Gonzaga’s Ching sees Dynamo dumped from Open Cup in upset; NW clubs, GU's Scott play tonight

Gonzaga University and former Spokane Shadow PDL striker Brian Ching was given the night off for the Houston Dynamo as the MLS side traveled to nearby San Antonio to face the expansion San Antonio Scorpions of the new North American Soccer League in the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. It may have been a decision Ching, considering retirement after this season, and the club regret as San Antonio registered a surprising 1-0 victory to eliminate Houston from the tournament.

The Dynamo, however, were not alone as six other MLS teams saw their tournament campaign come to an unexpected end.

Timbers U-23s add Spokane’s Hamer

Gonzaga University sophomore Nick Hamer is looking to get a jump start on a professional career, joining the USL Premier Development League side Portland Timbers U-23s on Friday. The Mead High School product saw immediate action with the development side of the MLS club.

Hamer started all 15 matches last season for Gonzaga, recording two goals and two assists. As a freshman, he was named to the West Coast Conference All-Freshman Team after being one of only two Bulldog players to start all 19 matches.

University of Idaho adds German goalkeeper to 2012 roster

The University of Idaho announced the final addition to it's 2012 roster, an up-and-coming German goalkeeper Marina Siegl.

WSU trio off to slow start with Whitecaps Women

It has been a difficult - some would say surprising - start for the W-League's Vancouver Whitecaps so far this season, going winless in their first two games. The three Washington State University products on the squad have seen action in the two one-goal losses.

Whitworth Soccer Classic set for June 9-10; Women’s Open Division added

The Whitworth University soccer program announced that it is holding its second annual 8v8 soccer tournament June 9-10 on the school’s campus. It was also announced that a Women’s Open Division was added to the event.

Registration is open until May 26. The entry fee is $300 per team. The link to register via the school’s site is available via the tournament site.  

The tournament will feature group play on Saturday, June 9 to determine seeding for the knockout stage on Sunday. Each team is guaranteed four games.

Five INW players near WPSL season with first-year Emerald City

The newly formed Women's Premier Soccer League team from the established youth club Emerald City FC recently announced a number of players joining the club for the summer, including five players from the Inland Northwest. Two players are arriving from the College of Idaho, one is from Eastern Washington University and another pair are former players from Washington State University.

Houston honors two former Spokane Shadow stars with stadium opener

They are calling it the ‘House that Ching Built.’ But when the Houston Dynamo play their long-awaited home opener at the new BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston Saturday afternoon (TV: 4:30 pm ET - NBC Sports Network) after seven games on the road, the club will be honoring two former standouts from the Premier Development League Spokane Shadow – forward Brian Ching and defender Craig Waibel.

The two players will be immortalized among the 16 pillars around the stadium honoring the club’s key players, and coach Dominic Kinnear, that have been a part of the team and the community since its arrival in 2005, relocating from San Jose (pillar photos).

Whitecaps Women add second Spokane product

The Vancouver Whitecaps announced Spokane native Marissa Mykines as one of its four newest additions to the roster for 2012. The Mead High School product joins fellow Spokane Shadow alum Alison Fenter (Shadle Park HS) on the squad.

2015 Women’s World Cup coming to the NW – Vancouver & Edmonton

FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association announced its six venues for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, unveiling the western cities of Vancouver and Edmonton as part of the tournament. The event will also be held in Moncton (New Brunswick), Montreal (Quebec), Winnipeg (Manitoba) and the capital city of Ottawa (Ontario).

The CSA is boasting the Women’s World Cup – the largest single sports event for women in the world – as the first single sport event in Canada to be held from coast to coast. It will continue the tournament’s presence in the Northwest region of North America, which saw the Women’s World Cup in 1999 and 2003 feature Portland’s Jeld-Wen Field (previously Civic Stadium and PGE Park)  as a host venue. The closest the 1994 Men’s World Cup came to the region was Stanford Stadium in California.

Zags soccer nets another Scholar Athlete honor

For the fourth time in five years, a Gonzaga Women’s Soccer player was recognized as the school’s Female Scholar Athlete of the Year with Pullman, Wash. native Katie Spangenberg earning the honor Monday evening at the inaugural Gonzaga Evening of Excellence event.

The event, created to honor the Bulldog’s senior athletes and pay tribute to all of the school’s student-athlete’s recognized the Male and Female Athletes of the Year, Scholar Athletes of the Year, Leadership Award and winner of the P.R.I.D.E. competition.

Rain will continue in Portland with Timbers’ support

In the final moments, the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer came to the rescue for the Portland Rain women’s soccer team, a club so close to disappearing that it had already been removed from the site of the amateur Women’s Premier Soccer League website. The Timbers announced Friday that the club had partnered with the Rain as well as the Oregon Youth Soccer Association’s (OYSA) Girls Olympic Development Program to bolster the female side of its development system.

The Rain were the 2011 Northwest Division regular season champions with a 10-0-1 record. The club also fielded a U23 side that played in the division along with the Oregon Rush and Spokane Shine. It was the team’s most successful campaign, having previously posted a 6-6 record(fourth place) in 2010 and a 4-6-2 record (fourth) in 2009  while playing in the Pacific Conference North Division.

Idaho Vandals announce 2012 schedule

The University of Idaho will start both schedules this fall on the road in Texas. They kick off the overall campaign with a showdown with Texas Tech and later in the slate kick off their Western Athletic Conference schedule on the road with a two-match trip to play Texas State and the University of Texas-San Antonio.

Texas Tech is coming off one of its most successful seasons in the history of the program, finishing fourth in the powerhouse Big 12 Conference. The match against the Vandals is also the Red Raiders' season-opening contest, and is arguably one of the lighter matches on a schedule that includes nine teams that reached the 2011 NCAA tournament. The game is part of a two-match homestand that concludes with reigning Mountain West regular season and tournament champion New Mexico.

WAC semifinalists a year ago, the Vandals will play three home contests against South Dakota, Gonzaga and North Dakota State after returning home and will face local Big Sky Conference schools Idaho State and Montana at the Boise State University tournament.

North Idaho College adds six players from local IEL schools

North Idaho College announced six incoming players for its 2012 recruiting class that, all hailing from schools playing Inland Empire League schools in northern Idaho.

College of Idaho coach takes on double duty

The College of Idaho announced that long-time men’s head coach Brian Smith of Boise has been appointed Director of Soccer, taking on the additional responsibility as the head coach of the women’s team.

Four INW players, including NIC transfer among six EWU additions

Eastern Washington University announced six incoming players as its 2012 recruiting class, bringing into the squad three players from the greater Spokane area and a former Lake City High School (Coeur d’Alene, ID) standout to Cheney, Wash.

Whitecaps Women add two more WSU Cougars

The Vancouver Whitecaps W-League side announced that the club has brought in two more players from Washington State University, adding Alison Fenter, a native of Spokane, and Brandi Vega. They join second-year W-League player Nicole Sunderland.