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 20-26 | Upcoming games PT & conference matches unless noted (NL)
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««« WOMEN »»» PACIFIC 0-1 WHITWORTH -- SATURDAY
The Whitworth women can officially go down for one word: grit. Despite a depleted lineup that featured star striker Tiara Pajimola (Spokane, WA) playing centerback in a new formation for the Pirates, the Bucs stood strong in a contest with another struggling side in Pacific and pulled out the victory with another late goal - this time from Courtney Potter.
The opening minute proved to be a warning for what was about to play out over the next 89 as Pacific goalkeeper Kristina Morris went down for an injury that delayed matters for a few minutes. It was the first of a series of injuries throughout the contest that resulted in the trainers coming onto the field for a substantial amount of delays in play.
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Pacific nearly took the lead in the 13th minute when a low free kick from about 23 yards deflected en route to goal, landing in the arms of goalkeeper Andrea Stump.
The half played out with Pacific having the majority of possession in the offensive half, but there were minimal opportunities for either side.
Things picked up slightly in the second half. Pacific created a chance in the first minute of play when they took the ball up the right side and sent a low cross into the area where Kara Lankey one-timed it just wide of the right near post.
Two minutes later they had the most dangerous chances of the contest. A Pacific corner from the left was sent in to the near post where Lankey, Whitworth's Lindsey Foster and Stump all collided. Lankey's header caromed off the top of the post and dropped inside the box where the visitors had a couple more chances at an open goal only to have each attempt blocked.
In the 25th minute Courtney Potter had a break to goal for Whitworth, but she was stopped by a controversial tackle just inside the box that drew shouts for a penalty.
Whitworth nearly was gifted the win when a ball into the box with seven minutes left was headed back toward goal by Deanna Quadrel with pace, but it flashed wide of the left post.
A minute later though, the Pirates finally broke the stalemate with a long, hard shot from Potter on the right side that soared over the keeper's reach and into the back of the net in the 85th minute of the contest.
««« WOMEN »»» LINFIELD 1-0 WHITWORTH -- SUNDAY
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In the 13th minute a shot from about 13 yards out from Ellie Schmidt forced a nice diving save from the Stump in the first good opportunity of the match.
"Fantastic. Honestly, the score could have been higher today if she hadn't come up with the saves that she did," Whitworth head coach Jael Hagerott said of Stump's play on the weekend. "It builds confidence for the team that way. So for her, she can leave with her head high because she played well."
After a ball was played into the box was stopped by Pajimola in the 25th minute, it rebounded out to Schmidt for her second chance for the opener, but it sailed high off the mark from about 14 yards.
Schmidt again got another chance in the 32nd minute when was battling with Pajimola en route to goal. The ball popped out enough for her to fire from 12 yards, but Stump came up big with a fantastic reaction save from close range.
The visitors finally broke through with 10 minutes left in the half. A free kick sent in from about eight yards off the outer right corner of the area went into the box and took a couple ricochets before conference-leading scorer Emily Fellows put the loose ball away from about 10 yards.
After making five stops in the first half, Stump made seven more in the second half in an attempt to keep the Pirates in the contest as they searched for a way to break through at the other end.
In the 64th minute Schmidt got through the defense and slipped the ball to Fellows, who had come up the middle. Stump, though, seeing the danger closed some of the space and made a great stop on the shot from 15 yards out. The play not over, the ball rebounded back to Fellows, who dropped it back to Schmidt, who sent her effort from 16 yards off the crossbar.
Six minutes later Stump made another quick reaction save on a shot from Fellows, parrying it away from goal.
"We came away with a win and a loss, so for us I think it was a good performance by us yesterday. We've taken some injuries, so we changed systems - had a little bit of time to work on it this week. Today against Linfield; they are a very good team. They have powerful frontrunners and midfielders, and I think at times we struggled to deal with it."
««« MEN »»» PACIFIC 0-1 (OT) WHITWORTH -- SATURDAY
Like previous games, the Pirates dominated right from the beginning. Though several have seen it take a little time before they find the back of the net, none were quite as dramatic as Saturday's overtime decision against a side that came in with just two conference victories.
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Just three minutes into the contest it looked like they had the lead with a fantastic play. Sam Engle and Samual Jarrett paired with one another to work the ball up into the box where Jarrett's ball was blocked, ricocheting to Rylan Berriman, who dished it off to Eric Espinoza on his right, where his shot was deflected off the post by Thommasen.
Ramos then had a pair of chances, nearly nodding in a header at the far post on a corner in the fourth minute and then beating a defender a minute later just outside of the box and firing a shot from the edge of the area that forced a reaction save.
Ten minutes into the contest, the Pirates displayed their outstanding passing and movement with a great combination that finished with Jarrett on the left sending a diagonal ball into the right side of the box where Berriman knocked it down into the path of Engle, but he sliced his shot over the goal from about 13 yards.
In the 28th minute defender Spencer Wolff intercepted a poor pass in the offensive end and drove forward to deliver a quick pass to Karl Muelheims (Spokane, WA), who found Engle for a one-timer that forced a save at the near left post.
A corner with nine minutes before the break created a couple chances inside 10 yards, but nobody was able to finish the opportunity and three minutes later Colin Shockman (Spokane, WA) drove forward from midfield to find Jonah Snyder, who was running squarely left to right across the outside of the box. After receiving the ball he quickly fired to the far right post where Thommasen made a nice diving save to keep it scoreless.
Five minutes into the second half they came close again with Ramos taking the ball up the right side and crossing into the area. The ball soared just over the rising Robby Ubben inside the six, but dropped to Jarrett, who sent the ball over the goal.
A minute later the visitors got one of their only looks on goal when a gal inside the area was not cleared, leading to an open shot from Jake Passas at the top of the box, but it went just wide of the left post.
In the 72nd minute the Pirates thought they had the winner. Snyder got the ball forward to Zach Waldher, who leaped over the sliding tackle of Kellan McNamara (Missoula, MT) about 28 yards out, leaving him one-on-one with the keeper. Thommasen came out to challenge, dropping to make a tackle as Waldher took his shot about 15 yards out. It narrowly missed the keeper, but rolled just wide of the near right post, drawing groans from everyone in frustration.
The chances continued with Nathan Fosket putting a header from the left side on the top of the goal net with 14 minutes left and chance from Karl Muelheims (Spokane, WA) tipped wide with three left.
Between the chances, though, the visitors nearly stole the result with four minutes on the clock when Ian Farley (Spokane, WA) created a chance that was blocked, deflecting to Matt Kimball, whose acrobatic attempt missed.
A free kick three minutes into overtime by Shockman was parried away by Thommasen, who also stymied Jarrett's chance with a diving stop with 40 seconds remaining on a his running header off a cross.
The game-winning 43rd shot came with 103:42 on the clock courtesy a foul drawn by Snyder, who was posting up at the penalty arc with the ball, looking to hold the ball for an incoming teammate. Ramos stepped to the dead ball on the left side of the arc and rifled the shot past the wall and to the left of the diving keeper for the victory.
««« MEN »»» GEORGE FOX 1-2 (OT) WHITWORTH -- SUNDAY
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The crazy finish covered the span of 15 minutes with the visitors stunning the Pirates courtesy of local product Joab Logan (Sandpoint, ID), who made a fantastic individual effort. He made a great run from midfield in which he split three tightly swarming defenders on the right side, breaking through them into acres of space, firing past Shane Nishioka-Healy from about 22 yards in the 76th minute.
With seven minutes left the Bucs nearly had the equalizer when David Starkovich crossed the ball in from the left corner, finding the head of Ubben, who nodded it down toward goal from about nine yards. Berriman attempted to put it over with a diving header, but just couldn't quite reach it.
With just under three minutes left on the clock though, they found the equalizer when Berriman drove put he right side and crossed the ball into the area. Ubben was there again, this time glancing his header in from about six yards.
"Similar to yesterday, you just don't take your chances early," Whitworth head coach Morgan Cathey said of Whitworth needing late results. "I thought we had a clear penalty three minutes into the game, and that changes everything. We created enough chances to put the game away, but we waited until three minutes to go."
Unlike the rest of the game, the Bucs wasted no time getting the winner. Moments Ubben made a great run up the right side with a defender on his shoulder, getting around him and shooting from in close. The attempt banged off the post, however, and ricocheted in the box before coming to Eric Espinoza, who also hit the post. The ball remained alive before Jarrett finally billowed the back of the net, not surprisingly hitting the post along the way, ending the the game after just 32 seconds of extra time.
"I have full faith in our guys that we can do that," Cathey said of getting goals, no matter how late. "Tried to get them to keep doing what they are doing; even at halftime I told them to keep doing what you are doing. Then in extra time I said you just got to go out there and finish the first chance that comes. Don't wait 'til 10 minutes. Don't wait to maybe have them grow in belief in us lacking confidence. A chance is gonna come in the first few minutes and you gotta take it. And they did, so that was good."
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The game started off a bit slowly for the hosts as it was Senior Day and the lineup featured a number of reserve players for the majority of the first half, allowing the Bruins to keep the game fairly even as Whitworth tried to find the usual flow of play.
Six minutes into the game Ubben had a great touch to bring the ball down mid-air at the sideline to keep it in, deftly beating the crashing defender at the same time. He drove to goal, colliding with a defender and recovering to send a 20-yard effort that swerved just over the bar that forced the keeper to make an anxious leap in case.
The visitors had the next two good looks with a free kick from outside the corner of the area after Tony Watters (Bend, OR) crashed into the Bruin with a breakaway chance. The free kick went into the box and pinged back out to the left side where a nicely driven shot was sent just over the goal. Five minutes later Myles Sorokovsky ripped a shot that whistled wide of the right post from about 22 yards.
With about 90 seconds left in the half a series of looping headers created some anxiety in the box for the visitors, but the Bucs were not able to put the ball over the line.
Whitworth had a pair of chances to take control in the second half, getting a look early when Aaron Yanagi took a nice shot fro the right side of the area five minutes in. In the 67th Ramos drove into the area with the ball, dishing it off to Engle, who missed wide.
The missed left the door wide open for the Bruins, and ultimately the wild finish.
"It is what it is," he said of two late wins. "Two wins and now we are two points behind the team that we play Saturday for the Northwest Conference championship so that's exciting. Regardless, we put ourselves in a good position. We did what we needed to do these last two games, and now we have all to play for on Saturday. It will be fun, super exciting."
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October 20-26 | Upcoming games PT & conference matches unless noted (NL)
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE - MEN
Saturday, October 25
George Fox 1-3 Whitman
It was a busy first half with all the scoring coming in the first 45. Paul Riley gave the hosts the lead in the eighth minute off a cross from Marcos Medina (Walla Walla, WA) and Jose Beleche (Walla Walla, WA) doubled the lead in the 21st on a through ball from Bridger Sellegren (Bozeman, MT) that put him one-on-one with the goalkeeper, whom he side-stepped for an empty net finish. Joab Logan (Sandpoint, ID) answered for George Fox five minutes later on the rebound of a teammate's blocked shot, but Quin Nelson restored the two-goal margin in the 34th for the hosts when he got behind the defense and when the keeper challenged, lofted a hopeful ball toward the far post. MORE [+]
Willamette 3-2 Pacific Lutheran
After falling behind in the 39th, Sebastian Mortimer (Moscow, ID) pulled the Bearcats even with the hosts in the 43rd minute with the team's first equalizer in their comeback victory.
Sunday, October 26
Pacific 1-0 (OT) Whitman
With the Boxers having gone nearly the distance the day before in Spokane, Ian Farley (Spokane, WA) broke the stalemate in favor of the visitors, who were outshot 19-10, in the ninth minute of overtime, heading in a cross. MORE [+]
Linfield 0-3 Pacific Lutheran
Willamette 1-0 Puget Sound
Standings: Willamette 9-1-1... Whitworth 8-1-2... Puget Sound 8-2-1... Pacific Lutheran 5-6-0... Linfield 4-6-1... Whitman 4-7-0... Pacific 3-7-1... George Fox 0-11-0 [Season ends Nov 8 | No conference tournament]
Coming Up
::: Saturday, November 1
Whitman @ Linfield 1:30
Whitworth @ Willamette 1:30
Puget Sound @ George Fox 1:30
Pacific Lutheran @ Pacific 1:30
::: Sunday, November 2
Whitman @ Willamette 1:30
Whitworth @ Linfield 1:30
Pacific Lutheran @ George Fox 1:30
Puget Sound @ Pacific 1:30
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE - WOMEN
Saturday, October 25
Linfield 1-0 Whitman
The visitors grabbed the lead 14 minutes into the contest and never let go as they outshot the Missionaries 18-4 in the one-sided affair, eliciting seven saves from Haley Case. MORE [+]
Pacific Lutheran 1-0 George Fox
Puget Sound 2-0 Willamette
Pacific 0-2 Whitman
A through ball from Lena de Guzman put Clara Merlino on a break that put the Missionaries on the board just three minutes into the match. The goal would have been enough on the day in the wet, blustery conditions, but a cracking shot from Brianna Brown in the 70th minute rebounded off the crossbar to Danielle Wieck for some insurance. Haley Case made six saves in the shutout performance. MORE [+]
Puget Sound 4-0 George Fox
Annie Prickett (Bozeman, MT) scored the opening goal in the 50th minute for the Loggers.
Pacific Lutheran 1-0 Lewis & Clark
Standings: Puget Sound 10-2-0... Pacific Lutheran 10-2-0... Linfield 9-3-0... Lewis & Clark 7-4-1... Whitman 6-5-2... Whitworth 4-9-0... George Fox 3-8-1... Pacific 2-9-1... Willamette 1-10-1 [Season ends Nov 8 | No conference tournament]
Coming Up
::: Saturday, November 1
Whitman @ Lewis & Clark 10:00
Whitworth @ Willamette 12:00
Pacific Lutheran @ Pacific 11:00
George Fox @ Linfield 11:00
::: Sunday, November 2
Whitman @ Willamette 11:00
Whitworth @ Lewis & Clark 12:00
Puget Sound @ Linfield 11:00
George Fox @ Pacific 11:00
GREAT NORTHWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE - WOMEN
Western Oregon 3-2 Northwest Nazarene
The Crusaders grabbed the lead 29 minutes into the contest when Sarah Blum (Troy, ID) connected with Nicole Nsa, and held the advantage until a wild final second half. The visitors tied it up in the 54th and claimed the lead in the 66th. NNU then lost Laura Seymour (Spokane Valley, WA) to a red card in the 83rd, but Lexi Fesenbek drove a free kick from the left side of the box to Makena Dandley, who tied it up with a header in the 87th. The assist was Fesenbek's 11th of the year, breaking the program's single-season mark set in 1999 and 2001. Less than 30 seconds later, though, a goal from about 18 yards was put over the keeper by the visitors for the win. MORE [+]
Saint Martin's 0-2 MSU-Billings
Central Washington 2-1 Simon Fraser
With starting keeper Kayla Lipston a late scratch due to illness, Sydney Williams did well in her debut and freshman striker Mackenzie Nolte scored twice to lead the Wildcats to the win, beating the keeper one-on-one in the first half and putting them back in front in the second half on a free kick she headed off the post before she knocked it back in. MORE [+]
Saturday, October 25
Saint Martin's 1-0 Northwest Nazarene
Locked in a stalemate much of the contest, the visitors finally prevailed for the winning goal with nine minutes left on the clock. Daniele Ortiz made six saves for the Crusaders in the loss with Sunny De Boer (Meridian, ID) making a matching six stops for the shutout at the other end. MORE [+]
Western Oregon 0-1 MSU-Billings
A nice moment of play in the 28th provided the deciding goal when Dana Lubieniecki drove up the right flank and sent the ball in to Spang, who quickly dished the ball back for a quick strike into the far upper corner. Krystal Daniels was not called upon to make a save as they outshot the visitors 11-3. MORE [+]
Outshot 24-8 in the contest, the Wildcats held on to finish the trip unbeaten, playing to a scoreless stalemate against the 20th-ranked Vikings on their home turf. Kayla Lipston made seven saves for Wildcats in the shutout, ending the Vikings' run of 20 consecutive wins at home. MORE [+]
Seattle Pacific 2-1 Simon Fraser
Standings: Western Washington 9-0-3... MSU-Billings 7-3-2... Seattle Pacific 7-3-2... Central Washington 6-3-3... Western Oregon 4-4-4... Northwest Nazarene 3-8-1... Saint Martin's 2-9-1... Simon Fraser 2-10-0... [Season ends Nov 1 | Four playoff berths]
Coming Up - ** FINAL GAMES **
::: Thursday, October 30
Saint Martin's @ Central Washington 3:00
Simon Fraser @ MSU-Billings 3:00
Western Washington @ Northwest Nazarene 4:00
Western Oregon @ Seattle Pacific 7:00
::: Saturday, November 1
Seattle Pacific @ Central Washington 11:00
MSU-Billings @ Northwest Nazarene 12:00
Western Oregon @ Saint Martin's 2:00
Western Washington @ Simon Fraser 5:00
GREAT NORTHWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE - MEN
Thursday, October 23
The visitors scored nine minutes into the match with a 35-yard effort that soared over goalkeeper Alfredo Ontiveros, and it stood as the deciding goal. It was not for a lack of trying though as Rene Duevel sent a shot off the left post in the 17th and Erik Anderson (Boise, ID) put a bicycle-kick effort off the crossbar in the 27th that caromed down in front of the goal-line. The visitors hung on despite playing 36 minutes down a man following a red card. MORE [+]
Western Washington 2-1 MSU-Billings
Rhys Lambert headed in a Sam Butterworth free kick 17 minutes in, but the visitors rallied to the win with back-to-back goals. Derek Zimmerman (Pasco, WA) scored the equalizer off a corner kick in the 28th and the Vikings tallied what stood as the winner two minutes later. MORE [+]
Mary 4-1 Saint Martin's
South Dakota Mines 0-6 Seattle Pacific
Saturday, October 25
The Crusaders rebounded from their loss with Julio Castillo and Erik Anderson combining to set up Rene Duevel for the go-ahead goal 10 minutes into the contest. Castillo would add some insurance four minutes into the second half, nodding in a free kick from Jaime Verdin. Alfredo Ontiveros made six saves for the shutout. MORE [+]
Simon Fraser 3-1 MSU-Billings
The resurgent Clan completed their road trip with a sweep, getting three goals in the first 24 minute to roll to the win. A throw-in from Butterworth was put away from close range by Colin Ralston, but the 83rd minute goal was not enough. MORE [+]
South Dakota Mines 2-5 Saint Martin's
Perry McNamar (Richland, WA) set up the Saints' third goal two minutes before the intermission and pushed the lead to four eight minutes into the second half. After the visitors scored, he restored the four-goal margin with his second goal in the 71st.
Mary 0-1 Seattle Pacific
Standings: Seattle Pacific 11-0-0... Northwest Nazarene 8-2-1... Simon Fraser 6-3-2... Western Washington 5-5-1... MSU-Billings 5-5-1... Mary 3-7-1... Saint Martin's 3-8-0... South Dakota Mines 0-11-0 [Season ends Nov 8 | No conference tournament]
Coming Up
::: Thursday, October 30
Saint Martin's @ MSU-Billings 1:00
Seattle Pacific @ Northwest Nazarene 1:30
South Dakota Mines @ Western Washington 7:00
Mary @ Simon Fraser 7:30
::: Saturday, November 1
Seattle Pacific @ MSU-Billings 2:00
Saint Martin's @ Northwest Nazarene 3:00
Mary @ Western Washington 7:00
South Dakota Mines @ Simon Fraser 7:30
DIVISION II NOTES
Malia Maack (Spokane, WA) and Allison Jordan (Spokane, WA) again led the New Mexico Highlands defense in a pair of big results as they defeated Colorado Mesa 2-1 on the road and to a stunning 1-1 draw versus eighth-ranked MSU-Denver.
««« Action Photos: Gerald Barnhart »»»
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