Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Lower Division Updates 10.31.17: Postseason Set for GNAC, CCC After Dramatic Finishes

The big showdown finally came in Bellingham Sunday with Corban and Western Washington squaring off in a battle of the unbeatens for the GNAC Women's Regular Season Championship. Concordia earned the win away from home, snapping numerous record streaks held by the second-ranked Vikings. Among them were:

   - 39 game win streak
   - 30 game home win streak (tied 7th longest in DII history)
   - 64 game unbeaten streak v GNAC opponents (2nd longest in DII history)
   - 29 game win streak v GNAC opponents
   - 45 game streak with a goal
   - 50 game unbeaten streak v West Region opponents

The MSU-Billings men kept playoff hopes alive, beating top team Simon Fraser and third-place Western Washington to move to third. The race tightened further with NNU playing Simon Fraser to a draw. The top four are now separated by four points with two match days remaining, including a tough pair of games for Simon Fraser against Western Washington and the new league leader Seattle Pacific.

Another league leader also suffered losses in the NWC with Whitworth dropping both games in the annual tough trip to face the duo of Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran. Though they trail PLU now by five points, the Pirates, enjoying one of their best season in program history, are still mathematically alive going into the final week of play.

On the men's side, Whitworth and Whitman both kept their positions as third and fourth in the league with a sweep of George Fox and Pacific.

In the Cascade Conference Rocky Mountain College finished second in both tables as the Eastern Oregon women captured its first league championship by winning both games to keep in one point in front of the Bears. On the men's side, a draw at Evergreen for the Bears allowed Southern Oregon to pull even and take the title on tiebreakers. The CCC tournaments begin Friday in Springfield, Oregon for both the men and women.

DII GNAC UPDATE - WOMEN ####

10/26 Western Washington 3-1 Northwest Nazarene
Trailing by two at the break, the Nighthawks got on the board 20 seconds into the second half through Madi Taylor (Lewiston, ID / Treasure Valley CC). The Vikings, though, locked up the result with another goal in the 78th.

10/26 Central Washington 1-6 Concordia
The Cavaliers scored twice in the first half and added two in the second before Mackenzie Nolte got the Wildcats on the board in the 72nd via a Whitney Lowe cross, making her the program's All-Time Goals leader. Concordia then added two more.

10/28 MSU-Billings 0-2 Central Washington
The Wildcats finally picked up their first conference win of the season on the final day of the campaign. KK Wallace scored both, tallying in the 27th again in the 56th on a ball from Whitney Lowe.

10/28 Saint Martin's 1-4 Northwest Nazarene
The Nighthawks bounced back with a big win to close out the season. Rikki Myers scored the lone goal of the first half in the 16th minute. The Saints evened things up in the second half but NNU answered with Hannah Holm (Spokane, WA) setting up Ashley Cook-Cox (Spokane, WA) to reclaim the lead. Another goal from Myers pushed the lead to two on an assist from Madi Taylor. Cassandra Clarke (Blackfoot, ID / Treasure Valley CC) rounded out the scoring in the 86th.

10/28 Concordia 2-0 Western Washington
Defenders McKenna Stocker (Spokane, WA) and Katie Greene (Spokane, WA) started and helped lead the Cavaliers to the win in the battle of the unbeatens, capturing the regular season GNAC title and ending Western Washington's lengthy home and overall unbeaten streaks.

Other Scores
10/26 Saint Martin's 0-8 Simon Fraser
10/26 Western Oregon 0-1 Seattle Pacific
10/28 Simon Fraser 1-2 Western Oregon

Final Standings (W-L-T... Pts)
Concordia 11-0-1... 34#
Western Washington 11-1-0... 33^
Seattle Pacific 8-4-0... 24^
Northwest Nazarene 8-4-0... 24^
Simon Fraser 5-7-0... 15
Western Oregon 2-8-2... 8
MSU-Billings 2-8-2... 8
Saint Martin's 2-9-1... 7
Central Washington 1-9-2... 5
^Clinched playoff berth / Regular Season Champion

GNAC Tournament (Portland, OR / times PT)
Thursday, November 2
3-Seattle Pacific v 2-Western Washington 4:00
4-Northwest Nazarene v 1-Concordia 7:00
Saturday, November 4
Championship 1:00

DII GNAC UPDATE - MEN ####

10/26 Western Washington 0-0 Northwest Nazarene
The Nighthawks outshot the Vikings 17-10, but had to settle for the draw behind the shutout performance of Alex Basulto (Nampa, ID) with six saves.

10/26 Simon Fraser 1-2 MSU-Billings
The Yellowjackets topped the league leaders, rallying for the upset with SFU scoring at the 30-minute mark. Eight minutes later Guillaume Kremer scored on a free kick from about 25 yards out to even things up. In the second half Eli Williams (Spokane, WA) connected with Victor Sanchez in the 52nd minute for the win.

10/28 Western Washington 0-2 MSU-Billings
The two were locked in a stalemate for over an hour before a shot from JD Hauenstein (Spokane, WA) was saved, rebounding to Niklas Schregel for the finish in the 66th. Guillaume Kremer put an exclamation point on the win with a 20-yard free kick strike with 36 seconds remaining. Tom Lohmann only needed to make two stops for the shutout.

10/28 Simon Fraser 2-2 Northwest Nazarene
Michael Bryant put the Nighthawks in front against the powerhouse, tallying in the seventh minute. Simon Fraser responded quickly just four minutes later and took the lead at the half-hour mark. Jake Levine (Spokane, WA), however, scored the equalizer with 13 seconds left in the half on an assist from Linus Mansson, who also set up the first. The rest of the contest went scoreless with Alex Basulto making 10 saves over the course of the second half and overtime.

10/28 Saint Martin's 1-3 Seattle Pacific
Travis Swallow (Coeur d'Alene, ID) scored the third goal for SPU with Sam Rucklos (Boise, ID) contributing on the assist. Sebastian Navarro (Yakima, WA) then set up the goal for the Saints in the second half.

Other Scores
10/26 Concordia 2-3 OT Seattle Pacific

Final Standings (W-L-T... Pts)
Seattle Pacific 7-3-1... 22
Simon Fraser 6-2-2... 20
MSU-Billings 6-5-0... 18
Western Washington 5-3-2... 17
Northwest Nazarene 3-4-3... 12
Concordia 3-6-1... 10
Saint Martin's 1-8-1... 4
- No tournament

Remaining Conference Games
11/02: MSU-Billings @ Saint Martin's, Concordia @ Northwest Nazarene, Western Washington @ Simon Fraser
11/04: Northwest Nazarene @ Saint Martin's, Seattle Pacific @ Simon Fraser, Concordia @ Western Washington

DIII NWC UPDATE - WOMEN ####

10/28 Whitman 1-4 Pacific Lutheran
The Lutes led by one going into the second half Pagan Hetherington scoring from long range in the 53rd to tie it up. The hosts, though, tallied three unanswered.

10/28 Whitworth 1-2 Puget Sound
A long shot from just outside the box put the Loggers in front in the 27th minute, but Katie Bischoff tied things back up in the 43rd. Lura Morton (Moscow, ID), though, nodded in a corner kick seven minutes into the second half to top the Pirates.

10/29 Whitman 0-2 Puget Sound
The Loggers scored four minutes in and locked up the result with a second in the 74th.

10/29 Whitworth 0-2 Pacific Lutheran
The Lutes scored twice in the first half and did not allow a shot by the Pirates in the second to get the win.

Other Scores
10/25 Willamette 3-1 Lewis & Clark
10/28 Pacific 2-2 Willamette
10/28 George Fox 1-2 OT Linfield
10/29 Lewis & Clark 1-2 George Fox
10/29 Linfield 0-0 Pacific

Standings (W-L-T... Pts)
Pacific Lutheran 12-2-0... 36
Puget Sound 10-2-2... 32
Whitworth 10-3-1... 31
Willamette 8-4-2... 26
George Fox 6-6-2... 20
Linfield 6-6-2... 20
Lewis & Clark 2-11-1... 7
Whitman 2-11-1... 7
Pacific 0-11-3... 3

Remaining Games
10/26: Whitworth @ Whitman
11/04: Linfield @ Whitworth, Pacific Lutheran @ George Fox, Puget Sound @ Willamette, Lewis & Clark @ Pacific
11/05: Linfield @ Whitman, Pacific Lutheran @ Lewis & Clark, Puget Sound @ Pacific, Willamette @ George Fox

DIII NWC UPDATE - MEN ####

10/27 Whitworth 2-1 George Fox
The Pirates got back to their winning form after last Sunday's heartbreaker, but it took a dramatic finish. Trailing since Trevor Martin (Spokane, WA) set up the Bruins opener in the 12th minute, Whitworth finally found an equalizer with a goal from Jonah Snyder with 69 seconds remaining. A follow-up chance on a corner in overtime was put away by Tyler Pangia in the 97th minute for the victory.

10/27 Whitman 1-0 Pacific 
R Eastland-Fruit scored in a scramble in the 33rd minute on an assist form Jacob Fritz (Bend, OR) to give the Blues the win. Owen Davis-Bower made two saves for the shutout.

10/28 Linfield 1-2 OT Puget Sound 
After allowing the opening goal in the 85th, Luke Murdock (Boise, ID) scored the equalizer with just 13 seconds remaining. He went on to score the game-winner as well in the 104th.

10/29 Whitworth 2-1 Pacific 
Another day, another comeback win. This time the match went scoreless into the second half before the Boxers got on the board in the 57th. Jonah Snyder's equalizer came earlier this time, tying things up in the 78th. It gave the Pirates time to get the winner in regulation with Daniel Alcarez doing the honors in the 88th.

10/29 Whitman 6-0 George Fox
The Blues got hot early with CJ Fritz (Bend, OR) scoring in the 10th and 13th minutes. Noah Cavanaugh converted a penalty in the 28th and Fritz set up David Chavarin in the 32nd minute. Cavanaugh scored off a free kick int eh 53rd and Sam Johnson capped the scoring off a rebounded save in the 63rd. Three different keepers saw action for the Blues, who did not allow a shot on goal in the contest.

10/29 Linfield 1-4 Pacific Lutheran
Joe Sammartino (Boise, ID) scored the first two goals for the Lutes as they rolled to the win.

10/29 Willamette 0-1 Puget Sound
Sam Gonzalez (Boise, ID) set up the game-winning strike in the 96th minute.

Other Scores
10/28 Willamette 1-2 Pacific Lutheran

Standings (W-L-T... Pts)
Pacific Lutheran 9-2-2... 29
Willamette 8-3-2... 26
Whitworth 8-4-1... 25
Whitman 7-3-3... 24
Puget Sound 7-5-1... 22
Pacific 5-7-1... 16
George Fox 2-10-1... 7
Linfield 0-12-1... 1

Remaining Games
11/04: Whitman @ Whitworth, Pacific Lutheran @ Puget Sound, Willamette @ Linfield, Pacific @ George Fox

NAIA CCC UPDATE - WOMEN ####

10/27 Northwest Christian 0-2 Eastern Oregon
Cailin Koupal broke the deadlock at the hour mark for the Mountaineers and Taylor Boyer put a stamp on the victory in the 88th. The defense allowed just three shots on goal that Cydni Cottrell (Pasco, WA) had to save.

10/27 Rocky Mountain 2-0 Evergreen
Hannah Borgel scored in the final minute of the first half and tallied a second in the 63rd minute on a ball from Lauryn Gamache. Maia Wetzel (Helena, MT) and Samantha Kelley combined for the shutout.

10/27 College of Idaho 1-2 Northwest
Hailey Woods (Meridian, ID) scored the opener just 64 seconds in and the Yotes held the advantage into the second half despite being outshot 12-5 in the first half. Rylee Rassier (Spokane, WA), though, tied things up for the Eagles, who got the winner on a penalty in the 85th.

10/27 Carroll 0-1 Oregon Tech
The Owls scored in the 21st and allowed just two shots on goal for the Saints.

10/27 Providence 1-2 OT Southern Oregon
The hosts scored in the 21st and were nearing a win when Eme McLaughlin (Great Falls, MT) scored the equalizer in the 84th for the Argos. The match was 62 seconds away from a draw when SOU was knocked in during a scramble off a corner.

10/27 Corban 2-1 Warner Pacific
Five minutes after falling behind Lexi McQueary (Kennewick, WA) launched a throw-in into the box that was put away for the equalizer in the 17th minute as the Warriors rallied for the win.

10/28 Corban 0-1 Eastern Oregon
An eight-save performance from in another shutout from Cydni Cottrell was a fitting way to capture the regular season CCC title. Senior Anna Roslander scored the game-winner off a scramble on a free kick in the 41st.

10/28 College of Idaho 3-1 Evergreen
The Yotes tallied eight minutes in when Sabrina Mallett put away a rebound. The Geoducks tied it up in the 40th but an own goal on a goal mouth scramble put the Yotes back in front in the 55th. Emma Powley (North Bend, OR) scored a short time later for some insurance.

10/28 Rocky Mountain 2-1 Northwest
Stephanie Wilson (Kalispell, MT) tallied the opener for the Eagles in the 38th minute. Amber Pearson scored on a deflection in the 43rd minute and Lauryn Gamache scored on another deflection for the winner.

10/28 Providence 0-3 Oregon Tech
The Owls scored twice in the first half and clinched the result in a dominant performance.

10/28 Carroll 0-2 Southern Oregon
The hosts tallied in the 13th and 54th for the win.

Other Scores
10/28 Northwest Christian 0-2 Warner Pacific

Final Standings (W-L-T... Pts)
Eastern Oregon 9-1-1... 28#
Rocky Mountain 9-2-0... 27^
Oregon Tech 8-3-0... 24^
Corban 7-3-1... 22^
Southern Oregon 7-4-0... 21^
Northwest 6-5-0... 18^
College of Idaho 5-5-1... 17^
Providence 5-6-0... 15^
Carroll 3-6-2... 11
Warner Pacific 2-7-2... 8
Northwest Christian 1-10-0... 3
Evergreen 0-10-1... 1
^ Clinched tournament berth
# Clinched regular season title & NAIA berth

Cascade Conference Tournament (Springfield, OR)
Friday, November 3
8-Providence v 1-Eastern Oregon 5:00
7-College of Idaho v 2-Rocky Mountain 5:00
6-Northwest v 3-Oregon Tech 8:00
5-Southern Oregon v 4-Corban 8:00
Saturday, November 4
Lowest seed v Highest Seed
Middle seed v Middle Seed
Monday, November 6
Championship

NAIA CCC UPDATE - MEN #### 

10/27 Carroll 0-4 Oregon Tech
Colton Grytness (Rathdrum, ID) tallied the third goal for the Owls.

10/27 Northwest Christian 2-3 Eastern Oregon
Julian Wells scored the opener in the 18th via Josh Goodman, who went on to score the second in the 52nd. Alex Gutierrez pushed the lead to three with what proved to be a critical goal and game-winner as the Eagles tallied twice in the final 21 minutes.

10/27 Rocky Mountain 1-1 Evergreen
Sam Davidson put the Bears on the board in the 27th minute on a through ball from Matthew Thomas and looked headed for a win when the Geoducks scored on their only shot on goal in the 88th minute.

10/27 College of Idaho 3-2 OT Northwest
The hosts scored in the sixth and 17th minutes to grab early control of the match, but Ben Bechor set up Daniel Camargo (Caldwell, ID) with just over three minutes left in the half to get the Yotes on the board. On the other side of the break Bechor scored one of his own, beating a defender and goalkeeper in the 56th minute to tie things up. The contest eventually made its was to extra time and a game-winner from Carter Perry (Boise, ID) off a Bekir Cinac (Boise, ID) through ball in the 94th.

10/27 Providence 0-2 Southern Oregon
Kelly Gieber (Bend, OR) set up the second goal for the hosts.

10/28 Providence 1-4 Oregon Tech
The Argos scored first when Christoffer Bisbo finished a cross from George Holloway in the 24th. It was all Owls from there, though, with Colton Grytness registering an assist on their third goal.

10/28 Corban 2-0 Eastern Oregon
The Warriors scored early and late, getting goals in the seventh and 90th minutes for the win despite the Mountaineers outshooting them 13-6 in the second half.

10/28 College of Idaho 1-3 Evergreen
Tino Pantaleon (Wenatchee, WA) led the Geoducks to the win. He set up the opener four minutes in. Then, after Carter Perry scored on a ball from Bekir Cinac to tie things up for the Yotes, he put the hosts back in front with another service on a corner kick. In the second half he tallied a goal of his own on a free kick.

10/28 Rocky Mountain 6-1 Northwest
The hosts grabbed the initial lead in the third minute, but it would only last until the 11th. Marco Kummerle tied it up and went on to score two more, tallying in the 31st and 45th with a penalty. Tulio Melo, Matthew Thomas and Mason Luse (Billings, MT) scored the others.

10/28 Carroll 1-2 OT Southern Oregon
Trailing since the opening minute, Riley Prescott evened things up for the Saints in the 55th. A scramble off a free kick in the 100th minute led to the winning strike for the hosts.

10/28 Multnomah 4-5 Walla Walla
In a back-and-forth affair in the battle at the bottom, Anibal Castillo scored an equalizer for the Wolves in the 10th. They equalized again just before the break in the 41st via Diego Chavez. Emmett Semple (Corvallis, MT) scored in the 46th and 57th to grab a two-goal lead. The Lions, though, tallied twice to even things up and send the match to overtime where Damien Dennis (Boise, ID) tallied in the 105th on Zac Christensen's (Pocatello, ID) second assist of the game.

Other Scores
10/27 Corban 1-1 Warner Pacific
10/28 Northwest Christian 2-1 OT Warner Pacific

Final Standings (W-L-T... Pts)
Southern Oregon 11-1-1... 34#
Rocky Mountain 11-1-1... 34^
Corban 10-1-2... 32^
Northwest Christian 7-4-2... 23^
Oregon Tech 7-5-1... 22^
Northwest 7-5-1... 22^
Evergreen 6-3-4... 22^
College of Idaho 6-7-0... 18^
Eastern Oregon 5-7-1... 16
Carroll 5-8-0... 15
Providence 5-8-0... 15
Warner Pacific 3-9-1... 10
Walla Walla 1-12-0... 0
Multnomah 0-13-0... 0
^ Clinched tournament berth
# Clinched regular season title & NAIA berth

Cascade Conference Tournament (Springfield, OR)
Friday, November 3
8-College of Idaho v 1-Southern Oregon 11:00
7-Evergreen v 2-Rocky Mountain 11:00
6-Northwest v 3-Corban 2:00
5-Oregon Tech v 4-Northwest Christian 2:00
Saturday, November 4
Lowest seed v Highest Seed
Middle seed v Middle Seed
Monday, November 6
Championship

LOWER DIVISION NOTES ####

DII - Peter Vandam (Missoula, MT) set up a goal for Colorado Mesa in a 5-0 win at Colorado Christian... Caylin Cathey (Billings, MT) tallied on a penalty kick and set up another goal for Mary in a 3-1 win against Northern State... Haley Berryman (Ephrata, WA / Walla Walla CC) set up the winner for Minot State in a 1-0 win against MSU-Moorhead... Rikki Fix (Boise, ID) scored the deciding goal in a 1-0 Regis win at MSU-Denver.

DIII - Luke Livingston (Spokane, WA) set up the opening goal in a 4-0 win against Buena Vista for Nebraska Wesleyan, which kicked off its conference tournament this weekend with a win... Bria Bowton (Spokane, WA) started in defense for Redlands and played the full matches in a pair of 1-0 wins at La Verne and Claremont-M-S.

NAIA - Riley Martinson (Spokane, WA) celebrated her sister Ashtin's (Spokane, WA) senior day at Embry-Riddle AU with a hat-trick, scoring the first three goals in a 6-0 win against Providence Christian... Kylie Stephens (Boise, ID) scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give Hastings a 3-2 win against Morningside.


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