Seeding for second for the men and women were both at stake Wednesday evening, but the highlight of the night may have been a run-of-the-mill 2-0 win for the Walla Walla women at Columbia Basin. That result gave the Warriors a perfect 14-0-0 campaign that is only the seventh since the league went to the four-division format in 2005.
With a game Saturday, Peninsula could record the eighth. The perfect campaign marks the fourth one for Walla Walla, which previously accomplished the feat in 2011, 2009 and 2008. Since 2011 Peninsula is the only other school to go perfect, doing so in 2013 and 2016 with the potential for back-to-back perfect regular season campaigns on the table for Saturday. Only nine other teams have finished unbeaten since 2005 with draws on their ledger. Spokane (13-0-1) did so last season with Walla Walla being the only other side in the East to do so, finishing unbeaten in 2010, 2007 and 2005 for seven total campaigns without a loss since 2005. Highline (12-0-1) and Clark (10-0-1) may also finish unbeaten this season. If they do so, it would mark only the first time the league has had four unbeatens after having three for the first time a year ago. See below for list of NWAC Unbeaten Seasons.
In games that had postseason factors, the Spokane women cruised to a 3-0 victory against rival North Idaho in a one-sided affair and Columbia Basin edged Walla Walla. Both teams moved from third to second with the wins. Spokane and North Idaho now await the results from Saturday when Skagit Valley and Whatcom play their final games with a point separating the two in the North table. On the men's side Columbia Basin will host Everett and Walla Walla will travel to play Peninsula. The Walla Walla women and Spokane men have byes to the second round.
WOMEN ##############
Walla Walla 2-0 Columbia Basin
Back-to-back goals in a six minute span gave the Warriors the win in a tight contest at Columbia Basin that saw just five combined shots. Jennifer Inions (Prosser, WA) and Hannah Thompson (Richland, WA) scored on two of four taken by Walla Walla with tallies in the 34th and 40th. Paige Kubista (Nampa, ID) stopped the lone shot she saw from CBC to record the clean sheet. Emily Thornton (Benton City, WA) set up the first goal.
Treasure Valley 5-0 Blue Mountain
The Chukars finished their season off on a positive note, cruising to five goals in the first 24 minutes Ruby Gomez (Twin Falls, ID) scored twice with Taylor Anthony (Gooding, ID), Sammie Patterson (Meridian, ID) and Melissa Glanzmann tallying the others. Lupita Villavicencio (Glenns Ferry, ID) made three saves in the shutout.
Yakima Valley 1-0 Wenatchee Valley
A goal from Kelsey Smith in the 11th minute and a five-save clean sheet from Madison Smith guided Yakima Valley College to a big win. The victory marked the first time since 2011 that the Yaks posted five wins in a season, finished with a positive record and were higher than fifth in the league as they passed Columbia Basin to close out the season fourth in the East.
North Idaho 0-3 Spokane
With the second place seed up for grabs between the two, the Sasquatch controlled the contest in the first half, but went to the break scoreless after a 7-0 shots advantage. Less than three minutes into the second half, though, Cheris Brown (Spokane, WA) fed Sydney Clements (Spokane, WA) for the opening goal. Four minutes later Julia Adair (Spokane, WA) slipped a diagonal ball across the back of the defense to Brown, who finished from the penalty spot. A free kick with nine minutes up locked up the result for the Bigfoot when Emily Carrell's (Boise, ID) restart rolled out of the scrum to Jamie Fassler (Prosser, WA) for the finish. With a light night in goal, Michelle Czarapata needed just one save for the shutout.
After Clements goal in 48th, Adair slips this ball to Brown in 54th for 2-0 Spokane lead v NIC @BigfootSoccer pic.twitter.com/BEgNtGYSpS— Gerald Barnhart (@INWsoccernews) October 26, 2017
Fassler puts away extra chance off free kick with about 7 mins left; 3-0 Spokane @BigfootSoccer pic.twitter.com/6GeAY4yNMm— Gerald Barnhart (@INWsoccernews) October 26, 2017
INW Players Elsewhere: Jenna Jensen (Spokane, WA) tallied the ninth goal and set up the fifth for Highline in a 10-0 win against Centralia... Taylor Simmons (Yakima, WA) scored the first equalizer for Shoreline in a 3-2 victory at Everett.
NWAC EAST STANDINGS (W-L-T... Points)
Walla Walla 14-0-0... 42# -- BYE + v W2 Tacoma or S3 Clackamas
Spokane 10-2-2... 32^ -- v North #3 (winner @ W1 Highline)
North Idaho 10-4-0... 30^ -- @ North #2 (winner @ S1 Clark)
Yakima Valley 5-5-4... 19
Columbia Basin 5-6-3... 18
Wenatchee Valley 3-9-2... 11
Treasure Valley 2-9-3... 9
Blue Mountain 0-14-0... 0
^ Clinched playoff spot - # Clinched top seed
MEN ##############
Walla Walla 0-1 Columbia Basin
The Hawks and Warriors were locked in a tight contest that saw only seven total shots, three of them on target. Israel Gonzalez (Grandview, WA) scored the winning strike in the 89th minute to give CBC second in the East table. Andres Mendoza (Ephrata, WA) made one save for the shutout.
North Idaho 1-2 Spokane
After a scoreless first half in which the Bigfoot outshot the visitors 4-0, it was the Cardinals who got on the board first on a goal from Cole Fawcett (Coeur d'Alene, ID) in the 52nd minute. Javier Chavez (Granger, WA), though, tied the contest up for Spokane in the 63rd and then set up Salvador Velazquez (Driggs, ID) seven minutes later for what held as the game-winner. The victory gave Spokane, the current three-time East champion, a second consecutive one-loss campaign at 10-1-1.
Treasure Valley 3-3 Blue Mountain
Josh Canales (Nampa, ID), Zabe Covarrubias (Kuna, ID) and Guillermo Tujillo scored for the Chukars with Cristian Muniz (Twin Falls, ID) setting up two. Mark Otton, Anthony Carrillo (Hermiston, OR) and Giovanni Madrigal (Hermiston, OR) scored for the hosts with Madrigal also getting an assist. Unfortunately, how that all unfolded is a mystery as Blue Mountain's report has no specific details.
INW Players Elsewhere: Paul Cuevas (Yakima, WA) scored an early equalizer and set up the second goal to go in front for Skagit Valley, which earned a 4-4 draw at Edmonds with Fernando Muro (Yakima, WA) setting up Juan Soto (Yakima, WA) cutting a deficit later as they rallied from two down for the draw.
NWAC EAST STANDINGS (W-L-T... Points)
Spokane 10-1-1... 31# -- BYE + v West #2 or S3 Clark
Columbia Basin 8-3-1... 25^ -- v N3 Everett (winner @ W1 Highline)
Walla Walla 8-4-0... 24^ -- @ N2 Peninsula (winner @ South #1)
North Idaho 5-5-2... 17
Wenatchee Valley 4-7-1... 13
Treasure Valley 2-8-2... 8
Blue Mountain 1-10-1... 4
^ Clinched playoff spot - # Clinched top seed
NWAC Women's Unbeaten Regular Season Records*
2017 Walla Walla 14-0-0
2017 Peninsula 14-0-0 (final game Saturday)
2017 Highline 12-0-1 (final game Thursday)
2017 Clark 10-0-1 (result unknown of final game)
2016 Peninsula 15-0-0
2016 Spokane 13-0-1
2016 Clark 11-0-1
2015 Clark 9-0-3
2013 Peninsula 16-0-0
2013 Whatcom 9-0-7
2011 Walla Walla 15-0-0
2010 Clackamas 14-0-0
2010 Walla Walla 13-0-2
2009 Walla Walla 15-0-0
2008 Walla Walla 20-0-0
2007 Walla Walla 17-0-1
2007 Clackamas 17-0-1
2006 Walla Walla 16-0-2
2006 Shoreline 12-0-4
* For four-division format since 2005 (perfect seasons in bold)
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