Sounders Set for MLS Cup Rematch in Toronto

The Sounders took care of business Thursday evening, adding to a 2-0 first leg lead with a 3-0 victory against Houston Dynamo at CenturyLink Stadium. The 5-0 aggregate sends the defending MLS Cup champions back to Toronto for a rematch of last year's MLS Cup. The game is next Saturday, December 9.

PHOTO - HOLIDAY DEAL!!

EXTENDED THROUGH DECEMBER 31!!!

Great News: Due to a great Black Friday deal, INW Soccer News has invested in some upgraded camera equipment.

Bad News: It was still a pretty good chunk of change to do so.

The Good News For You: I decided to do a holiday pricing deal after all.... Get your orders in NOW to ensure prompt delivery from the third party print companies.

High School Photos - Great Holiday Gifts!!

Thanks for following our High School coverage this year on INWsn. It's not quite done (keep an eye out following T-Day), but since we are in the gift-purchasing season, I wanted to make sure everyone has seen all of the galleries we have posted this year as photos for family and friends make AWESOME GIFTS. More importantly, it helps keep INWsn running. Unfortunately there are no Black Friday discounts, but that's because I keep my rates extremely affordable to begin with!

College Tourney Update: WSU, Baylor Reach Record Rounds

Wendlandt and the Bears celebrate advancement to Elite 8 (Baylor photo)

The second weekend of NCAA Tournament action was quite the time for area schools and players. Washington State reached the Round of 16 for the first time and Camryn Wendlandt (Coeur d'Alene, ID) helped Baylor reach the Elite 8 for the first time in program history. Featuring a trio of area players, Santa Clara also won its second round match on Friday away from home.

Meanwhile, Averie Collins (Bozeman, MT) and her top-ranked Stanford side are taking care of business and reached the Elite 8 with a pair of shutouts.

Wendlandt and Baylor will now face top-seeded Duke on Friday in the Elite 8, looking to clinch a spot in the Final Four in Orlando. After a close call in their opening match, 1-0 against UNC-Greensboro, the Blue Devils dominated against a pair of Baylor's Big XII peers Oklahoma State and Texas with 7-0 and 3-0 wins, respectively. After 1-0 overtime regular season losses to both, Baylor beat Texas, 2-1 in overtime, and Oklahoma State, 3-0, in the first two rounds of the conference tournament, respectively, en route to the league title and NCAA tournament. Stanford will host 10th-ranked Penn State.

In other tournaments, Western Washington's NCAA DII title defense came to an in the Third Round on the road in San Diego and all of the area Cascade Collegiate Conference sides were knocked out on the road in their opening round games of the NAIA tournament. The Martinson sisters - Riley and Ashtin - are still going in the NAIA tournament, however, with Embry-Riddle AU and a pair of players are still in the NCAA DI men's tourney with Stanford and Akron advancing to the second round.

Maria Sanchez Helps Lead Santa Clara to Third Round

The Santa Clara Broncos advanced to the third round of the NCAA tournament with a 3-1 road win versus Vanderbilt on the road Friday in South Carolina.

Cougars Advance on Three Dederick Saves in Shootout

In a back-and-forth affair in Florida that finished 2-2, it was Ella Dederick that quickly became the star of the contest as the keeper made three consecutive saves in rounds 2-4 to give the Cougars a 3-1 victory in the tiebreaker to send them onto the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.

College Tourney Update: Cougars Post First Round Upset; Baylor & Santa Clara Advance

The opening weekend of the major collegiate women's tournaments saw some great results and performances from area teams and players ranging from the Washington State and Western Washington women advancing to a near-stunner from Eastern Washington at USC.

Meanwhile, the NWAC crowned its champions and the NAIA tournaments were set for later this month.

HS Daily - 11.13.17: Area Sides Advance to State Semis

A team from eastern Washington will be making a trip west later this week for the state semifinals in nearly every classification with Central Valley (4A), Kamiakin (3A), West Valley (2A) and both Saint George's (B) posting victories over the weekend. A side from central Washington is guaranteed to play for the 1A title with Cascade and La Salle facing one another in their tournament.

Nearly every quarterfinal match-up was a thriller on the weekend with all but one being decided by one goal. After a 4-0 district title win earlier in the week, the rivalry showdown for CV against University was a much different affair in the state tournament with a second half goal deciding the outcome. Kamiakin, meanwhile, needed overtime down at Lampson to move forward and West Valley (Spokane) rallied from two down to win in a dramatic overtime result, continuing a fantastic postseason run from an Eagles squad that finished the season fourth in the Great Northern League. Deer Park was eliminated in a close 1A contest by La Salle while in the B tournaments St George's blanked their visiting opponents in contrasting fashion with the girls winning 1-0 and the boys 4-0.

INW Best XI - Week 11: Michkiosky, Rodriguez Lead Sides to Playoff Upset Wins

Midfielder Katie Michkiosky helped lead six-seed Northwest University to the championship game of the Cascade Conference tournament and a berth in the NAIA tournament, scoring two goals along the way. Walla Walla CC, the third seed out of the NWAC East topped a pair of higher seeds to reach the Final Four, scoring key goals in both matches for the Warriors.

For games through Monday, November 6 (Conclusion of CCC tourney)... Final edition will be after national tournaments

Lower Division Updates 11.10.17: Concordia, Western Washington Split GNAC Women's Titles

DII powerhouse and defending champion Western Washington avenged their streak-breaking loss in the season finale at the hands of Concordia with a victory in the conference tournament final against the Cavaliers. The result gave the Vikings the automatic berth back into the tournament, but the regular season Cavs were also happy to learn on Monday that they were awarded an at-large spot as well.

In the Northwest Conference the Whitman men topped local rival Whitworth on the final day to move third in the standings, a change in the table that had far-reaching implications as it determined the automatic berth to the NCAA tournament between co-champions Willamette and Pacific Lutheran.

In a surprising turn of events, the Cascade Conference women's tourney saw the seventh, sixth and fourth seeds advance to the semifinals with top seed Eastern Oregon, which went on to capture the title. Both tops seeds prevailed in the postseason with Southern Oregon going on to win the men's CCC tourney. By virtue of NAIA automatic berths going to the regular season champions EOU and SOU, the Northwest University women and Corban University men also earned NAIA berths as finalists.

DI Round-Up 11.09.17: Eagles and Cougars Headed to NCAA Tournament; Lands of Disney

Separated by 67 miles on US-195, the Eastern Washington University and Washington State University women are departing the frigid conditions of the Inland Northwest for warmer weather on opposite coasts. Both, coincidentally, are also headed to Disney destinations with the Eagles heading to Los Angeles, home to Disneyland, and the Cougars on their way to Orlando, home of Disney World.

Several other area players are also preparing for NCAA tournament matches this weekend by virtue of conference championships or at-large berths.

HS Daily - 11.09.17: CV, University to Clash Again; West Valley Moves On

Valley rivals Central Valley and University both picked up state tournament opening round victories Wednesday evening at Spokane Falls CC to move on to a second round match-up against one another. Meanwhile, out in the valley the Eagles rolled to a 4-1 win against Lynden to keep West Valley's postseason run going after finishing fourth in the GNL this season.

INW HS Best XI - Week 10: Underclassmen Lead Way in District Playoffs

In a week full of playoff action, only two seniors made INWsn's list this week. One of those seniors was Summer Yates, who continued her dominant ways in the postseason with five goals in two games last week to guide the Riverhawks through the loser's portion of the 3A bracket and back to the state tournament.

HS Daily - 11.08.17: Kamiakin Rolls & Deer Park Rallies to Advance

Kamiakin cruised to a 3A state tournament opening round win at home against Mountain View Tuesday evening while fellow MCC side Chiawana was knocked out of the 4A tournament in a close contest by Big 9 regular season champion Wenatchee.

Spokane sides also saw split results on opening day. Deer Park rallied for a 1A tournament win against visiting Cle Elum-Roslyn, the second-place finishers of the SCAC West. Mt Spokane, meanwhile, dropped a 1-0 decision on the road against Metro district runner-up Lakeside in the 3A tournament.

NWAC East Update: All-Star Selections Announced

The Northwest Athletic Conference announced the All-Star selections Tuesday evening, honoring the top players from around the league. Leading the selections were also the MVP and Coach of the Year honors.

Three different schools were recognized with the key awards with Israel Gonzalez (Grandview, WA) being named the Men's East MVP for Columbia Basin under coach Brian Gochoel, who was named co-Coach of the Year with Spokane's Kenny Krestian. Meanwhile, Spokane's Cheris Brown was honored as the Women's East MVP and Jordan Hacker of Walla Walla was named Coach of the Year.

NWAC East Update 11.7.17: Spokane, Walla Walla Reach Men's Final Four; Women Eliminated

On a dramatic Quarterfinal Saturday in the NWAC, the end results saw two of the three men's sides advance to the Final Four at StarFire next week while both women's sides were knocked out, marking the first time that the East will not have a women's representative in the semifinals since the league went to a four-division format in 2005.

It was quite a day on the men's side as the East division nearly saw all three advance to the semifinals. East men's champion Spokane took care of business Saturday against visiting Tacoma, but needed overtime in the snow to move on 2-1. Third seed Walla Walla tied the top seed out of the South 2-2, eliminating Portland in the shootout to move on. Tied 1-1 with West top seed Highline, Columbia Basin nearly made it three East reps in the semifinals for the first time since the four-division format started in 2005, but the tiebreaker eliminated the Hawks in the sixth round.

The women of the East being kept out of the semifinals for the first time marks just the second time since 2005 that the division will only have representatives in one set of semifinals. It previously happened to the men in 2011. See the full history below.

Unbeaten East champion Walla Walla found themselves in a hole they were unable to climb out of in a 3-2 loss at home against Tacoma while Spokane came up empty in a 3-0 loss at Highline in their quarterfinal contest.

Editorial Note: Post delayed awaiting the announcement of All-Stars (which have been selected but not released)... will put those up later! 

HS Daily - 11.07.17: Chiawana, Mt Spokane and Clarkston Advance to State; Tourneys Start Today

Battling for the final spots via elimination games Saturday, the Chiawana (4A) Riverhawks, Mt Spokane Wildcats (3A) and Clarkston Bantams (2A) advanced to their respective state tournaments.

Regular season GNL champion East Valley, however, saw its season come to an end at home with a shootout defeat in the crossover match and the pair of 1A NEA sides, Freeman and regular season champion Lakeside, were eliminated from the postseason.

At the 2B level the defending state champion boys and girls sides of St George's booked return trips to the state tournament to defend their titles, but it was not easy. The girls trailed much of the game against local side Northwest Christian but eventually prevailed in overtime. The boys also rallied to post a victory in overtime.

In a game delayed from Friday's snow storm in Spokane, the 4A regional title was decided on Monday with top seed Central Valley playing host to five seed University. The Bears claimed the double with a relatively easy victory over their rivals, ending the Titans' postseason hot streak.

Eastern Washington Repeats as Big Sky Champions; Faces USC Again

R E P E A T. The regular season Big Sky champion Eagles of Eastern Washington captured the conference tournament title for the second time on Sunday with a dominant performance against Northern Colorado. The accompanying NCAA tournament berth also, as it turns out, set up a repeat NCAA First Round match-up against University of Southern California, who they gave quite a challenge to a year ago in a 3-1 loss in Los Angeles.

HS Daily - 11.03.17: Deer Park Claims District Title

In a handful of playoff contests Thursday evening, Deer Park posted the lone lower seed to prevail, downing regular season Northeast A League champion Lakeside in convincing fashion to win the district playoff title and secure a spot in the state tournament.

Lakeside's postseason will continue in the regional crossovers with Caribou Trail opposition, hosting Cashmere. Freeman, which blanked Medical Lake, will travel to Leavenworth to take on CTL regular season and district playoff champion Cascade, which finished third at state a year ago.

Meanwhile, Mt Spokane narrowly topped North Central, avenging their regular season defeat, and to reach the final match for the second 3A seed to state. They will face Southridge, who fell to regular season MCC champion Kamiakin in the regional final. The Braves cruised to a big win to earn the first spot in the state tournament. Though Southridge was not as successful this season in league play as last year, the Suns were state finalists a year ago.

INW Best XI - Week 10: Keeper Cottrell Leads EOU to First Title

The Eastern Oregon Mountaineers captured their first conference championship in 17 years of the program's existence last week, posting two crucial wins with Rocky Mountain nipping at their heels just one point back. Leading the way was goalkeeper Cydni Cottrell, who guided the team to a pair of shutout wins on the weekend. They finished the season with eight shutouts in 11 league matches.

Though the Yellowjackets are mathematically out of contention for the GNAC title, the MSU-Billings men posted a pair of huge results last week against two top teams. Midfielder Guillaume Kremer scored key goals in a 2-1 win over powerhouse Simon Fraser that opened up the title race and tallied again as they topped Western Washington, severely damaging their potential to sneak in and grab the title on the final weekend.

Big Sky Plus - 11.01.17 DI Round-Up: Boise State Advances to Mountain West Semis

Boise State advanced to the semifinals of the Mountain West Tournament with another big performance from Raimee Sherle on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the opening round of the Big Sky Tournament saw Northern Colorado and Portland State advance to face Montana and Eastern Washington in the semifinals Friday.

NWAC East Tonight 11.1.17: East Teams Nearly Sweep Opening Round Games

Three of the four NWAC East sides in the first round of the NWAC playoffs Wednesday evening advanced to Saturday's quarterfinals against the divisional winners. The Spokane women and Columbia Basin men took care of business at home. On the road road, the North Idaho ladies came up short in overtime, but Walla Walla dismissed 10-1-4 powerhouse Peninsula on their home turf.

INW HS Best XI - Week 9: Crosby Leading Fifth-Seed Titans on Playoff Run

The University Titans entered the 4A postseason as the fifth seed out of the Greater Spokane League, but after three playoff wins in one week led by Kelsey Crosby, they are headed to the state tournament. She scored game-winners in the first two games and tallied a huge equalizer in the third before being fouled for a penalty that was the state-clinching winner.

HS Daily - 11.1.17: Tigers Rally for Win at Mead; WV Tops Rival EV

Halloween playoff action was full of treats with two back-and-forth affairs and had a trio of tricks with three players scoring three or more.

In a pair of wild upset contests, Lewis & Clark rallied in the final 13 minutes of the second half to earn a victory at Mead to keep its playoff run going in an elimination match, and fourth-seeded West Valley rallied twice at rival East Valley to claim the district title and a spot in the state tournament, sending the regular season champions to the crossover play-in games versus the CWAC.

Summer Yates lit it up again for Chiawana with all four goals for the Riverhawks, though, Richland made a rally attempt in the second half that made the contest close in the final 10 minutes. In the end, Chiawana advanced for a showdown with Lewis & Clark for the final 4A state berth.

In the 3A action Mt Spokane rolled to an 11-0 win against Kennewick with Allie Baribault and Amber Hickman registering hat-tricks in the contest. They will square off against North Central, 2-0 winners against rival Shadle, Thursday with the winner moving on to play Thursday's Kamiakin-Southridge loser on Saturday for the second berth to the state tournament.