreen Cup.

Final Evergreen Cup standings

In the end, winning two of three was enough for the first-year side as AC Seattle clinched the derby competition and a playoff spot (based on three-way tiebreaker) with the win Friday evening on the road against Emerald City, who were unable to find a win in their finale to advance by the same tiebreaker, allowing Issaquah to move onto the postseason with the draw between the two. Seattle's win at Westside left too big of a hole for the Timbers to make up as their road draw allowed host Eugene to join THUSC in the playoffs.

Jen Stoltenberg had another big week, but her odds of finishing as the leading goal scorer were diminished midweek with AC Seattle's Romina Pinna pulling even. The THUSC striker, however, pulled away once more Sunday and has one more game Tuesday to add even more… if she even plays with the postseason on the horizon.

WPSL NW Recap – Week 5: THUSC Diamonds first to clinch playoff spot heading into final week; Spokane Shine expelled

Two wins for AC Seattle this week

The Tualatin Hills United SC Diamonds have run away from the pack among the Oregon teams and clinched one of the state’s two berths in the WPSL Northwest Division playoffs with a 2-0 victory Saturday in a closely-fought contest against regional rival Westside Timbers.

The other big news of the week broke Monday afternoon with the division and league announcing that the Spokane Shine have been expelled and their final home game against SRR Issaquah will be considered a forfeit victory for the Seattle-area club.

“We are following the by-laws and expelling the Spokane Shine from the WPSL effective immediately,” said Northwest Commissioner Niki Taylor of Emerald City FC upon receiving official notice from the WPSL. “It’s not fair for Issaquah to have to spend the time and money to travel to Spokane when the Shine refused to travel last weekend.”

INW SUPPORT THE PLAYERS CAMPAIGN

This weekend's forfeited trip to Oregon in the WPSL NW by the Spokane Shine, by all unofficial accounts, will most likely mean the end of the team's future inclusion in the division under current management. INWsoccernews, which also longs for the return of PDL soccer to the region, believes keeping an elite amateur women's team in the greater-Spokane area is important to player development and inspiration for the youth.

To that end, I call for everyone - past Shine game attendees; all friends and family of players; and soccer enthusiasts and administrators - come out for the Shine season finale Tuesday night at Spokane Falls Community College (7:00) to SUPPORT THE PLAYERS and send a message to the other teams in the division and league management that the Spokane area should continue to be considered for future inclusion, though likely via a new team/ownership.

Most importantly, let's honor a group of players that includes many that have stuck with it and battled through difficult conditions this year with a big send-off in the final game of the season. They may be going into the game with -6 points in the table, but maybe with YOUR SUPPORT they can go out on a positive note, perhaps even register an upset VICTORY.

Spread the word and bring out your friends!  --  Tuesday, July 2, 7:00 @ Spokane Falls CC

- Gerald Barnhart

#INWsoccernews

Spokane Shine season to end with disappointment again; Forfeits could mean end of team

The Spokane Shine could be waving farewell at their finale Tuesday at Spokane Falls CC | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

For the second consecutive year, the Spokane Shine season will come to a close amid controversy and disappointment as the team will once again be forfeiting a road trip, though under completely different circumstances. Though they have a home game remaining Tuesday against SRR Issaquah SC, the club will not be making its final road trip to Eugene and Bend over the weekend.

Last year the division championship squad, mired in player depletion and a minimal budget, were denied the opportunity to compete in the WPSL Western Conference tournament in California when management chose to forfeit their place in the postseason, allowing Issaquah SC to take their place.

Spokane Shine make AC Seattle work for 4-2 road win Wednesday

Spokane finally scores twice, but AC Seattle stays in playoff contention | Photos: Gerald Barnhart - GALLERY

Plagued by a short-handed roster for two weeks, the Spokane Shine finally had a full contingent of players on hand late Wednesday afternoon for their home contest against league newcomer AC Seattle. Despite putting forth their best effort of the season thus far in a near draw, the Shine came up short of earning their first points of the campaign with the visitors getting two goals from Romina Pinna, including a stoppage time dagger.

WPSL NW Three Stars - Week Four

A weekly list of the top three players or performances each week in the WPSL Northwest Division.

WEEK FOUR (June 20-23)

Jen Stoltenberg, THUSC

Alia Guagni - AC Seattle
Scored the opening two goals in the first 12 minutes that made it difficult for Eugene to rally in Seattle's 5-2 home win.

Jen Stoltenberg - THUSC Diamonds (2)
Scored the second and third goals in the club's 7-1 comeback win in Spokane Saturday with three assists in the final four goals, and converted from the spot Sunday for the equalizer in a 1-1 draw at Emerald City. It is the second consecutive INW Three Stars selection for her.

Erin Vaughan - SRR Issaquah SC
Scored two goals in the club's 4-1 win against visiting Eugene Saturday and added a goal and two assists Sunday in a 5-0 shutout at home against Bend.

Others considered: Cori Bianchini (Westside), Brandi Dawson (THUSC), Macy Jo Harrison (Issaquah), Hannah Kimsey (THUSC), Gaia Mastrovincenzo (Eugene), KaUa Wall (Issaquah)

Note: Players listed alphabetically

Previous Weeks:

One: Taylor Boyer (Eugene); Kennya Cordner (Issaquah); Jaclyn Softli (Issaquah)
Two: Brandi Dawson (THUSC); Marina Nesic (Emerald City); Amanda Perez (Issaquah)
Three: Kate Bennett (Emerald City); Valentina Giacinti (AC Seattle); Jen Stoltenberg (THUSC)

#INWsoccernews

WPSL NW Week 4 Recap: Seattle area trio showing dominance in the division

The fourth week of the WPSL Northwest season saw the Seattle trio and Tualatin Hills United separate themselves at the top of the table from the rest as six of the seven contests were showdowns featuring teams from Washington playing Oregon. The northern state got the better of the weekend's contests with a 4-1-1 record, bringing the overall season record versus their southern foes to 7-2-1 with six games left between the two states.

THUSC Diamonds shine in Spokane, roll to comeback win

The scoring drought ended for Spokane, but THUSC celebrated far more often | Photos: Gerald Barnhart - GALLERY

Short-handed with only 10 players, the Spokane Shine held a surprising lead at halftime Saturday night courtesy of Julia Moravec, but the visiting THUSC Diamonds found their finishing touch in the second half and flew by the hosts for a dominating 7-1 victory led by two goals and three assists from Jen Stoltenberg.

WPSL NW Recap: Busy week 3 sees THUSC, Emerald City win twice each

Week three was an intra-state round with all eight games featuring match-ups between opponents from the same state. The big winners were Emerald City in Washington and Tualatin Hills United SC Diamonds in Oregon as both clubs picked up a pair of victories to keep pace with Issaquah, which dropped its first points of the season in a draw.

WPSL NW Recap: THUSC, AC Seattle win in debuts; SRR Issaquah sweeps Oregon trip in Week 2

A pair of clubs made their debuts in the second week of play in the Northwest Division with victorious results as the Tualatin Hills United SC (THUSC) Diamonds were 3-1 winners at home against the Bend Timbers and AC Seattle shutout visiting Spokane 4-0. The big winner on the week, though, was SRR Issaquah with a pair of wins on the road in Oregon.

AC Seattle win inaugural match, blank Spokane Shine 4-0

Newcomers AC Seattle took it to the Spokane Shine in their debut Sunday evening, blanking the visitors 4-0 for their first win in the WPSL with Romina Pinna capping the evening with the final two goals. The result drops Spokane, who were on the road for the first time, to 0-3-0 on the season.

Gonzaga duo lead Emerald City in dominant 7-0 road win against Spokane Shine

Gonzaga's Harber (left) & Lee (right) celebrate in big ECFC win | Photos: Gerald Barnhart - GALLERY

Last year the Spokane Shine allowed seven goals all season. In their second match of the campaign Saturday night visiting Emerald City put that same number past the hosts in the span of 90 minutes. Six different players found the back of the net along with an own goal for Emerald City in the win, though Marina Nesic had a goal and two assists and the Gonzaga duo of Tori Lee and Cricket Harber returned to town and each scored.

Emerald City came into the match having played to a scoreless draw and a 1-0 road loss against Spokane in their debut campaign last year. The scoreless status against the Shine came to an end quickly at Spokane Falls Community College Saturday night when Nesic sent a ball behind the defense four minutes into the match that allowed Megan Chapin to continue her run to goal, putting it in from about 16 yards out.

“Happy with the result; happy that we had, I think, seven different goal scorers,” said Emerald City head coach Niki Taylor. “It’s a long ride over and back so as a visiting team it’s a good result to get and now we’ll head home and hopefully get another couple next week.”

GoalWA & INWsoccernews introduce Evergreen Cup to crown top Washington WPSL club

There is nothing like regional rivalries, and in that vein regional soccer news sites goalWA.net and INWsoccernews.com have partnered together to honor the best WPSL team in Washington State in head-to-head competition – the Evergreen Cup.

While the division standings and playoff berths will be determined by overall league play, the introduction of the Evergreen Cup will bring attention and drama to the in-state rivalries between AC Seattle, Emerald City FC, Spokane Shine and the Seattle Reign Reserves presented by Issaquah SC (SRR Issaquah).

“We started the Ruffneck Cup a year ago to recognize the top PDL team from the Puget Sound area and it was a great success, so it was only natural to discuss doing something similar for the four WPSL teams in the state,” said goalWA editor David Falk. “The teams and fans were immediately enthusiastic about the Ruffneck Cup last year, and the 2013 edition kicked off with great anticipation.”  

WPSL NW Recap: Cordner brace highlights opening weekend

The Seattle Reign Reserves presented by Issaquah SC (SRR Issaquah) put an emphatic end to their holdover stalemate from last year with local rival Emerald City, blanking them 3-0 Friday evening on a brace from Kennya Cordner. Meanwhile, newcomers Westside Timbers earned a win in their opener while splitting a two-game road trip.

Spokane Shine fall late to visiting Westside Timbers 2-1

The new-look Shine came up short versus newcomer Westside Timbers | Photos: Gerald Barnhart - GALLERY

The coach and venue may have changed, but the storyline has pretty much stayed the same from last year as the Shine struggled to find the back of the net in a 2-1 defeat. In Saturday night’s season opener the visiting Westside Timbers capitalized on one of their few opportunities with an 89th minute winner from Annie Jonsson.

For the most part, the game was a rather tight affair as neither side really saw many good looks on goal. The outcome was surprising, however, as the 13-woman squad the Timbers brought slowly saw the balance of possession grow to Spokane’s favor and move to Westside’s defensive end throughout the contest. In the end though, the newcomers to the division only needed two chances to claim the three points.

2013 WPSL Northwest Division Preview

Teams head out onto the pitch to kick off the NW Division campaign this weekend | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

It is a season of change in the division this year, whether it be the increase in the teams, clubs changing their brands or new head coaches at the helm. So, before we get into the nitty-gritty of the teams, let’s take a quick look at those big-story changes across the Northwest Division.

First, the composition of the division has gone from six to eight clubs with the Portland Rain (supported by the MLS Timbers last year) closing up shop for good with the Timbers ownership investing in the NWSL Portland Thorns. In their place, two new clubs, Tualatin Hills United SC and the Westside Timbers, joined up to bring the Oregon group to four. The Washington contingent is also now at four with the addition of AC Seattle, an Italian-focused club.

The new composition brought along with it a new postseason format as there will now be a division playoff. The top two clubs each from Washington and Oregon will move onto the postseason with the playoff event hosted by the higher-seeded Washington side in 2013 and Oregon’s top seed playing host to the division championship in 2014.

Three clubs will have new looks in 2013 to varying degrees. Starting with the smallest change, the Spokane Shine have introduced a new color and logo package this year in a season of change that also includes a new home venue and coach. Issaquah SC will be modifying their name to Seattle Reign FC Reserves presented by Issaquah SC, and are reportedly wearing Reign kits with the ISC logo. The biggest change will be the complete brand overhaul from Oregon Rush to Bend FC Timbers, a change elicited by the club becoming a part of the Timbers Alliance that was made official May 1 with the logo and name change.

Club changes for Spokane and Bend were not just cosmetic. The Shine brought in local youth coach Dan Philp to replace the departed Jason Quintero, who left for a position with Moscow United youth club, and Kyle Steinbaugh, the Director of Coaching, stepping aside from the WPSL responsibilities with the February appointment of new Technical Director Tara Erickson, a University of Washington product that has coached at Portland State and the University of Oregon.