Tracker: Conference, national honors for INWsn area players & coaches

Mike Ramos, Coe Michaelson, Eddie Gutierrez & Brooke Moody have had great campaigns this year

Now that the college regular seasons around the northwest and beyond are wrapping up, the various conferences have been announcing their season honors and the NSCAA is in the process of release its annual lists of All-Americans.

It has been a pretty good season for the region with a number of teams experiencing some of their best campaigns in program history. Those efforts have resulted in a vast number of individual awards for players and coaches from schools such as Northwest Nazarene, Montana and Whitworth.

INW Best XI - Week 13: Ames leading Concordia in title defense

A trio of INWsn area players were recognized for last week's playoffs action along with a number of other players around the region who played key roles even though their teams were eliminated from the postseason.

Ashley Ames (Spokane, WA) guided Concordia to an opening round win in defense of their national championship and Cody Lang (Spokane, WA) was pitching a shutout for Seattle Pacific before an overtime goal dashed their championship dreams.

INW NCAA College Recap – Week Thirteen: Concordia women last team standing in postseason

It has all come down to one. The Concordia Cavalier ladies, featuring several players from the Inland Northwest, posted a 3-0 victory in their opening round match of the NAIA tournament Saturday to advance to the week-long Sweet 16 tournament in Orange Beach, Alabama the first week of December. The Cavs, who have reached the final four times in the previous 10 years, will be aiming to repeat as national champions.

The playoff runs for several hopefuls teams in the area, unfortunately, came to an end this past week. Most notably was the Whitworth men, who lost in a hard-fought Sweet 16 contest of their own while the Rocky Mountain College men were knocked out in their opening round NAIA match. Here's a quick round-up of the area schools, players from the INWsn region and a couple other scores for teams around the northwest.

INW Best XI - Week 12: Freshmen Espinoza and Heaps lead Whitworth, Concordia to playoff wins

Whitworth University advanced to the D-III NCAA Tournament's final 16 with a pair of victories garnered with the heroics of Eric Espinoza. The freshman midfielder, who came into the weekend with just a goal and two assists on his ledger, tallied a goal and a game-winning assist on the weekend as they shutout two opponents on the other side of the country.

After working her way into the starting lineup, freshman defender/midfielder Martha Heaps has had a fantastic postseason for Concordia University. After scoring her first collegiate goal last week in the semifinal win, she added to it with the game-winning strike in the CCC championship game this week to send the Cavaliers back to the NAIA tournament to defend their title.

INW NAIA & NWAC College Recap – Week Twelve: Spokane, NIC come up short in NWAC; Idaho trio lead Corban to title

The Cascade Collegiate Conference and the Northwest Athletic Conference both crowned champions over the weekend.

In the NWAC, the North Idaho College men advanced to the championship game with a dramatic overtime victory, but came up empty against a Highline side that had a fantastic championship weekend. On the women's side, CC Spokane came up short in their attempt to rally from a stunning two-goal deficit against Everett, who went on to deny Peninsula a third consecutive title in the championship game.

The CCC determined its two entrants into the NAIA national championship tournament with a pair of games at Northwest University, but championship Saturday was a heartbreaking day for the Eagles. The top-seeded women were edged at home by a pair of players from eastern Washington that guided reigning NAIA champion Concordia to a third consecutive conference title. Meanwhile, on the men's side the second-seeded Eagles were beaten in overtime by Corban University. Three players from Idaho factored in the scoring for the Warriors, including a pair of defenders.

Another Idaho native factored in another title elsewhere in the NAIA. Goalkeeper Tanner Horton helped lead McPherson College to the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference championship after an 8-0-1 KCAC season.

Corban and Concordia learned their NAIA tournament opponents Monday along with the Rocky Mountain College and Westminster College of the Frontier Conference, who won the Unaffiliated Group tournament a week prior.

INW NCAA College Recap – Week Twelve: Washington State upset; Whitworth reaches Sweet 16

 Friday was a stunning night of firsts for Julia Moravec's (Spokane, WA) Seattle University as they stunned 23rd-ranked Washington State at home in the opening round of the NCAA women's tournament. In the lower divisions, the big winner was the Whitworth men who won a tight contest Friday evening and then dominated in the second round the following night to reach the third round of the NCAA Division III tournament.

Meanwhile, Northwest Nazarene's best season in the men's program history came to an end at the hand of perennial power Seattle Pacific in the regional stages of the NCAA Division II tournament.

Similar to Moravec, several other area players helped guide teams to strong results in the opening weekend of tournament play, though they were not able to advance. Puget Sound of the NWC reached the second round and University of Redlands (California) upset a ranked team in their first round games of the Division III tournament.

The Division I men's season also came to a close over the weekend. Locally, Gonzaga finished on a positive note.

Gonzaga men finish season with victory over Portland

The Gonzaga Bulldogs finished a disappointing season on a good note, avoiding a loss on the final day of the season to the Pilots, who were looking to avoid a winless conference campaign. The Zags rallied from a first half Portland goal, grabbing a 2-1 victory in overtime.

Midfielder Lars Ludwigs was buzzing Saturday. He was constantly threatening the Pilots goal with several chances throughout the game before finding the winner early in extra time, sending the seniors out with a victory. Clark Phillips gave them the opportunity for the win with an equalizer early in the second half.

CC Spokane women, North Idaho College men headed to NWAC Final Four

After dominant campaigns in the East Division of the Northwest Athletic Conference and victories over impressive teams in arguably the toughest set of quarterfinals, the CC Spokane women and the North Idaho College men are headed to Tukwila Friday to play in the league's Final Four at the Starfire Sports Complex Saturday and Sunday.

For the Sasquatch, it is nothing new as the team has been a perennial power in the East Division and is back for the third time in five years, reaching the championship game two years ago. The Cardinal are in the Final Four for the sixth consecutive time; though this appearance comes after a nine-year absence from the NWAC.

INW Best XI - Week 11: Idaho State's Ellsworth, Rocky Mountain's Clancy post big playoff performances in Montana

Ultimately, Amanda Ellsworth and Idaho State came up just shy as the fifth seed of winning the Big Sky Conference tournament, but the star striker scored three huge goals in leading the Bengals to a pair of upset victories, including a semifinal win against the conference unbeaten and host University of Montana in Missoula. Further east in Billings, Rocky Mountain College was playing host to the NAIA Unaffiliated Group tournament which both sides reached the final of. Leading the men to the championship was midfielder Jack Clancy, who led them to an overtime win in the first round, a one-goal victory in the semifinals and tallied the lone goal in the championship game against rival Great Falls, who swept them during an unbeaten conference campaign.

INW NAIA & NWAC College Recap – Week Eleven: Rocky Mountain spoils Great Falls season; North Idaho men knock off Peninsula

It was a busy week of tournament action, for the most part.

In the NAIA's Cascade Collegiate Conference, the College of Idaho ladies saw their season come to an end at home in the opening round at the hands of Warner Pacific with the top seeds Northwest University and Concordia eventually moving onto the final.

In the NAIA Unaffiliated Group tournament featuring the Frontier Conference contingent, host Rocky Mountain College saw both sides reach the finals. The second-seeded ladies advanced past Carroll via penalties but came up short in overtime against top-seeded Westminster while the fourth-seeded Bears upset University of Jamestown in a thrilling comeback performance in the semifinal and spoiled the unbeaten conference season of Great Falls in the championship game.

In the Northwest Athletic Conference, the East's lower seeds had a tough time advancing. The Treasure Valley women were the lone survivors of the first round, courtesy of penalties. Overall, the division winners were the dominant teams on the week with all four moving on in the women's bracket and three of four in the men's, including the East's CC Spokane women, who blanked the league's top offense, and North Idaho College men, who ended the dominant run of reigning two-time champion Peninsula.

INW DII-III College Recap – Week Eleven: Whitworth men win NWC; Boise duo lead Redlands to surprise title

Among the Division II action this week in the GNAC, the MSU-Billings and Central Washington women were both knocked out in the semifinals of the conference tournament while Northwest Nazarene blanked MSUB on the men's side to finish the season prior to their invitation Monday to the NCAA tournament.

Meanwhile, in the Northwest Conference the Whitworth men held onto their recently re-acquired top spot in the conference by blanking Whitman to secure the league championship and a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.

Outside of the region, a pair of Spokane players helped lead the back line of New Mexico Highlands on a run in the Division II RMAC tournament and Division III program University of Redlands surprised everyone, capturing the title as the fourth seed in their conference tournament thanks to the play of a pair of players from Boise.

INW DI College Recap – Week Eleven: WSU ties rival UW; both headed to NCAA Tournament

There was plenty of good news in the PAC-12, but it was a tough week for area teams in their conference tournaments. Boise State lost a showdown of two teams on a run in the first round of the Mountain West Conference tournament and in the Big Sky Conference, Northern Arizona played spoiler.

First, the Lumberjacks avoided Eastern Washington's hopes of an upset in the opening round while in the other contest Idaho State moved on against Northern Colorado in a minor upset. The Bengals then stunned unbeaten conference champion and host Montana to move onto the championship game where their hopes of a second consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament were spoiled.

It was rivalry week in the PAC-12, but none of them really proved to be all that impactful as a conference-record nine teams were selected for the NCAA tournament Monday. Both Washington schools, after playing to a draw Saturday, were invited along seven others.

Gonzaga blanked 3-0 by Portland in season finale Saturday

Having already reached a program-best four wins in the West Coast Conference, the Gonzaga women were hoping to make it five and finish alone in fourth - and potentially tie for third - with a positive result against visiting University of Portland, but the Pilots were up against a wall trying to avoid the worst conference finish in program history. In the end, visitors topped the Zags on Senior Day, 3-0, in a game that was far more evenly played than the score indicated.

INWsn College Postseason Scoreboard

There is a lot of postseason action featuring area schools. Follow everything right here on INWsoccernews. Matches / Results for schools in the INWsn coverage area and their conferences are listed below. Links to video streams available at the bottom. And follow @INWsoccernews on Twitter for in-game updates (as available)

INW Best XI - Week 10: Shuman leads MSUB to second; Ontiveros guides NNU in upset

It was a week of outstanding performances in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

Chelsea Shuman (Kalispell, MT) helped lead the MSU-Billings Yellowjackets to a second-place finish in the GNAC last week with an outstanding two-game performance as they narrowly edged out Seattle Pacific in the table via tiebreakers. She was directly involved in four, scoring three of them, as they blanked Simon Fraser and rallied at Northwest Nazarene for an overtime victory.

Northwest Nazarene, sitting fifth in the West Region poll and needing to stay in the top six for a national tournament berth, pretty much solidified their spot in the postseason by handing second-ranked Seattle Pacific their first loss of the year Thursday thanks to Alfredo Ontiveros' shutout performance. He nearly had another clean sheet Saturday only to see Saint Martin's spoil it in the very last second.

Rough Start: INWsn area programs winless in opening days of postseason

It has been a tough couple days in postseason play thus far for teams in the area. Through the opening of the Cascade Collegiate Conference, NWAC and Mountain West, none of the teams in action have been able to pick up a win. The only team to advance is the Treasure Valley CC women, who needed a penalty kick tiebreaker to move onto the NWAC Second Round.

INW NAIA & NWAC College Recap – Week Ten: Great Falls finishes Frontier sweep; NWAC playoffs set

With the women idle in the Cascade Collegiate Conference and little to be determined on the men's side, the more interesting NAIA scenarios for the week laid to the east where the University of Great Falls finished a sweep of the Frontier Conference on the eve of the Unaffiliated Group tournament and the Rocky Mountain College women came up short in a head-to-head showdown with Westminster College for the regular season title.

In the NWAC, all that was left to settle in the final week of league play was the seeding for the men's second berth and rights to host in the opening round, but a stalemate between Walla Walla and Wenatchee Valley was all the Warriors needed.

INW DII-III College Recap – Week Ten: GNAC women's playoffs set, Whitworth men move back atop NWC

Among the Division II action this week in the GNAC, the ladies wrapped things up with Central Washington and MSU-Billings moving onto the postseason. The Wildcats blanked Saint Martin's but narrowly fell to Seattle Pacific while MSU-Billings swept the weekend to keep their position in second, downing Simon Fraser easily and rallying to top Northwest Nazarene in overtime. On the men's side MSUB split on the weekend and second-place NNU grabbed a pair of wins to solidify their resume, topping second-ranked Seattle Pacific.

In the Northwest Conference, the Whitworth men went into Saturday's game against league-leading Willamette thinking it was the must-win game in order to grab control of the race for the championship. After a scoreless stalemate, however, it was Sunday's action that vaulted them to the top of the table as Willamette and fellow contender Puget Sound both were upset while the Pirates rolled to a big win at Linfield.

Here is a rundown of the area schools and their conferences as well as how players from the Inland Northwest performed around the nation in the past week.

INW DI College Recap – Week Ten: Boise State wins finale, kicks off postseason Tuesday

Look out Mountain West. The Broncos of Boise State are on a roll. After giving up five combined goals in two losses to open the conference campaign, the team's outstanding defense regained its form and has allowed just three goals since then in seven games, capping the run on Halloween with its fourth consecutive win via a shutout performance. The Broncos' will be a scary sixth seed to face in the Mountain West Conference tournament, which begins with the first round Tuesday afternoon in San Diego, where it will continue with semifinals Thursday and championship Saturday.

Meanwhile, it was a tough week for Washington State and Gonzaga. The Cougars were swept by the visiting schools from Los Angeles. The Gonzaga men went without a goal at home, falling to San Diego and getting a draw against Loyola Marymount. The lady Zags rebounded from another loss to the Sofia Huerta (Boise, ID) led Santa Clara Broncos with the lone bright spot for the trio with a win at San Francisco.

BIG SKY: Montana edges Eastern Washington to finish unbeaten; Idaho State advances to playoffs

The Big Sky Tournament is set, and kicks off Thursday in Missoula - Details below

The Grizzlies were looking to finish an unbeaten season in the Big Sky and Eastern Washington was playing for postseason positioning in a contest that could have gone either way a week ahead of the Big Sky Conference tournament. In the end, a second half goal for Montana proved to be the difference as the Grizzlies prevailed 1-0 in Cheney.

INW Best XI - Week 9: Talley and Hughes lead NIC, Northwest U to league titles

On the women's side, defense played a big role as teams looked to clinch postseason berths or keep themselves in the hunt, resulting in Patty Hughes (Kalispell, MT) taking the Player of the Week honor after yet another outstanding week in net for Northwest University. On the men's side, North Idaho College locked up the top spot in the NWAC East courtesy of Adam Talley (Newman Lake, WA)

Each week INWsoccernews will release lists of the week’s best performances for men’s and women’s soccer in the region, recognizing players at schools in the region or those from the area that play elsewhere in the nation. Established in 2012.

INW NAIA & NWAC College Recap – Week Nine: Playoff fields nearly set with just one spot still TBD in CCC

In the NAIA, the final weekend of women's play wrapped things up in the Cascade Conference with the College of Idaho ladies clinching a spot in the tournament with a fourth-place finish, confounding the preseason poll of eighth. On the men's side there are several games remaining, but Evergreen State has a commanding hold on the final berth.

The Frontier Conference still has a few games left for the ladies and the men, but the brackets for the Unaffiliated Group tournament which the Frontier teams participate in have been set for the following weekend at Rocky Mountain College.

In the NWAC, there are a few positioning details to be figured out, but the CC Spokane ladies clinched the division title with a win on the road plus other results and the North Idaho College men grabbed the top spot with a week to go at home Saturday. Treasure Valley and NIC round out the women's qualifiers and Wenatchee Valley and Walla Walla CC are the other men's entrants into the NWAC tournament.

INW DII-III College Recap – Week Nine: Whitworth men reclaim control; Central Washington stuns Vikings

Among the Division II action this week in the GNAC, the Central Washington and MSU-Billings women were unbeaten on the road with the Wildcats posting the biggest result, ending ranked Western Washington's amazing home win streak with a draw. Amidst the Division III Northwest Conference was Whitworth's pair of dramatic home wins in overtime that kept them in the heated three-way race for the league title.

Here is a rundown of the area schools and their conferences as well as how players from the Inland Northwest performed around the nation in the past week.

INW DI College Recap – Week Nine: Eastern Washington clinches Big Sky berth, Montana to host tourney

Among the Division I action this week, the Big Sky Conference's postseason picture began to take shape with Montana sweeping the weekend to lock up the regular season title and opportunity to host the tournament. Although Eastern Washington slipped up Friday, a victory Sunday put them in the field with the Grizzlies and Portland State. Idaho State, with a split, are still in contention and Idaho, after two road losses, are done, sitting in the final spot needing everyone beneath them to come up short in the final weekend, including their state rivals.

After a slow start to conference play (2-5-0), Boise State used a weekend sweep to push their current win streak to three games and keep hopes alive for sixth spot. in the muddled Mountain West postseason picture. With their final game Friday against already qualified Utah State, they need to match or better San Jose State and Air Force's results to hold them off.

Meanwhile, in non-tournament conferences 24th-ranked Washington State picked up a pair of road wins to move to third in the Pac-12 and the Gonzaga women had a split of sorts dropping a game to struggling Loyola Marymount Friday before posting a draw against 11th-ranked Pepperdine Sunday.

Here is a rundown of the area DI schools and their conferences as well as how players from the Inland Northwest performed around the nation in the past week.

Gonzaga women tripped up by struggling LMU

Unfinished chances left Bulldogs on wrong end of scoreline Friday

The Lady Bulldogs scored early and had a significant advantage of play in the first half, but two goals against the run of play for Loyola Marymount Friday was enough to snatch a 2-1 victory on the road Friday in Spokane.

INW Best XI - Week 8: Williams and Alvarez lead Eastern Washington, Wenatchee Valley to sweeps

Sitting in eighth, Eastern Washington made a huge jump up the ladder as the majority of teams in front of them had bad outings on the week. Propelling the Eagles up to fourth on their two-game road trip against the teams sitting in fourth and third was Chloe Williams (Spokane, WA), who scored the game-winning tallies in both contests.

Meanwhile, the Wenatchee Valley College men solidified their foothold on a likely NWAC East playoff spot with a two-game sweep on the week, but needed a big outing from striker Josh Alvarez to do it. He tallied a hat-trick and assist in a 5-3 victory against Treasure Valley and then scored in a win against playoff contender Spokane.

Each week INWsoccernews will release lists of the week’s best performances for men’s and women’s soccer in the region, recognizing players at schools in the region or those from the area that play elsewhere in the nation. Established in 2012.

INW NAIA & NWAC College Recap – Week Eight: Mixed results in CCC & Frontier; Playoff picture coming into focus for NWAC East

In the NAIA it was a week of split results for the Eastern Oregon women and the College of Idaho's two teams. Meanwhile in the Frontier Conference the Carroll women returned from Texas and played a pair of close 1-0 decisions against conference foes, beating Rocky Mountain and falling to Westminster while Great Falls ladies won a pair of non-league games. On the men's side, Rocky Mountain drubbed Carroll and Great Falls and the Argos again swept a two-game set in Denver.

In the NWAC, the East races are started to become a little more clear. In the battle for the final men's spot Walla Walla and Spokane played to a draw mid-week, but the with Spokane falling on the weekend to Wenatchee Valley, who needed five to get past last-place Treasure Valley earlier in the week to keep in range of first-place North Idaho, which grabbed a victory over the weekend. Spokane continues to run away from everyone on the ladies side for the title with Treasure Valley slipping up Wednesday in a draw against last-place Wenatchee Valley. Third-place North Idaho picked up a pair of wins on the week to create some space in front of Walla Walla, who fell at Spokane before drubbing Yakima Valley.

INW DII-III College Recap – Week Eight: Stalemate for Whitworth in battle for first; mixed results around the region

Among the action this week, the Northwest Nazarene men and Central Washington women had the best of the mixed results on the road this week, each going 1-0-1 in GNAC play. In the Northwest Conference the second installment of the battle for first between Whitworth and Puget Sound finished as a stalemate while the Whitworth women won the showdown with local rival Whitman Wednesday with a late tally.

Here is a rundown of the area schools and their conferences as well as how players from the Inland Northwest performed around the nation in the past week.

October 13-19 | Upcoming games PT & conference matches unless noted (NL)

INW DI College Recap – Week Eight: Eastern Washington moves up in Big Sky; Boise State stuns San Diego State

Among the Division I action this week, the Eastern Washington women jumped from eighth to fourth after a big road sweep, posting victories over teams that were third and fourth in the conference, with one loss each in league play, going into the weekend. Meanwhile, Big Sky leader Montana played the same to opponents to a pair of draws.

Boise State split on their road trip, falling narrowly at New Mexico before registering a surprising victory at powerhouse San Diego State. The Gonzaga men split on the road as well during their trip to California and Washington State picked up an overtime win at home against Oregon.

Here is a rundown of the area DI schools and their conferences as well as how players from the Inland Northwest performed around the nation in the past week.

Wednesday Recap: Hosts unbeaten in Spokane vs Walla Walla x 3

Wednesday saw a tripleheader of Walla Walla visiting Spokane with the ladies of Whitman College facing Whitworth University followed by the CC Spokane ladies and men playing host to longtime rival Walla Walla CC. The Pirates grabbed a late 1-0 victory over the Missionaries early in the afternoon while the Bigfoot women downed the Warriors 2-0 to kick off the evening at The Falls with the Sasquatch men playing to a 2-2 draw in a battle for potential playoff position.

INW Best XI - Week 7: Defenders Leliefeld and Pavel lead Great Falls, Seattle Pacific in big wins

Defense continues to steal the spotlight across the northwest. Defender Kandace Leliefeld (Deer Park, WA) helped guide the University of Great Falls to a pair of victories last week, also contributing at the offensive end in an upset win over a ranked opponent. Meanwhile, Seattle Pacific University defender Bryson Pavel (Boise, ID) not only helped lead the Falcons to a pair of wins, but played a key role in both game-winning tallies, including one against a fellow ranked and unbeaten opponent.

Each week INWsoccernews will release lists of the week’s best performances for men’s and women’s soccer in the region, recognizing players at schools in the region or those from the area that play elsewhere in the nation. Established in 2012.

INW NAIA & NWAC College Recap – Week Seven: Great Falls and Rocky Mountain down ranked Westminster

Amidst the NAIA action this week, the Great Falls men saw their nine-game win streak come to an end while the Argo ladies ended their four-game winless run with a pair of victories, including an overtime win against 19th-ranked Westminster College, who also fell at Rocky Mountain. In the Cascade Collegiate Conference the College of Idaho women picked up a win and a draw on the road.

In the NWAC East, the Spokane ladies knocked off neighbor North Idaho College and completed a season sweep of second-place Treasure Valley to cement their place atop the division. On the men's side Walla Walla handed the NIC Cardinals their first loss while Wenatchee Valley drubbed Columbia Basin to keep the top spot within reach.

Here is a rundown of the area schools and their conferences as well as how players from the Inland Northwest performed around the nation in the past week.

INW DII-III College Recap – Week Seven: Pirates dominate in battle of Whits; MSUB women impress in Washington

Among the Division II action this week, the MSU-Billings women continued their fantastic start to the season, earning a hard-fought draw in a scoreless stalemate at Seattle Pacific Thursday and downing Central Washington two days later to conclude the trip. On the men's side MSUB and Northwest Nazarene swept Saint Martin's on the trip but came up short with one-goal losses at unbeaten and sixth-ranked Seattle Pacific.

In the Division III Northwest Conference, the light week was highlighted with a showdown of the Whits that turned out to be rather one-sided this time around. The neighbors to the north dominated at home in Spokane with a high-paced six-goal effort to give Whitworth the big win over Whitman of Walla Walla. On the ladies side, Puget Sound returned to their winning ways while Whitman and Whitworth, who surprised them last week, each lost at George Fox in rare defeats to the Bruins.

Here is a rundown of the area schools and their conferences as well as how players from the Inland Northwest performed around the nation in the past week.

INW DI College Recap – Week Seven: Montana keeps Big Sky lead; WSU stumbles in PAC-12

Among the Division I action this week, the Big Sky featured a match of two unbeatens with Montana playing host to Idaho. The Grizzlies prevailed in overtime with the Vandals going on to rebound two days later at Eastern Washington.

Washington State returned home from their impressive PAC-12 trip to California, but suffered an atypical result in a loss to Arizona, rebounding for a draw against Arizona State with another outstanding defensive outing.

Here is a rundown of the area DI schools and their conferences as well as how players from the Inland Northwest performed around the nation in the past week.

CC Spokane sweeps Treasure Valley Saturday; and for the season

The Sasquatch posted a pair of shutouts Saturday afternoon at Spokane Falls, giving them a clean sweep in all meetings against the Chukars for the season, all of them shutout victories. The ladies used a pair of goals in the first 20 minutes to grab a 2-0 victory while the men snared a 1-0 result in the second half against the visitors.

They're Back - North Idaho, Spokane rivalry renewed with split in Wednesday doubleheader

First official meetings between neighbors results in one-goal decisions

The Cardinals, officially back in the NWAC, made their first league trip to Spokane for the first time since they were soccer-only affiliate members of the league in 2004, the final year of their five-year stint that ended when the association required the school to commit at an all-sports basis. All four teams went into the doubleheader contenders for the postseason and the match-ups did not disappoint with the Bigfoot ladies coming away with a narrow 1-0 victory over the Cardinals and the men's match featuring a frantic finish to a dramatic affair in which the visitors rallied twice and came away with a 3-2 victory on a stoppage time winner.

INW Best XI - Week 6: Defense leads the way in impressive performances from the ladies against ranked opponents

Usually, these lists are dominated by strikers and midfielders with plenty of goals on their ledgers. This week, particularly on the ladies side, that was not an option, and very little searching was needed to put them on the list. Teams represented by players on the list faced a combined six opponents in their respective national polls - and several others that are conference powers - and came away with impressive results.

Among them was Player of the Week choice Hailey Woods (Meridian, ID), who guided the College of Idaho at both ends of the pitch to an upset win over top ranked Concordia that snapped several streaks.

On the men's side, the eye-catching performance was another upset win as Timmy Mueller (Post Falls, ID) tallied a hat-trick and assist in a stunning 6-2 victory over the 13th ranked California, which also saw its ninth ranked women's side fall to Washington State this week... netting some recognition on the list as well.

Each week INWsoccernews will release lists of the week’s best performances for men’s and women’s soccer in the region, recognizing players at schools in the region or those from the area that play elsewhere in the nation. Established in 2012.

INW NAIA & NWAC College Recap – Week Six: College of Idaho nets upset & Great Falls downs rivals

Amidst the NAIA action this week, the College of Idaho ladies picked up a sweep at home that included an upset win over top-ranked Concordia in CCC action. On the men's side, Great Falls prevailed in the Frontier Conference showdown with rival Rocky Mountain, extending their streak to nine wins and earning a spot in the national poll. 

In the NWAC East, North Idaho continues to dominate in the men's race while fellow contenders Walla Walla and Wenatchee played to a 3-3 draw in their showdown. On the ladies side Spokane picked up a pair of wins and got a little help from longtime rival Walla Walla, which handed Treasure Valley a loss as they try to pull themselves back out of their rare visit in the bottom half of the table. The Warriors earned two wins and a draw on the week, showing they just may be back in the picture come the end of the season.

Here is a rundown of the area schools and their conferences as well as how players from the Inland Northwest performed around the nation in the past week.

INW DII-III College Recap – Week Six: NNU sweep nets first poll appearance; Mixed results for Whitman & Whitworth vs Loggers

Among the Division II action this week, the Northwest Nazarene and MSU-Billings men continue to do well in the GNAC. Both picked up a pair of wins with Crusaders keeping pace with seventh ranked Seattle Pacific at 5-0-0 and earning their first-ever ranking in a national poll. On the women's side the two schools squared off with the Yellowjackets prevailing in a historic performance against the Crusaders.

In the Division III Northwest Conference, the showdown of men's contenders went to visiting Puget Sound at Whitworth, but the story of the week may have been on the women's side where the 15th ranked Logger women dropped both games on their trip 1-0 to Whitman and Whitworth.

Here is a rundown of the area schools and their conferences as well as how players from the Inland Northwest performed around the nation in the past week.

INW DI College Recap – Week Six: Winning weekend & impressive results against ranked opponents for many

Among the Division I action this week, it was a pretty good week for the INWsn area schools. The Gonzaga women swept their two home contests in the opening weekend of WCC play. In the Big Sky, Montana posted a rare road sweep and the Idaho Vandals went unbeaten while Eastern Washington and Idaho State split on the weekend. Boise State split on the weekend as well in the MWC and Washington State nearly posted two impressive results on the road in California, settling for a split two top-10 sides California and Stanford.

On the men's side, Gonzaga settled for a split and Timmy Mueller (Post Falls, ID) led Oregon State to a stunning win over ranked California with a hat-trick.

Here is a rundown of the area DI schools and their conferences as well as how players from the Inland Northwest performed around the nation in the past week.

Women register upset as Whitworth splits versus Puget Sound

Tiara Pajimola scored for the ladies, but Sam Engle was unable to do the same for the men

It was a role reversal Sunday afternoon at Whitworth with the Lady Pirates claiming a victory, 1-0 over unbeaten Puget Sound, while the unbeaten Bucs fell 2-0 in their men's showdown of Northwest Conference contenders against the Loggers. Tiara Pajimola was the lone goal scorer for the hosts on the day.

INW Best XI - Week 5: Ramos and Widner big scorers for Whitworth, Montana in sweeps

In earning INWsn Player of the Week recognition, Mike Ramos (Spokane, WA) put forth one of the most impressive NCAA performances in INWsn history in Whitworth's 7-1 victory at George Fox in which he played a role in every goal for the Pirates. In Montana, striker Hallie Widner (Meridian, ID) guided the Grizzlies to a pair of victories in Big Sky action.

Each week INWsoccernews will release lists of the week’s best performances for men’s and women’s soccer in the region, recognizing players at schools in the region or those from the area that play elsewhere in the nation. Established in 2012.

INW NAIA & NWAC College Recap – Week Five: Turnaround season for Wenatchee Valley men continues

Amidst the NAIA action this week, the Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho women played to a stalemate in their Cascade Collegiate Conference opener while the Yote men split, falling at home in an 11-goal thriller to CCC leading Concordia before winning at Oregon Tech.

Their Frontier Conference counterparts featured a pair of conference showdown on the women's side with Great Falls losing at Westminster while Carroll and Rocky Mountain battled to a scoreless draw. In the lone conference match-up on the men's side, Great Falls won their eighth consecutive a victory against Carroll, both of whom also defeated non-league Trinity Lutheran over the weekend.

In the NWAC East, Spokane, Treasure Valley and North Idaho maintained their status as the top three, going unbeaten on the week. On the men's side Walla Walla, Wenatchee Valley and North Idaho were the top performers on the week with the Warriors topping visiting Spokane and the other two picking up wins away from home.

Here is a rundown of the area schools and their conferences as well as how players from the Inland Northwest performed around the nation in the past week.

INW DII-III College Recap – Week Five: MSU-Billings sides upset contenders; Whitworth, Whitman go 6-1-1 on the road

Among the Division II action this week, the MSU-Billings men and women made statements. Picked to finish fifth in the GNAC, the Yellowjacket men went on the road and played to a 3-3 tie against the top choice Simon Fraser and topped third-choice Western Washington. Also picked fifth, the ladies swept at home, edging third-choice Central Washington 1-0 and second-pick Seattle Pacific 2-1.

The final seconds proved game-breaking for Northwest Nazarene Saturday. The women fell with just one second on the clock in overtime versus visiting Central Washington and the men prevailed with seven seconds left in extra time at Simon Fraser.

In the Division III Northwest Conference, the Whitworth got out their scoring slump - one goal in each of first two games at home - by putting 11 on the board away from home over the weekend. Meanwhile, the Whitman men and women went a combined 3-0-1 in weekend on the road.

Here is a rundown of the area schools and their conferences as well as how players from the Inland Northwest performed around the nation in the past week.

INW DI College Recap – Week Five: Montana Sweeps Big Sky openers; WSU Cougars grab late win in Pac-12 opener

Among the Division I action this week, the Big Sky Conference, PAC-12 and Mountain West kicked of conference play. The University of Montana and University of Idaho each swept their first two with victories while Idaho State and Eastern Washington each split on the weekend. Washington State snared a PAC-12 win at Oregon State in the 89th minute. Things were not so fortunate for Boise State, which dropped its first two in the Mountain West, falling on the road to Air Force and Colorado College. This week conference play will finally begin for Gonzaga and the West Coast Conference.

Here is a rundown of the area DI schools and their conferences as well as how players from the Inland Northwest performed around the nation in the past week.

Wenatchee Valley men win clash of East contenders after Spokane women dominate Knights

Fourteen goals, but two completely different stories | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

It was a tale of two completely different games in Saturday night's doubleheader at Spokane Falls Community College featuring host CC Spokane and visiting Wenatchee Valley CC. The Sasquatch ladies thoroughly dominated the opposition to the tune of an 8-0 scoreline in the opening game. The men's contest was a dramatic back-and-forth affair featuring a pair of teams jockeying for position near the top of the division table. The Knights saw a two-goal lead disappear before getting two in the final minutes for the big road victory.

INW Best XI - Week 4: Fesenbek & Johnson lead NNU, NIC to big weeks

With a hand in six goals, Lexi Fesenbek guided Northwest Nazarene University to two wins and a draw on the week, and North Idaho College did the same courtesy of Alec Johnson’s role in four goals.

Each week INWsoccernews will release lists of the week’s best performances for men’s and women’s soccer in the region, recognizing players at schools in the region or those from the area that play elsewhere in the nation.

INW NAIA & NWAC College Recap – Week Four: Great Falls men continue roll, NWAC cross-over concludes in East favor

Amidst the NAIA action this week, the University of Great Falls continued its fantastic start to the season with a big win over future NAIA side Walla Walla University and then a pair of narrow road wins against Westminster and McPherson College in Utah.

In the NWAC, cross-over play between the East and South Divisions came to a close. The lopsided results continued with the East men finishing with a dominant 21-4-5 record (79-22 GD) against their counterparts while the women's results were a bit closer at 19-12-11 (73-49 GD). The men's domination was so great that Clark has a commanding eight-point lead in their division thanks to a 3-0-3 record while Chemeketa, second, was the only other team to get a win. The North Idaho College (4-0-1 vs the South) and Columbia Basin College (2-0-3) men went unbeaten while on the ladies side it was Treasure Valley CC (6-0-0) with an amazing sweep considering every other program other than North Idaho (2-0-4) lost at least twice.

Here is a rundown of the area schools and their conferences as well as how players from the Inland Northwest performed around the nation in the past week.

EPD selections unveiled by Washington Youth Soccer

Washington Youth Soccer released its list of Elite Player Development (EPD) selections for the State Team pools late last week for boys and girls from 1998-2022 birth years.

According to WYS, players were scouted via the Regional Club League (RCL), state cup championship games and five tryout locations - Moses Lake for Eastern Washington on August 11 and 25.

Players selected to the EPD state pool participate in monthly training sessions with nationally licensed EPD coaching staff, and have the potential to be selected for competitions including the US Youth Soccer Region IV ODP Championships.

INW DII-III College Recap – Week Four: Northwest Nazarene men and women open GNAC unbeaten

Among the Division II and III action this week, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and Northwest Conference both kicked off conference play this week in full. In the GNAC, the Northwest Nazarene women got a win and a draw on the road and in an INW showdown, the NNU Crusaders men blanked MSU-Billings 2-0. In the NWC, the Whitworth men and Whitman women each had a draw and a victory against the visiting teams from Linfield, Lewis & Clark and Willamette while their counterparts were swept.

Here is a rundown of the area schools and their conferences as well as how players from the Inland Northwest performed around the nation in the past week.

INW DI College Recap – Week Four: Big Sky wrapped up non-conference slate; Zags do well

Among the Division I action this week, Eastern Washington and Montana finished their non-conference slate at the Montana Invitational, both posting positive results. Their Big Sky rivals in Idaho, meanwhile, went winless on the road. The Gonzaga women went 2-1-0 on the road with a win at Boise State and a split in a pair of overtime games in Texas while the men's side picked up their first result at home.

Here is a rundown of the area DI schools and their conferences as well as how players from the Inland Northwest performed around the nation in the past week.

Whitworth winless in home doubleheader Saturday with women's loss, men's draw

Whitworth came up short at home Saturday against the visitors | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

It was a tough home day Saturday for the Whitworth Pirates as both sides held the better of the play only to come out winless. First the ladies were unable to find an equalizer to overcome a one-goal deficit against Lewis & Clark. Then the men were unable to hold onto their one-goal advantage in a game they thoroughly dominated against Linfield.

INW Best XI - Week 3: CWU sisters combine for milestone; Opland guides CCS to sweep

Each week INWsoccernews will release lists of the week’s best performances for men’s and women’s soccer in the region, recognizing players at schools in the region or those from the area that play elsewhere in the nation.

INW NAIA & NWAC College Recap – Week Three: Argo men upset Jamestown in road sweep for UGF sides

Among the NAIA and NWAC action this week, the Frontier Conference's University of Great Falls had a good road trip with both the men and women coming home with a pair of wins each. The men registered the biggest win by knocking off the perfect University of Jamestown. Meanwhile it was a light week in the CCC.

The East Division of the NWAC was extremely busy on the week with most playing three games. The Columbia Basin College women swept their three fixtures while on the men's side the CC Spokane men rolled to three wins and North Idaho College won both of theirs.

Here is a rundown of the area schools and their conferences as well as how players from the Inland Northwest performed around the nation in the past week.

INW DII-III College Recap – Week Three: Family affair nets milestone at CWU

Among the Division II and III action this week, Central Washington coach Michael Farrand hit 100 wins thanks to his daughters and in the Northwest Conference a majority of teams began conference play on the women's side.

Here is a rundown of the area schools and their conferences as well as how players from the Inland Northwest performed around the nation in the past week.

INW DI College Recap – Week Three: Gonzaga, Idaho give Washington State challenge

Among the Division I action this week, the unbeaten Washington State women had a difficult go of things with local foes, rallying to defeat an upset-minded Gonzaga squad and going well into the second half to find a winner at neighboring Idaho. In the Big Sky, Montana gave Missouri a run on the road in an overtime loss and Idaho State made two big comebacks to defeat Hawaii.

CC Spokane splits versus Lane, South Puget Sound Saturday

Both Sasquatch squads put in dominant performances, but ended up differently | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

The CC Spokane Bigfoot ladies saw their impressive home unbeaten streak on the three-year old renovated field come to an end Saturday at Spokane Falls CC Stadium as they were upset by the visiting Lane Titans, suffering their first league loss this season in the process as well. In the second half of the doubleheader the men cruised to a 3-0 victory over South Puget Sound.

Heartbreak for Gonzaga in near upset of Washington State

Gonzaga nearly ended Washington State's unbeaten record against the Bulldogs | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

Facing one of the best opponents they may see all season, the Gonzaga women took Washington State nearly the distance Friday, taking a surprising initial lead and holding on to force overtime before falling 2-1 to the unbeaten Cougars, who rallied on a pair of finished crosses by Jocelyn Jeffers and Kailiana Johnson.

Brittany Doan put the hosts in front in the 17th minute, but it was the Bulldogs as a whole showing no fear against a defensive unit that had allowed just one goal in its five previous non-conference games, including two scoreless draws against ranked opponents. The Zags came out punching from the opening whistle and nearly scored on a number of occasions in the first half as they gave the Cougar defense a lot of fits in the early going.

INW Best XI - Week 2: Defenders Drobney and Ulen lead BSU, NIC to wins

Each week INWsoccernews will release lists of the week’s best performances for men’s and women’s soccer in the region, recognizing players at schools in the region or those from the area that play elsewhere in the nation.

For games September 2-7...

INW NAIA & NWAC College Recap – Week Two: NWAC East teams dominate inter-divisional play

Among the NAIA and NWAC action this week, the College of Idaho went unbeaten in two games in Utah and the University of Great Falls men won their conference opener. The NWAC East women's teams put forth an impressive outing, combining for a 8-2-4 record against Tacoma CC and members of the NWAC South Division on the week while the men went 6-2-1.

INW DII & III College Recap – Week Two: Division II schools open preseason play

Among the Division II and III action this week, MSU-Billings saw both the men and women each pick up a positive result in their openers as the Division II programs played their first official games of the year. Meanwhile the Whitworth women split on the road in Texas and the men's teams at Whitman and Whitworth both netted 2-1 wins over visiting Corban.

INW DI College Recap – Week Two: Boise State sweeps in-state rivals

Among the Division I action this week, the Broncos of Boise State dominated their two state rivals Idaho and Idaho State on the weekend while Washington State was unbeaten in Hawaii, though saw its season-opening shutout streak come to an end.

Another comeback performance leads Whitworth over Corban

The Pirates prevailed in their third comeback performance in the last four games | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

In a preseason contest against the reigning Cascade Collegiate Conference (NAIA) champion Corban University, the Whitworth men were trailing after the first half but rallied to pull even in the second and found a fantastic winner in overtime for the 2-1 victory to remain perfect on the year at 4-0-0.

Rylan Berriman's upper corner strike from about 20 yards on a run across the top of the area was a thing of beauty in the seventh minute of extra time, capping a nice series of play from the Pirates, who were continually peppering Corban with shots narrowly off the mark for the latter part of the game.

INW Best XI - Week 1: Ramos and Clair lead Whitworth, WSU to perfect starts

Each week INWsoccernews will release lists of the week’s best performances for men’s and women’s soccer in the region, recognizing players at schools in the region or those from the area that play elsewhere in the nation.

INW Lower Divisions College Recap – Week One: Hot starts for Whitworth men, Treasure Valley ladies

The Division III, NAIA and JC schools have gotten into full swing over the previous week-plus with the Division II Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC), featuring MSU-Billings, Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington beginning non-league play this week, though several teams have played scrimmages and exhibitions.

The Whitworth men are arguably off to the most impressive start with a perfect trip to the midwest in which they knocked off 15th-ranked Wheaton. Elsewhere, the Treasure Valley CC women are off to an impressive in NWAC play at 3-0-0 after posting just two wins all of last season.

INW DI College Recap – Week One: Cougs cruising through non-league slate

After a number of exhibitions and scrimmages the week prior, official game play got into full swing in the past week throughout the northwest.  A few teams have gotten off to good starts, but Washington State is arguably the top team of the region thus far. Plus, a number of players from the region are doing well around the nation, including a few who are already making an impact as freshman for their respective programs such as Timmy Mueller (Post Falls) at Oregon State and Kara Marbury (Spokane, WA) at Illinois.

Here is a rundown of the area DI schools and their conferences as well as how players from the Inland Northwest performed around the nation in the past week-plus as everyone began official play.

Sasquatch men outlast Chemeketa Storm in CC Spokane doubleheader

Bigfoot men wrapped up a four-game week with a comeback victory (Photos: Gerald Barnhart)

The winless Chemeketa Storm nearly spoiled the home opener for the CC Spokane men Saturday afternoon, but a two-goal second half propelled the Bigfoot to a 2-1 victory in the second half of a doubleheader that kicked off with the Lady Sasquatch drubbing the Storm 5-0.

Lady Bulldogs bounce back and feast on Idaho 5-0

Gonzaga controlled the match from the opening whistle Sunday at Luger Field (Photos: Gerald Barnhart)

After an unusually flat performance in a two-goal shutout loss Friday to Montana, the Gonzaga women came out flying from the opening whistle Sunday versus Idaho and used a pair of goals from Karley Baggerly to roll to a 5-0 victory.

Visiting non-league opponents sweep Whitworth, Whitman women Saturday

Visitors come out on top in series of tight encounters (Photos: Gerald Barnhart)

In the second day of hosting the College of St Benedict and UC Santa Cruz, host Whitworth and league compatriot Whitman each came up one goal short on Saturday, respectively. The CSB Blazers edged the Pirates 1-0 on a second half goal and the Banana Slugs rallied from an early deficit to top the short-handed Missionaries 2-1.

Gonzaga blanked by Montana and Washington in doubleheader

Montana and Washington picked up shutout wins in Spokane Friday (Photos: Gerald Barnhart)

It was a tough day at home for the Gonzaga soccer program as the women fell 2-0 to the visiting Montana Grizzlies in the afternoon contest and the cross-state foe Washington Huskies, ranked 4 and 6 in the national polls, rolled to a 4-0 victory in the second half of the doubleheader.

Nordic Update: Success for Craig and Lindsay

Area soccer products Erin Craig and Megan Lindsay are finding some success abroad this summer in Sweden and Finland, respectively.

Gonzaga ladies roll in exhibition win over Eastern Washington

Thursday night was all about working out the kinks just over a week into fall camps (Photos: Gerald Barnhart)

They were two teams in vastly different situations coming into their first action of the fall, and it showed on the field as the Gonzaga women dominated in a 5-1 victory Thursday evening against visiting Eastern Washington in an exhibition contest.

The lady Zags, which had all but four players on the squad at camp in the spring, was up by three at the halftime break and added two more in the first 13 minutes of the second half as they held a majority of possession against the Eagles, who came into the match with a new head coach and a squad comprised of a lot of new faces.

Spokane ties have created longstanding tradition between Alaska's Juneau-Douglas and pair of GSL schools

The two sides gathered for a pre-game photo - Photos by Gerald Barnhart | Full Gallery [+]

As it turns out, soccer in Spokane and Juneau, Alaska have quite a bit in common. A nearly lifelong connection between three coaches has spurred what is now a 15-year tradition between three schools separated by more than a 1,000 miles. Each spring, Gary Lehnhart brings his Bears down to Spokane to face Ferris and Mead; and on Friday evening their season opener at Joe Albi Stadium looked to be off to a great start only to see the Saxons prevail in the final 13 minutes, 2-1.

The visitors took an early lead on a fantastic individual effort 26 minutes into the contest and despite the Saxons controlling the second half handily, it was not until the 67th minute when Callan Martin scored the equalizer on a ball from Gonzaga-bound Connor Ourada, who would get the winner from the penalty spot in the 72nd.

Spring sessions under way for area college programs, spring games near

Gonzaga Women to host Seven-A-Side event for fourth consecutive year | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

Having already started getting back into shape with training, fitness and weight sessions, many of the area's programs are prepared to hit the field with some spring friendlies and tournaments, announcing their slate of friendlies and events for the next two months.

Megan Lindsay in Finland; Erin Craig headed to Sweden

Erin Craig and Megan Lindsay continuing their careers abroad (photos: Gerald Barnhart, Wilson Tsoi/GoalWA.net)

A pair of recent college graduates are embarking on summer seasons abroad. Spokane native Megan Lindsay departed over the weekend for her second year across the Atlantic, this time heading to Finland. In April, Great Falls native Erin Craig will be joining a club in Sweden for her first experience playing overseas.

Post Falls product Kelcie Hedge helps lead U17 WNT to tourney title

Post Falls' Kelcie Hedge helped guide the US U17 Women's National Team to the championship at the Women's NTC Invitational in the past week. The Post Falls Thunder and Spokane Shadow product scored twice in the squad's opening win of the three-game event as they went on to sweep for the title at the Glenn Myernick Field in Carson, California.

INWsn launches shop with Northwest-themed merchandise

MERCHANDISE NOW AVAILABLE! - INWsn has launched a shop with items designed for Northwest soccer fanatics, players, coaches etc. Pick up some cool swag and support what INWsn does for the region at the same time. Please share the link and don't forget to come back for more designs in the near future. Have a suggestion, drop INWsn a note and we may be able to create it for you.  VISIT THE SHOP NOW [+]

Mixing it Up: Eastern Washington players aid Idaho ODP run

In January, USYS Region IV held the Regional ODP Championships in Phoenix, and while Cal South swept the event by winning all 10 brackets, Washington and Idaho represented the Northwest quite well with four Washington sides reaching the final and an Idaho squad featuring a large contingent of players from Eastern Washington advancing to the 1997G final.

Region’s youth players making 2014 college declarations for NLI Day

Luu, Holm, Marbury and Brown among local standouts making decisions (Game Photos: Gerald Barnhart)

It is that time of year. High school athletes are making their final decisions on which schools they are going to attend once they graduate this summer. A large number of players and schools made their announcements on National Letter of Intent day Wednesday, including several transfers.

One announcement that was of particular interest was the decision by CC Spokane standout Tasha Luu, a native of Colville, WA. The NWAACC East Division Women's MVP for 2013 chose to continue her athletic career and academic pursuits at Eastern Washington University, which recently announced as their new head coach Chad Bodnar, who was the head coach of NWAACC heated rival Walla Walla CC.

College award winners around the Inland NW in 2013

McAlpine, Castain, Hamer, Gore and Duffy received prestigious honors in 2013 | photos: Gerald Barnhart

With the unveiling of the MAC Hermann Award winners for the 2013 college soccer season coming up tomorrow, here is a look back at all of the various NSCAA national and regional All-American award winners from the region and each league's All-Conference selections and awards.

Quite a few players from and at schools in the INW coverage area were honored this season, along with a few coaches. Among the most prestigiously recognized this year were Oliver Gore of Rocky Mountain College, Micaela Castain of Washington State, Sofia Huerta (Boise, ID) of Santa Clara, Nick Hamer (Spokane, WA) of Gonzaga and Washington State head coach Keidane McAlpine.

Former Shadow, MLS standout Waibel takes RSL coaching post

After helping lead the University of Washington to its best season in program history this past fall in his first year with his alma mater, Spokane native and former Spokane Shadow PDL standout Craig Waibel was named as part of the assistant coaching staff for new Real Salt Lake head coach Jeff Cassar Wednesday.