Lone tally gives Whitworth women win; men’s match with Puget Sound finishes scoreless

Only one goal separated the two schools in a doubleheader of tight-knit action - Photos: Gerald Barnhart

It was a difficult weekend task for the Whitworth Pirates with the opposition for both teams coming in with two combined losses between the four sides prior to their matches. In the end, the Pirates finished the weekend unbeaten as each side posted a win and a draw. On Sunday, the women took a 1-0 decision against the visiting Loggers while the men battled to a scoreless stalemate.

Whitworth Pirates remain unbeaten after PLU doubleheader

Pajimola celebrates opener, Ubben buried after winner and PLU enjoys short-lived lead | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

In a dramatic afternoon, the visiting Pacific Lutheran University women equalized twice for a 2-2 draw and the PLU men’s team rallied to take the lead in the second half only to see the Pirates come back with two unanswered strikes for the 3-2 win in a showdown of two of the Northwest Conference’s three 4-0-0 teams.

INW Collegiate Recap: Midweek and Friday action

A recap of the matches midweek and Friday for the schools around the Inland Northwest and their conference foes...

Conference Play Preview – West Coast Conference

Gonzaga is the lone INW team in the WCC. The men’s team kicked off their conference campaign just three days after the Hensor/Zaher Nike Classic at Oregon State, falling at nearby Portland Wednesday, 4-1.

Though much of the conference begins gradually on the women’s side, the Bulldogs kick off one of the latest starting conference campaigns, playing host to Saint Mary’s College October 7.

Conference Play Preview – Mountain West Conference

The lone INW team, Boise State, kicks off the conference portion of their season September 28 on the road against New Mexico.  

Conference Play Preview – Western Athletic Conference

The lone INW team, University of Idaho, kicks off its final season in the WAC before an expected move to the Big Sky on the road against Texas State September 28 followed by a match two days later against Texas-San Antonio.

Walla Walla picks up four points in Spokane doubleheader

Walla Walla men picked up a win while the Spokane defense stayed strong against champs - Photos: Gerald Barnhart

The Bigfoot of CC Spokane women maintained their unbeaten status and kept the top spot in the NWAACC East Division with a 1-1 draw Wednesday at Spokane Falls, but the Walla Walla CC Warriors were the better school on the day by also picking up a 2-1 victory in the men’s match.

Around the Rankings – September 25

DI MEN – NSCAA: Washington dropped out of the poll… TopDrawSoccer: Oregon State up eight spots to 26… Washington down one spot to 32
DI WOMEN – NSCAA: Washington and Washington State dropped out of the poll… Oregon State up one to 23… Portland slides from 15 to RV… Soccer America: Oregon State jumps 13 spots to 12… Portland falls eight spots to 22… TopDrawSoccer: Oregon State dropped four spots to 25… Portland down one spot to 24… Washington down five spots to 38… Idaho State falls out of the ranking.

Bigfoot host powerhouse Walla Walla Wednesday at the Falls

The powerhouses of the region are headed to Spokane Wednesday as the reigning nine-time NWAACC East Region champion Walla Walla Community College visit to play the unbeaten ladies of the Community Colleges of Spokane at Spokane Falls CC in a doubleheader with the men.

The Spokane women come into the match leading the division with a perfect 4-0-0 record and are one of three teams in the 23-team league with an unbeaten record on the young season and Walla Walla, which has won the league championship the past three years and reached the league final the past seven seasons, is in second at 3-1-0.

Fresh start for young Mountaineers as Eastern Oregon opens CCC play this weekend

It has been a difficult and sometimes heartbreaking non-conference start to the season for the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers, a team with a first-year coach and a roster that features only one senior. On Friday they look to forget their 0-7 record when they open their Cascade Collegiate Conference schedule on the road versus Corban in Salem.

Week 6 Collegiate INW Best XI – Women

For games through Sunday, September 23. Vote for the Player of the Week on the INW Facebook page. If you Like the INW page, the vote counts double. Deadline is Wednesday, 8:00 pm PT.

Week 6 Collegiate INW Best XI – Men

For games through Sunday, September 23. Vote for the Player of the Week on the INW Facebook page. If you Like the INW page, the vote counts double. Deadline is Wednesday, 8:00 pm PT.

INW Collegiate Sunday Night Recap: Spokane-area schools finish weekend in fine fashion

An eventful weekend wrapped up Sunday with Whitworth posting a pair of shutout victories, Eastern Washington rallying to topple Idaho State and Boise State getting its first road victory of the season. The Gonzaga men completed their weekend in Corvallis with a thrilling overtime contest that featured a memorable finish that those in attendance will likely never forget.

Eastern Washington rebounds for 2-1 win against Idaho State

Bengals celebrate record-setting goal, but Black's strike proved to be the winner | Photos: Gerald Barnhart (gallery)

In a showdown of two teams coming off close-fought, but disappointing results in their Big Sky Conference openers Friday, Eastern Washington University bounced back well in the game and on the weekend with a come-from-behind victory against visiting Idaho State University. A goal and assist from Cassie Black cancelled out a Bengal lead on a strike from Amanda Ellsworth less than a minute in.

INW Collegiate Saturday Night Recap: Whitworth sweeps, MSU-Billings stings opponents

While the majority of Division I schools were idle for the day, the lower divisions of the collegiate ranks saw plenty of action, including a full slate in the DIII Northwest Conference, which saw Whitworth claim a pair of 1-0 victories at George Fox. Meanwhile, in DII action MSU-Billings did well on the day with the women getting yet another win and the men earning a draw against second-ranked Seattle Pacific.

INW Collegiate Friday Night Recap: Big results for Idaho schools, Zags

A recap of action for schools and their conferences around the Inland Northwest on Friday. The round-up is highlighted by some surprise results posted by the Idaho State and College of Idaho women's teams, a historic victory for the University of Idaho women and a big win from the Gonzaga men.

INW Collegiate Recap 9-21: Ranked teams held to scoreless draws

Two Inland Northwest schools held their nationally-ranked opponents to scoreless draws in midweek action. The ladies of Washington State netted the big result on the road versus #2 UCLA while Northwest Nazarene's men got the stalemate result at home against the second division's #2 Seattle Pacific University.

Conference Play Preview - Big Sky Conference

INW teams Montana, Idaho State and Eastern Washington head into conference play Sept 21 with the Grizzlies and Bengals squaring off in the opener and the Eagles playing host to Weber State. Two days later Idaho State visits EWU and Montana hosts Weber State.

Conference Play Preview – Pac-12 Conference

WOMEN - The Washington State women are the lone INW team in the Pac-12 for men or women. The Cougars kick off their conference campaign September 20 on the road against UCLA with a quick non-conference match the following Wednesday at Santa Clara before finishing out the conference slate.

Week 5 Collegiate INW Best XI – Women

For games through Sunday, September 16. Next week a new feature will debut, giving you an opportunity to select the Players of the Week via Facebook.

INWsoccernews.com WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE WEEK

F - Cassie Black (Battle Ground, WA) – Eastern Washington :: It was difficult to choose over Montignani’s pair of hat-tricks, but Black was crucial against two quality opponents. She struck for a goal and an assist as the Eagles defeated the University of Idaho Friday and tallied the game-winner in a 2-1 victory against the University of Hawaii Sunday.

Week 5 Collegiate INW Best XI – Men

For games through Sunday, September 16. Next week a new feature will debut, giving you an opportunity to select the Players of the Week via Facebook.

INWsoccernews.com MEN’S PLAYER OF THE WEEK

D – Will Wren (Evans, GA) – Whitworth University :: Three goals and two shutouts in leading the Pirates to a 2-0 victory against Linfield and a 1-0 win against Willamette. He scored his first career goals off of a free kick and a corner in the first win Saturday. In a close-fought game in which the Whitworth defense allowed few chances, he came forward late and proved he can also score in the run of play as well, finding the winner on a great play late in the match.

Around the Rankings - September 18

 A number of Inland Northwest teams highlight the national rankings for the various collegiate divisions. Here is a look around at the three main polls/rankings from the NSCAA, Soccer America, D3soccer.com and Top Drawer Soccer, which incorporates its projection of the tournament fields into its ranking.

Frontier Recap: RMC sweeps Great Falls, Carroll wins in Cali

In the Frontier Conference, Rocky Mountain College and the University of Great Falls squared off in conference play with the host Battlin' Bears getting a sweep of the Argonauts. RMC dominated in the women's match to the tune of a 5-1 victory while the men's team posted a 2-0 shutout of the 22nd-ranked side, which will likely push RMC up from the votes received list.

Division I Weekend Recap: INW schools and their conferences

The Eastern Washington women may have found the greatest success for teams around the region this week as the Division I schools continue their non-conference portions of the season. Perhaps, however, it was an even bigger week for players hailing from Boise as many of the Idaho natives played key roles in their matches. Here is a look around at the various Inland Northwest schools in top flight and their respective conferences for the past week.

Cascade Recap: Men open conference play with home sweep

It was a rough week for the road teams on the men's side as they were swept over the course of six games. The ladies, meanwhile, played a number of ranked opponents in continued non-conference play.

GNAC Recap: MSUB Lady Yellowjackets now 6-0-0

After impressive unbeaten starts to their seasons, the Montana State-Billings duo saw the opening of conference play take them in opposite directions with the lady Yellowjackets posting a pair of wins while the men dropped both matches.

Northwest Nazarene, meanwhile, was one of three teams in the conference to go unbeaten on the week with a win and a draw. The ladies team lost both matches while Central Washington split its two opening matches.

Repeat performances as Whitworth posts pair of shutouts against Willamette

Wren and Sterk celebrate their game-winning goals | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

The Whitworth women have put the Northwest Conference on notice that the pair of Amy Sterk and Tiara Pajimola are a difficult duo to contend with. And while scoring for the 16th-ranked men’s side may be hard to come by, a bend-but-don’t-break defense is proving to be difficult to crack – something the ladies have also employed to start the conference campaign.

It was a day of déjà vu Sunday as the scoring summaries were nearly identical from the day before, only with the Willamette University Bearcats the victims. Sterk and Pajimola once again scored, in the same order but in the first half this time, and the lone scorer for the men was left back Will Wren, who had to settle for just one, a late game-winner, after tallying the first two of his career 24 hours earlier as the Pirates posted 2-0 and 1-0 victories, respectively.

Whitworth sinks visitors Lewis & Clark, Linfield in pair of 2-0 wins

Amy Sterk and Will Wren dominated the day for Whitworth in doubleheader | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

The Pirates picked up where they left off at home last weekend at home. The two sides dominated from start to finish to post a pair of 2-0 shutout victories with the ladies downing the Lewis & Clark Pioneers and the men blanking the Linfield Wildcats. Amy Sterk and Will Wren, who was about to lose his freedom to come forward from his left back position, led the way with key performances in the two wins.

The ladies came off a near-upset of a ranked opponent last week to get a win in their conference opener on the road Wednesday, 1-0 at Whitman, and the men were following up their 1-0 victory over seventh-ranked Wheaton.

Eastern Washington flies by Idaho in second half for 2-0 win

Black (L) thrilled with opening strike, Small (C) challenges & Eagles celebrate second goal | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

It has been a slow and difficult start to the season for Eastern Washington University as it struggled to find a solution to a depleted midfield, but the Eagles now find themselves on a roll with one more non-conference match before Big Sky action kicks off. On Friday they downed potential future conference rival Idaho, 2-0, behind a goal and an assist from Cassie Black.

Coming off their first-ever victory against Boise State, 3-1, a week ago in Portland, the Eagles downed another side from Idaho with a two-goal second half performance.

Conference Play Preview – Cascade Collegiate Conference - NAIA

The College of Idaho is the lone INW team in the CCC for men while C of I’s women’s program is joined by Eastern Oregon. The Coyotes men’s team kicks off the Cascade campaign Friday on the road against Evergreen in Olympia, Wash. followed by their second match against Northwest University in nearby Kirkland Saturday. 

The Lady Yotes begin their conference slate on the road September 28 against Northwest Christian in Eugene, Ore. followed by a visit to Salem to play Corban the next day.

Conference Play Preview - Northwest Conference - DIII

Conference play kicks off this weekend for the men and women as each team plays twice. The lone INW school, Whitworth, will be at home for all four matches. The men will host Linfield Saturday and Willamette Sunday while the women will play host to Lewis & Clark and Willamette, respectively. The two doubleheaders will feature the women playing at noon and the men at 2:30.

Conference Play Preview – Great Northwest Conference - DII

Conference play kicked off Thursday evening for both the men’s and women’s schedules.

On the men’s side, the INW schools Northwest Nazarene and MSU-Billings kicked things off on the road. The Crusaders played to a scoreless draw at Western Washington in Bellingham while the Yellowjackets fell north of the border to Simon Fraser, 2-0.

It was the opposite for the women as the Lady Jackets won 2-1 at home against Seattle Pacific and Northwest Nazarene was blanked at home by Central Washington, 3-0.

Conference Play Preview – Frontier Conference - NAIA

With the conference featuring only three men’s teams and four on the women’s side, the conference matches are spread out among a number of addition non-league games. One conference meeting has already occurred for both with another pair set for Friday when Rocky Mountain College plays host to Great Falls in a doubleheader featuring the two INW schools that play men’s and women’s soccer. Montana-based Carroll College, which has only women’s soccer, plays its first conference match September 26 at home against Great Falls.

Last year, the Frontier’s three men’s teams played as unaffiliated teams in the NAIA with four other schools, but this year will be paired up with the four teams of the Tran-South Athletic Conference. The women’s foursome were paired up with the California Pacific Conference’s four teams a year ago, but are now paired with the Tran-South Athletic Conference’s three teams.

New field stars as opener goes scoreless for Spokane CC

Construction, a new field and some soccer on display at Spokane Falls CC | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

Though the facility continues to be under renovation, the Community Colleges of Spokane kicked off the home slate of their schedule Wednesday evening at Spokane Falls CC with the debut of the new turf field, playing visiting Edmonds CC to a scoreless draw.

It was a game of close calls and frustration as the Sasquatch had near misses minutes into each half and were inches away from finding a winner with 16 minutes left in the game on a spectacular series.

Week 4 Collegiate INW Best XI – Women

For games through Sunday, September 9.

INWsoccernews.com WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE WEEK

F - Cassie Black (Battle Ground, WA) – Eastern Washington – The sophomore striker scored two unassisted goals to lead the school to its first-ever victory against Boise State, defeating the Broncos, 3-1, at Portland State’s Viking Classic. She struck for the opener 20 minutes and capped the victory with three seconds remaining. 

Week 4 Collegiate INW Best XI – Men

For games through Sunday, September 9. It was a light week in the schedule, giving the few teams in action the benefit of a few extra players on the list.

INWsoccernews.com MEN’S PLAYER OF THE WEEK

F – Oliver Gore (Stafford, England) – Rocky Mountain College – Playing on the road, Gore provided two equalizers in the contest. He answered University of Mary’s opening strike in the 15 minute a less than two minutes later as RMC would go on to lead 2-1 at the intermission. Mary, however, rallied themselves to reclaim the advantage with two strikes in the first 11 minutes of the second half, forcing Gore to level terms again with eight minutes left for the 3-3 draw.

Around the Rankings

A number of Inland Northwest teams highlight the national rankings for the various collegiate divisions. Here is a look around at the three main polls/rankings from the NSCAA, Soccer America and Top Drawer Soccer, which incorporates its projection of the tournament fields into its ranking.

Weekend INW Collegiate Round-Up

Plenty of action featuring teams from around the Inland Northwest and players native to the region. Here's a round-up of the weekend's action not previously covered on the site this weekend.

Corban, Carroll win on final night of Red Lion Challenge soccer event

Emily Tsugawa (L) and Katelyn Weaver (C) scored for Corban | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

While the slate of other sports events continues for the Red Lion Challenge between the NAIA’s Cascade Collegiate Conference and Frontier Conference, the soccer portion of the first-year series based in Spokane came to a close Saturday evening with Corban University and #23 Carroll College posting fairly easy victories in women’s soccer against the University of Great Falls and Eastern Oregon University.

Corban’s victory proved to be the only one on behalf of the CCC in eight men’s and women’s matches as the Frontier’s Montana contingent dominated in the win column.

Gonzaga falls in fourth straight one-goal contest to Seattle U

Redhawks celebrate winning strike by Verdoia (24) | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

Two days after a narrow 1-0 loss to the nationally-ranked (Soccer America) University of Washington, the Bulldogs came right at Seattle University with a fantastic wide open chance two minutes in the match, but the result proved to be an omen of what was to come as they were edged in overtime by the visitors.

#24 Whitworth upsets #7 Wheaton in dramatic doubleheader

Whitworth goal scorers Pajimola (L) and Chavez (R) | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

It was a thrilling day at the Whitworth Soccer Classic. The winless women’s team nearly rallied for an upset draw against #19 Augustana before a controversial penalty in overtime spoiled the outcome in a 2-1 decision. Then the unbeaten men’s side nabbed a narrow 1-0 victory against Wheaton in a hard-fought contest.

Friday Collegiate Round-up: Montana schools unbeaten; Zags, Eagles and Idaho schools fall

Other than the Whitworth men winning in their home opener, the only positive news around the region was for the schools from Montana, ranging from a sweep at the women’s Red Lion Challenge between the Cascade and Frontier NAIA conferences to the University of Montana’s 1-0 road win and an away draw for Rocky Mountain.

Montana schools post comeback wins on first night of women’s Red Lion Challenge

Sullivan opened the scoring on a dramatic night | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

The 23rd-ranked Carroll College ladies rallied for a 2-1 victory in a three-goal first half against Corban College on the opening night of the two-day Red Lion Challenge at the Dwight Merkel Sports complex in Spokane, but it was the second half of the doubleheader that stole the spotlight as Great Falls came back from two down with three goals in the final 25 minutes to edge Eastern Oregon in the final minute of play.

Split for Whitworth at Soccer Classic home openers

The Whitworth defense held strong again with Ubben (center) scoring winner | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

The Whitworth women opened their home schedule with a 4-0 loss to the nation’s fourth-ranked Wheaton College, but things picked up in the afternoon with the 23rd-ranked men’s team earning a 2-1 victory against Corban.

Week 3 Collegiate INW Best XI – Women

For games through the Labor Day holiday September 3.

INWsoccernews.com WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE WEEK

M – Kasey Rubosky (Spokane, WA) – Gonzaga – Scored the two 1-0 game-winning goals in trip to Tennessee to play Austin Peay and Vanderbilt. In the opening game Friday against Austin Peay a long ball out of the back from a Cricket Harber free kick came to Emma Dolcetti, who headed back across the six to Rubusky in the ninth minute of the game. The team went on to outshoot the hosts 14-8. Rubosky got a little lucky for the second winner Sunday, scoring again in the first half by sending her shot off a Tori Lee free kick in off the back of a defender.

Week 3 Collegiate INW Best XI – Men

For games through the Labor Day holiday September 3.

INWsoccernews.com MEN’S PLAYER OF THE WEEK

M - Nick Heffernan – Rocky Mountain – In their second game of the road trip to the Puget Sound, Heffernan let loose with a goal and four assists in a 6-3 win at Evergreen. He scored the second goal in the 20th minute and set up Oliver Gore a minute later. He set up Brandon Loeffler’s second goal of the game in the 26 for what proved to be the winner. He went on to provide help on the two second half goals in the 52nd and 61st.   

Holiday action round-up; Northwest Nazarene recaps

It was a busy holiday Monday for Montana schools Rocky Mountain College and Great Falls, as well as  Northwest Nazarane. Also in action Monday was Spokane Shine player Stacy Hamer, who had two goals for Southern Oregon.

INW player highlights around the nation; Frontier results

The following is a recap, mostly highlights, of how players from around the Inland Northwest  did this weekend around the nation outside the region along with recaps for Montana schools MSU-Billings, Rocky Mountain College and the University of Great Falls.

Gonzaga women complete sweep in Tennessee; Whitworth, EWU, WSU recaps

Aside from the Gonzaga men playing host to the Gonzaga Nike Classic, the remaining schools around the east side of Washington were on the road. The Zag ladies won their second on the road in Tennessee while Washington State and Eastern Washington suffered losses, falling in California to nationally-ranked Duke and at Wyoming, respectively. The Whitworth men picked up a win in Minnesota while the ladies lost to nationally-ranked California Lutheran.

INW players lead No. 2 Concordia to sweep of ranked opponents

The Concordia University women played host to three other nationally ranked schools from around the country this weekend in Portland in the Cavalier Cup, earning shutout victories in their two matches against No. 12 Hastings (Nebraska) and No. 3 Lindsey Wilson (Kentucky) while No. 4 Embry-Riddle (Florida) split their two contests against the same opposition.

Montana finishes best at Boise State's Bronco Invitational

The University of Montana made it a sweep of Idaho sides at the Bronco Invitational in Boise, posting a 3-2 overtime victory against the University of Idaho Sunday in which the Grizzlies equalized twice after falling behind. In the other half of the Bronco Invitational, the Idaho State Bengals were unable to get a sweep of their two state rivals, falling 3-2 in overtime to the hosts.

No. 4 Gauchos blank Gonzaga, 3-0; Oregon State cruises to 6-0 win

Big shutout wins Sunday for UCSB and Oregon State at Gonzaga Nike Classic | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

The fourth-ranked UC Santa Barbara Gauchos were tested Friday by Oregon State and again Sunday by host Gonzaga before breaking free in the final 10 minutes to finish 3-0 winners. A Nic Ryan strike a half-hour in kept the Gauchos in command before two strikes in the final 10 minutes from Achille Campion and Goffin Boyoko secured the victory.

MSU-Billings win over ranked side leads Montana & Idaho Friday INW college recap

Fifth career shutout for Hoon as Montana ends three-game losing streak | Photo: Gerald Barnhart

It was all good news on Friday for the state of Montana, starting with an upset victory over a nationally ranked school by MSU-Billings. The University of Montana picked up a road win over Bronco Invitational host Boise State as well and Rocky Mountain College's two teams swept with a pair of 2-1 wins against Trinity Lutheran. In a battle for state pride, Idaho State blanked Idaho.

Spokane-area collegiate recap - Aug 31

The Whitworth women were the lone Spokane area side that fell Friday evening as everyone but the Gonzaga men were on the road. The Whitworth men and the Eastern Washington women both earned scoreless draws on the road while the ladies of Gonzaga posted 1-0 road victory in Tennessee and the Washington State women nabbed a 2-1 win in Los Angeles.