In the Northwest Conference, the story remains the Whitworth women, who finished the first swing through opponents unbeaten for one of the best starts in program history. Midweek they won a squeaker against rival Whitman and on the weekend they topped Linfield on the road in a close contest. On a quiet weekend on the men's side the Pirates completed the sweep against the Blues in a back-and-forth affair to pull even with Whitman in the table. The defending champions, though, still sit three games back of the leaders.
In the Cascade Conference the Eastern Oregon women continue to reign supreme with two more victories pushing them to 6-0-0 in the league, giving them a two-game points advantage over the rest. Rocky Mountain, though, swept fellow Montana foes Carroll and Providence on the road for a 4-1-0 mark to keep within striking distance of the Mountaineers. The RMC men did the same to advance their record to 6-1-0, sitting three points back of the leaders as part of a top four that have one or no losses.
Through games of Sunday, October 8
DII GNAC UPDATE - WOMEN ####
10/5 Central Washington 0-3 Northwest Nazarene
The Crusaders grabbed control in the first 14 minutes with a through ball from Ashley Cook-Cox (Spokane, WA) setting up Rikki Myers in the 12th minute for the opener and Madi Taylor (Lewiston, ID) converting a penalty in the 14th. Myers turned provider in the second half, connecting with Taylor for her second of the game. Daniele Ortiz made three saves for the shutout.
10/5 Simon Fraser 1-4 MSU-Billings
The Yellowjackets picked up their first conference win on an incredible day from Alycia Wright. She scored the opener three minutes in via Jessica Spang (Billings, MT) and then her blocked shot in the 15th was put away by Span on the rebound to double the lead. The visitors made it a one-goal game just before the break, but Wright wasn't done. She scored from about 15 yards in the 81st and against from close range off a through ball from Jordan Devoto (Wilsall, MT) in the 85th.
10/5 Seattle Pacific 0-1 Western Washington
The Vikings won the showdown of the top two teams in the league.
10/5 Concordia 4-0 Saint Martin's
Defender Kasey Ames (Spokane, WA) scored the third goal for the Cavaliers in addition to helping lead in the shutout performance.
10/7 Seattle Pacific 0-1 OT Northwest Nazarene
In the opening minute of overtime Madi Taylor made the decisive play, stealing a back passing and beating the keeper one-on-one for the winning strike. Daniele Ortiz made four saves for her second clean sheet of the weekend.
10/7 Western Oregon 2-0 Central Washington
The Wolves picked their first win with goals in the 46th and 58th minutes despite being outshot by the Wildcats 18-4.
10/7 Saint Martin's 2-0 MSU-Billings
The Saints earned their first win, scoring in the 27th and 75th minutes.
10/7 Simon Fraser 0-3 Concordia
Defender McKenna Stocker (Spokane, WA) set up the opening goal for the Cavaliers.
Standings (W-L-T... Pts)
Western Washington 6-0-0... 18
Concordia 5-0-1... 16
Northwest Nazarene 5-2-0... 15
Seattle Pacific 4-3-0... 12
Simon Fraser 3-4-0... 9
Western Oregon 1-4-1... 4
Saint Martin's 1-4-1... 4
MSU-Billings 1-5-1... 4
Central Washington 0-4-2... 2
DII GNAC UPDATE - MEN ####
10/5 Northwest Nazarene 1-3 Simon Fraser
After initially falling behind on a turnover Raphael Junquiera scored from about 10 yards out to tie it up in the 25th. The hosts, though, scored just before the break and again in the final minute of the match for the win.
10/7 Northwest Nazarene 0-0 Western Washington
Outshot 21-14 by the unbeaten league leaders, the Crusaders earned the draw thanks to eight saves from Jacob Hillyer.
10/7 MSU-Billings 0-1 Simon Fraser
A 30-yard free kick in the 40th minute proved to be the difference in the contest.
10/5 Seattle Pacific 0-2 Western Washington
10/5 Concordia 2-2 Saint Martin's
10/7 Seattle Pacific 2-1 Concordia
Standings (W-L-T... Pts)
Western Washington 4-0-1... 13
Simon Fraser 3-1-1... 10
Seattle Pacific 3-2-1... 10
MSU-Billings 3-2-0... 9
Northwest Nazarene 1-3-1... 4
Concordia 1-3-1... 4
Saint Martin's 0-4-1... 1
DIII NWC UPDATE - WOMEN ####
10/4 Whitman 0-1 Whitworth
The Pirates' unbeaten run continued with their midweek rivalry contest against Whitman, which gave them a pretty good contest despite sitting bottom of the table. The Blues did well to limit Whitworth's quality of chances, but at the 40-minute mark Sarah Cool and Courtney Potter combined to set up Michele Whan for a nice effort from about 20 yards out. The goal stood as the winner with Allie Seracuse ultimately making six stops for the Blues to keep it close. At the other end Molly Webster (CC Spokane) finished with four saves for the shutout. INWsn Gameday [+]
10/7 Whitworth 3-2 Linfield
The Bucs fell behind five minutes in off a long, looping shot over Molly Webster, but the Pirates answered quickly with McKenzie Hemp (Kalispell, MT) answering in the 13th. Katie Bischoff (Spokane, WA) put Whitworth in front just before the break, scoring on a free kick for the third time this season in the 42nd minute. Kelly Wucherer added an important insurance goal in the 59th courtesy of Leah Corra that would prove to be the winner with the hosts scoring once more in the 72nd.
10/8 Whitman 0-4 Linfield
The Blues trailed by just one at the break, but the hosts scored three in the opening 16 minutes of the second half to secure the win.
10/8 Lewis & Clark 0-1 OT Pacific Lutheran
Chris Trussel (Wenatchee, WA) set up the lone goal for the Lutes in the 109th minute.
10/7 Pacific 0-2 Lewis & Clark
10/7 Willamette 0-0 Puget Sound
10/7 George Fox 0-5 Pacific Lutheran
10/8 George Fox 2-0 Willamette
10/8 Pacific 0-2 Puget Sound
Standings (W-L-T... Pts)
Whitworth 7-0-1... 22
Pacific Lutheran 7-1-0... 21
Puget Sound 4-2-2... 14
Linfield 4-3-1... 13
Willamette 4-3-1... 13
George Fox 3-3-2... 11
Whitman 1-6-1... 4
Lewis & Clark 1-6-1... 4
Pacific 0-7-1... 1
DIII NWC UPDATE - MEN ####
10/6 George Fox 1-2 OT Pacific
Trevor Martin (Spokane, WA) set up the equalizer for George Fox in the loss.
10/7 Whitworth 3-2 Whitman
The battle of rivals proved to be a thriller that went came down to the final moments. The hosts grabbed the lead seven minutes in when Ben Freedman set up CJ Fritz (Bend, OR) for the opener, but Eric Espinoza pulled the Pirates level seven minutes later off a ball from Jonah Snyder. Whitworth took the lead into the break with a 37th minute tally from Ethan Kem, and held the advantage until Noah Cavanaugh went on a long drive for the Blues and scored in the 82nd minute. Snyder, though, quickly replied volleying a ball from Espinoza two minutes later for the winner.
10/7 Puget Sound 0-1 OT Pacific Lutheran
10/7 Linfield 0-1 Willamette
Standings (W-L-T... Pts)
Willamette 6-0-1... 19
Pacific Lutheran 4-2-1... 13
Puget Sound 4-3-0... 12
Pacific 4-3-0... 12
Whitman 3-3-1... 10
Whitworth 3-3-1... 10
George Fox 2-5-0... 6
Linfield 0-7-0... 0
NAIA CCC UPDATE - WOMEN ####
10/6 Rocky Mountain 1-0 Carroll
A penalty converted by Mikale Miller in the 65th minute proved the difference despite the Saints holding a 15-8 advantage in shots. The penalty was one of the two that were on target for the Bears, who got 11 saves from Maia Wetzel (Helena, MT) at the other end for the shutout.
10/6 College of Idaho 0-1 Providence
Sydney Knieriem scored off a free kick from about 30 yards out with just over a minute remaining to give the Argos the win. Dakota Neumann and Malena Lennon combined for the shutout.
10/6 Eastern Oregon 4-0 Southern Oregon
Taylor Boyer set up Natalie Mitchell in the eighth minute and scored herself after driving past the defense in the 33rd minute. She fired a long shot from about 28 yards in the 59th to push the lead to three. Mitchell closed out the scoring two minutes later and Cydni Cottrell (Pasco, WA) finished with three saves for the shutout.
10/7 Eastern Oregon 2-0 Oregon Tech
Nan Kiebert broke the stalemate in the 70th minute and Taylor Boyer scored her third of the weekend with a long shot in the 80th minute to lock up the result. Cydni Cottrell made four saves for another clean sheet.
10/7 Rocky Mountain 2-1 Providence
The Bears grabbed the lead in the 36th when a shot from Lauryn Gamache went in off the hands of goalkeeper Malena Lennon, a field player filling in for Dakota Neumann, who went out injured the day prior. A corner from Sydney Knieriem was knocked in by Madison Quinn for an equalizer in the 60th but Gamache hit the winner for the visitors on a perfectly-placed 20 yard free kick with 10 minutes remaining.
10/7 Corban 2-1 Northwest Christian
Corban's Lexi McQueary (Kennewick, WA) scored the opening goal 11 minutes into the contest and Macy Goodwin (Pocatello, ID) set up the second tally for the Warriors in the 63rd.
10/8 College of Idaho 1-0 Carroll
In a tight contest Hailey Boyd's (Boise, ID) goal off a Sabrina Mallett corner in the 78th minute proved the difference. Brittany Houghton made two saves for the shutout in a game that saw four combined shots on target.
10/6 Warner Pacific 0-3 Oregon Tech
10/7 Warner Pacific 1-3 Southern Oregon
Standings (W-L-T... Pts)
Eastern Oregon 6-0-0... 18
Corban 4-2-1... 13
Rocky Mountain 4-1-0... 12
Oregon Tech 4-2-0... 12
Southern Oregon 4-2-0... 12
Providence 3-3-0... 9
College of Idaho 2-3-0... 6
Northwest 2-3-0... 6
Carroll 1-3-2... 5
Warner Pacific 1-3-2... 5
Northwest Christian 1-6-0... 3
Evergreen 0-4-1... 1
NAIA CCC UPDATE - MEN ####
10/6 College of Idaho 1-0 Providence
Ben Bechor scored on a ball from Guilherme Siqueira with just over 15 minutes remaining in the contest for the Yotes. Grant Billings (Boise, ID) made three saves for the shutout.
10/6 Rocky Mountain 1-0 Carroll
A goal from Matthew Thomas in the 23rd minute stood as the game-winner for the Bears. Cole Catlin (Billings, MT) made six saves in the clean sheet.
10/6 Eastern Oregon 0-1 Southern Oregon
Kelly Gieber (Bend, OR) set up the lone goal with a corner in the 55th minute.
10/6 Warner Pacific 0-3 Oregon Tech
Brennan Gazdik (Boise, ID) set up the opening goal in the 18th minute and Kelly Kyllo (Spokane, WA) tallied the second just two minutes later.
10/6 Evergreen 6-0 Walla Walla
Jorge Villegas (Sunnyside, WA / Walla Walla CC) made five saves for the Geoducks for the shutout.
10/7 Rocky Mountain 3-0 Providence
Luca Wiechers scored in the 33rd minute for the Bears and Alexander Taylor took advantage of a poor clearance in the 44th for command going into the break. Jace Beck locked up the result with a penalty in the 68th and Cole Catlin finished with two saves in the shutout performance.
10/7 Eastern Oregon 1-3 Oregon Tech
Brennan Gazdik gave the Owls the lead just two minutes into the contest and Colton Grytness (Rathdrum, ID) set up the second in the 34th. Jesus Trejo closed the gap for the Mountaineers in the 82nd minute but Grytness secured the victory with a breakaway goal just after the resulting kick-off.
10/7 Evergreen 3-1 Multnomah
Ryan Mulnick (McCall, ID) scored the opening goal on a second chance off a corner in the 23rd minute and Esau Vazquez (Kennewick, WA / Walla Walla CC) set up the second goal in the 31st.
10/8 College of Idaho 0-4 Carroll
Terry Cox (Spokane, WA) gave the Saints the lead with a chip over the keeper from about 35 yards out in the 18th minute. Kyle Thomson (Bigfork, MT) doubled the advantage four minutes into the second half when he nodded in a cross from Paolo Georgiades. He went on help set up the third from Jose Porres in the 64th and score again on another cross from Georgiades in the 75th. Bernhardt Di Cino (Boise, ID) made four saves for the shutout and earned an assist with his punt that led to the third goal.
10/8 Northwest 7-0 Walla Walla
Jake Morse (Spokane, WA) scored the sixth goal for the Eagles.
10/6 Northwest 4-0 Multnomah
10/7 Warner Pacific 0-3 Southern Oregon
10/7 Corban 0-0 Northwest Christian
Standings (W-L-T... Pts)
Southern Oregon 7-1-0... 21
Corban 6-0-1... 19
Rocky Mountain 6-1-0... 18
Northwest 5-1-1... 16
Evergreen 4-2-1... 13
Oregon Tech 4-4-0... 12
College of Idaho 4-3-0... 12
Carroll 4-4-0... 12
Providence 4-4-0... 12
Northwest Christian 3-2-2... 11
Eastern Oregon 2-4-1... 7
Multnomah 0-8-0... 0
Walla Walla 0-9-0... 0
Warner Pacific 0-6-0... 0
LOWER DIVISION NOTES ####
DII - Defender Natalie Wheelock (Coeur d'Alene, ID) scored the opening goal on a 30-yard free kick for Adams State in a 5-0 road win at Black Hills State... Megan Lowery (Hayden, ID / North Idaho College) scored the opener off a corner kick and Caylin Cathey (Billings, MT) the second on a penalty for Mary in a 2-1 road win against Minnesota Duluth... Rikki Fix (Boise, ID) scored the opener on a ball from Lizzie Thometz (Boise, ID) and Maggie Saras (Boise, ID) set up the second in Regis' 2-0 win against CSU-Pueblo and Akina Fujimoto (Meridian, ID) scored the fourth goal in their 6-0 win against New Mexico Highlands.
DIII - Ruby Kazemi (Missoula, MT) helped set up the equalizer for Carleton College in a 2-2 draw against St Olaf College... Tyson Ricks (Idaho Falls, ID) scored the second goal for Southern Virginia in a 7-3 win against Wesley.
NAIA - Kylie Stephens (Boise, ID) registered an assist in Hastings' 7-0 win versus Doane.
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