With the postseason drawing closer and closer, the gaps between the top sides and the rest of the NWAC East division teams is looming large. Walla Walla, Spokane and North Idaho have a clear separation on the women's side, but the on the men's North Idaho is sitting in the middle of the gap.
On Wednesday, contenders Walla Walla and Columbia Basin (Spokane was idle) took care of business against two of the bottom teams in the region. North Idaho, meanwhile, needed to make sure to do the same to maintain the two-game point deficit between themselves and the top three to keep a playoff spot within striking distance. Despite an initial two-goal lead at home against Wenatchee Valley, it was not an easy task as the Knights rallied to tie things up in the second before the Cardinals finally pulled away with the win.
The result was huge for NIC, which has all three leaders for their final three games of the regular season, and all three of the leaders face one another in their final games. The three match dates from Wednesday October 18 to Wednesday the 25th will be dynamic gamedays.
WOMEN ##############
Columbia Basin 1-0 Treasure Valley
Elena Mendoza (Othello, WA) scored off an assist from Kate Van Pelt (Kennewick, WA) 13 minutes into the contest and goalkeeper Lilly Kikendall (Selah, WA) made it stand as the winner with five saves in the shutout as the Hawks were outshot 10-6 in the contest by the host Chukars.
Wenatchee Valley 1-4 North Idaho
A scoreless contest through halftime gave way to a goalfest in the second half. Chelsea Love (Newman Lake, WA) broke the stalemate in the 54th minute and Zoe Lee (Ammon, ID) made it a two-goal lead for the Cardinals in the 62nd. Madeline Kaiser (East Wenatchee, WA) answered for the Knights in the 67th, but Linnea Pretzer (Idaho Falls, ID) scored twice to lock up the result, finding back of the net in the 73rd and 83rd. Love assisted on the second.
Walla Walla 10-0 Blue Mountain
Dominique Velazquez (Othello, WA) and Jennifer Inions (Prosser, WA) both scored twice. Sally Culig (Boise, ID), Jaz Lemos (Richland, WA), Madison Brownell (Selah, WA), Keanna Egbert (Coulee City, WA), Emily Thornton (Benton City, WA) and Madison Hemenway (Richland, WA) also scored. Paige Kubista (Nampa, ID) and Danielle Dowd (Rathdrum, ID) split the shutout.
Yakima Valley 1-4 Spokane
Brittany Little (Yakima, WA) stunned the hosts with the opener on a ball from Victoria Wesen (Pocatello, ID) following a corner in the seventh minute, and the Yaks had the Sasquatch on their heels a bit for another 20 minutes. But then Cheris Brown (Spokane, WA) struck. She nodded in a corner from Riley Couch (Sandpoint, ID) in the 29th minute and went on a breakaway courtesy of Julia Adair (Spokane, WA) less than 30 seconds later to put the Bigfoot in front. In the second half Grace Ellis (Spokane, WA) put away a cleared ball from about 30 yards out in the 68th minute and three minutes late the Couch to Brown corner duo connected again to finish Brown's hat-trick and put a stamp on the game.
INW Players Elsewhere: Madelene Parton (Leavenworth, WA) set up two goals and Sarah Reiber (Yakima, WA) one in Peninsula's 11-0 win at Edmonds.Brown completes hat-trick with 2nd corner header goal; Spokane leads Yakima 4-1 @BigfootSoccer @NWACSports pic.twitter.com/jixNCNNxCF— Gerald Barnhart (@INWsoccernews) October 12, 2017
NWAC EAST STANDINGS (W-L-T... Points)
Walla Walla 10-0-0... 30
Spokane 8-1-1... 25
North Idaho 8-2-0... 24
Columbia Basin 4-4-2... 14
Yakima Valley 2-4-4... 10
Wenatchee Valley 2-7-1... 7
Treasure Valley 1-7-2... 5
Blue Mountain 0-10-0... 0
MEN ##############
Wenatchee Valley 3-5 North Idaho
The Cardinals grabbed a two goal lead in the first half with Parker Gorrill (Post Falls, ID) setting up Cade Roske (Pocatello, ID) in the 23rd minute and Riley Glover (Coeur d'Alene, ID) tallying in the 33rd. A Knights coach was sent off at halftime, but WVC came out after the break and quickly tied the match up in four minutes, getting goals from Francisco Moreno and Micah Ching in the 47th and 49th, respectively. The hosts, though, rattled off the next three to secure the win. Roske set up Omar Hernandez (Idaho Falls, ID) for the go-ahead goal in the 63rd. Conner Kinnune (Newman Lake, WA) scored the fourth in the 75th and then set up Gorrill two minutes later. Greysen Gilman (Yakima, WA) scored for the Knights in the 79th.
Columbia Basin 8-0 Treasure Valley
Israel Gonzalez (Grandview, WA) opened the scoring with a penalty in the 11th and would go on to finish with a hat-trick. Alexis Correa (Grandview, WA) scored in the 39th and added two more as well in the second half for a hat-trick as the Hawks tallied six after the break. Johnathan Matta (Grandview, WA) and Isaiah Arechiga (Kennewick, WA) tallied the other goals. Correa also had an assist and Benjamin Paniagua (Yakima, WA) set up three. Andres Mendoza (Ephrata, WA) only had to make one save for the clean sheet.
Walla Walla 2-0 Blue Mountain
Freddy Rodriguez (Hermiston, OR) put the Warriors in front in the 38th minute on an assist from Missael Lopez (Tieton, WA), who went on to score in the opening minute of the second half. Alex Grimaldo (Caldwell, ID) got the clean sheet in a contest in which the Warriors outshot the hosts 26-1.
INW Players Elsewhere: Paul Cuevas (Yakima, WA) scored Skagit Valley's third goal in a 3-3 draw at Everett.
NWAC EAST STANDINGS (W-L-T... Points)
Spokane 6-1-1... 19
Columbia Basin 6-1-1... 19
Walla Walla 6-2-0... 18
North Idaho 4-3-2... 14
Treasure Valley 2-6-1... 7
Wenatchee Valley 2-6-1... 7
Blue Mountain 1-8-0... 3
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