HS UPDATE 10.31.18: Kamiakin, East Valley & Deer Park Claim District Titles as Top Seeds Nearly Sweep

The eve of Halloween saw very little in the way of tricks or nightmares as nearly every top seed in the four different classifications won their match with the exception of Southridge grabbing a narrow 1-0 victory on the road against North Central, but both were the second seeds from their respective leagues.

INWsn College Best XI - Week 11: Weaver Leads Cougars in Bounce Back Weekend

It had been a tough go of it in recent weeks for Washington State, which came into the conference campaign with an unbeaten record and a national ranking that continued with wins in their first three league games, including then 8th-ranked UCLA. But a five-game skid had them reeling before INWsn Player of the Week selection Morgan Weaver busted out a four-point night - goal and two assists - against California in a 4-2 win that ended the streak. Then, in their toughest contest of the year in which top-ranked Stanford was dominating, she made a brilliant individual play to deliver a historic draw and give the Cougs momentum back as they close out the season looking for a postseason invite.

Puget Sound had a stellar weekend in the Northwest Conference courtesy of Luke Murdock (Boise, ID). The INWsn Player of the Week choice scored twice for a road win against Willamette that cost the Bearcats the top spot in the league and then scored as the Loggers rallied from two down to defeat Linfield on the road.

College Notebook 10.30.18 - Cougs Stop Stanford; Cascade Brackets Set

Going into the weekend having snapped a five-game winless run on Thursday against California, the Cougars added a huge result that could play a big role in a potential postseason invitation by playing top-ranked Stanford to a 1-1 draw, becoming the first team to score against the Cardinal in six games and first to take points off of them since Santa Clara's 1-1 draw at the end of the non-conference slate.

In other key action over the weekend the Cascade Collegiate Conference wrapped up its season, setting up each of the eight-team brackets for their tournaments to determine entrants for the NAIA national tournament.

Here's a recap of the weekend's action and all the INWsn players headed to the postseason around the nation.

HS UPDATE 10.29.18: Shadle, University Post Upsets Over Top Seeds

Saturday was a very eventful afternoon in playoff soccer, particularly in the 3A and 4A district tournaments for the Greater Spokane League and Mid-Columbia Conference as the Shadle Park Highlanders upset top GSL seed Mt Spokane 1-0 and University slipped past top MCC seed Richland in a wild seven-round shootout to advance to the next round of play.

NWAC East Tonight 10.27.18: Playoff Brackets Set

The final day of games in several of the other regions decided the final spots and seeding for the NWAC postseason, which kicks off Halloween afternoon and wraps up with the Final Four event at Starfire November 9 & 11.

College Notebook 10.27.18 - Postseason Races Narrow in Cascade Conference

Here's a recap of Friday's action

HS UPDATE 10.26.18: Shadle & NC Rally for Wins; Clarkston Stuns West Valley

It was an eventful evening as playoff action kicked off for the 3A and GNL contingent. The Greater Spokane League saw its second and third seeds rally for victories against their Mid-Columbia Conference opposition and Clarkston registered an upset win at West Valley to advance to the second round of the 2A district tournament. Meanwhile, the semifinals of the 1A district tourney for the NEA saw a pair of very close contests set up the championship game between Deer Park and Lakeside as well as the consolation final to determine the additional seed for the cross-overs.

College Notebook 10.26.18 - Wendlandt Leads Baylor to Big 12 Title; Cougs Down Cal

Some early midweek action proved big for Division I teams and players. Washington State ended a losing skid with a victory over Cal, Santa Clara grabbed an overtime win thanks to a pair of area players to keep pace atop the WCC at 6-1-0 with BYU, and - biggest of all - Camryn Wendlandt (Coeur d'Alene, ID) led Baylor to the Big 12 Championship.

NEA 2018 Award Winners Unveiled

The Northeast A League announced its annual award winners. Among the honorees, the Deer Park duo of Emmy Moore and Jessie Thomas shared the Offensive MVP award this season. 

NWAC East Tonight 10.24.18: Spokane, Walla Walla Nab Championships on Final Day

There was no shortage of drama on the final day of the regular season for the NWAC East as the top spots and final berths were all on the line.

HS Update: Final Regular Season 2018 Statistical Leaders

Here are the final tables for the region's statistical leaders at the close of the regular season. Check back here as we add each league.

INWsn HS Best XI - Week 8: Crosby Catches Fire in Final Week for Titans

Looking to make sure they picked up a postseason berth, the University Titans took care of business against North Central and Ferris behind the efforts of midfield engine Kelsey Crosby, who tallied three goals and two assists in a pair of wins to earn the INWsn Player of the Week honor.

HS UPDATE 10.24.18: Richland Downs Chiawana for Top 4A Spot in MCC

Kamiakin put the finishing touches on a perfect season with an easy win over Pasco Tuesday evening, but the highlight of the night was the showdown at Chiawana between the Riverhawks and Richland Bombers for the top 4A seed. Chiawana, which had allowed just six goals all season in the previous 13 games, found themselves trailing by two at halftime and three before a pair of late free kick goals saw them claw back into it. In the end, though, Richland held on for the victory to lock up the number one seed.

The 2018 Mid-Columbia Conference Champions - Kamiakin Braves finished 14-0. Will host the semifinals on Sat Oct 27 at noon at the Lamp. Keep it rollin ladies!! pic.twitter.com/SqiTTdkrZ3

— Kamiakin Athletics (@KamiakinBraves) October 24, 2018

Also fighting for playoff seeding, West Valley visited rival East Valley looking to reclaim second from idle Cheney. Despite having the top seed locked up, the Knights just would not let the Eagles get the better of them on their home turf, taking the lead twice and getting the victory a minute into overtime.

Meanwhile, the Northeast A League teams kicked off district play with a pair of blowout results as Colville and Freeman took care of business. Lindsay Balkenbush returned from injury to tear up Newport and Keren Torres paced Colville past Riverside.

INWsn College Best XI - Week 10: Winston Shutouts Push Eagles Into Postseason

Eastern Washington and Eastern Oregon are both headed to the postseason with Kelsee Winston (Pasco, WA) and Carlos Solorio guiding them to victories against previously unbeaten sides on the weekend.

College Notebook 10.22.18 - Boise State Claims First Title as EWU, Montana Qualify in Big Sky

@BroncoSportsSoc

Sunday was a huge day for area Division I sides as Eastern Washington and Montana picked up key victories in their season finales to grabbed the final two berths in the Big Sky tournament. Meanwhile, a scoreless draw between two of the top sides in the Mountain West saw the Boise State Broncos earn a share of the league championship - for the first time in program history - going into their final game next week. The postseason and championship races are heading into the final week (or two) in many other leagues around the region.

Here's a recap of the weekend's action and breakdowns on where things stand around the northwest...

NWAC East Tonight 10.20.18: East Races To Go Down to the Wire

Results on Friday and Saturday around the NWAC East ensured that all of the seeding will be determined on the final day of the division on Wednesday.

College Notebook 10.20.18 - Eags & Griz Stay Alive in Big Sky Race with Late Goals

Five teams went into Friday's contests looking to grab the final two berths in the Big Sky and four were in contention for the regular season title. The day's results finished with Eastern Washington handing Northern Arizona its first loss, keeping the Eagles in postseason contention and eliminating the Lumberjacks from the title race - a big favor for rival Idaho. Montana also kept its postseason hopes alive with a win at Portland State, the other member of the now three teams left with a shot at those two coveted spots.

HS UPDATE 10.20.18: Controversial Goal Gives Prep 1-0 Win, Second in GSL

On a night when both Mead and University won to make their bids for higher seeds among the 4A sides a possibility, a potential handball on the goal line allowed Gonzaga Prep to get a decisive goal in a defensive contest with Mt Spokane that very well could have gone to penalties.

With the league title already clinched, Central Valley remained unbeaten but certainly not perfect as they dropped a point with a shootout win against North Central in which the two sides were deadlocked until the second half.

INWsn HS Best XI - Week 7: Bears Avoid Upsets Via LaBrosse's Magic Minute

With a perfect record in the Greater Spokane League and a pair of teams right on their heels, the Bears snuck through a tough stretch last week against a pair of opponents that needed victories and avoided potential upsets in a week that saw an example of just that with Mead falling to North Central. Midfielder Kailyn LaBrosse provided key goals in the 44th minute of both contests to remain unbeaten.

HS UPDATE 10.19.18: Cheney Blanks West Valley in GNL Seeding Race

The race for the second seed will go another gameday in the Great Northern League as the Cheney Blackhawks spoiled Senior Day for West Valley with a big 4-0 win in a scoreline that was reflective of how even the game was. Each side had numerous chances, but Cheney's fortune to finish enabled them to leap the Eagles into the second spot in the table at the conclusion of their final game of the regular season. West Valley, however, still has another opportunity to finish second Tuesday when they visit rival East Valley, which has the top seed sewn up.

Freeman's woes made them the first of the trio at the top to fall to anyone in the rest of the league as they were tripped up at home against Colville, though none of games on the night

College Notebook 10.19.18

Here's a recap of the weekend so far this week...

HS UPDATE 10.18.18: Central Valley Clinches GSL Title

In a showdown for the top spot in the Greater Spokane League, Gonzaga Prep and Central Valley went to the second half before things picked up. The Bears scored twice early in the periods and survived some late drama to clinch the regular season GSL title as they head into the final game Friday against North Central with a perfect record.

NWAC East Tonight 10.17.18: CBC Sweeps NIC; Spokane Gets Four in Walla Walla

The results Wednesday afternoon turned made significant changes in the playoff picture, particularly on the women's side. Columbia Basin's sweep of North Idaho put the men's side into second thanks to a scoreless draw between Walla Walla and Spokane, and the women's side leaped over idle Yakima Valley to jump squarely into the postseason scenarios going into the final two gamedays.

The Spokane women, meanwhile, downed second-place Walla Walla with a 2-0 road win and used CBC's result against division leader NIC to leap back into first after falling from the top spot last week.

HS UPDATE 10.17.18: Deer Park Wins NEA; Kamiakin Edges Chiawana

Among Tuesday night's action was a 3-1 win for Deer Park against Freeman that locked up the regular season Northeast A League championship for the Lady Stags. Meanwhile, in the Mid-Columbia Conference the Kamiakin Braves remain perfect with another narrow 1-0 victory against Chiawana.

INWsn College Best XI - Week 9: Hedge & Meraz-Rodriguez Dominate In Wins

West Coast Conference contender Santa Clara kept pace with the other leaders early in the league with a 4-1 win against Saint Mary's on the weekend thanks to a big performance from Kelcie Hedge (Post Falls, ID) and Emilio Meraz-Rodriguez (Pasco, WA) was a superstar for Evergreen State as they posted a stunning 4-0 road win against fellow mid-table side Oregon Tech as the race for the Cascade Collegiate Conference postseason continues.

College Notebook 10.16.18

Here's a recap of the weekend action, including Monday's Carroll at Providence doubleheader that was delayed from Saturday due to... SNOW. Yup, it is officially here.

HS UPDATE 10.15.18: Lakeside Edges Freeman in OT; Dramatic Friday in GSL

The second half of the week saw some key contests and results throughout all three of the Spokane-area leagues as the regular season nears a close. Tight contests highlighted the results, including one upset in the GSL as North Central landed a big win over a 4A side that affected the postseason picture going into the final week.

NWAC East Tonight 10.13.18: NIC Women Grab Top Spot as Spokane Stumbles vs WVC

Fortune favored North Idaho College Saturday afternoon as a second half red card enabled them to snare a key 2-0 home win against Yakima Valley, learning later that a late goal from Wenatchee Valley resulted in a 1-1 draw at former co-leader Spokane to give the Cardinals sole possession of first. Walla Walla also moved past Spokane by a point thanks to their surprisingly narrow 1-0 win against Treasure Valley.

College Notebook 10.12.18

Here's a recap of the midweek action and news...

INWsn HS Best XI - Week 6: Rivalry Night Nets Moravec Weekly Honor

In a week of action that saw scoring spread all around - blowouts excluded - it very well could have been an option of selecting a name out of a hat for Player of the Week, but the one player that stood out a bit was Carolyn Moravec. The senior striker for Lewis & Clark scored both goals for the Tigers as they downed South Hill rival Ferris on a rivalry night around the league that saw many close-fought dramatic contests.

HS UPDATE 10.11.18: Prep Falls at Mead; Deer Park Gets Key Win

Tuesday and Wednesday night's action featured a few marquee match-ups with contenders squaring off in the Greater Spokane League, Northeast A League and Great Northern League. Mead kept themselves in the GSL title race with a win against unbeaten Gonzaga Prep, Deer Park essentially locked up the NEA with a win at Lakeside and East Valley created some space as well in the GNL with a win over rival West Valley.

NWAC East Tonight 10.10.18: Yakima Valley Hands Spokane First Loss In Shocker

Yakima Valley defeated Spokane Wednesday, tightening the race in the NWAC East women's division as all three sides behind them, YVC included, picking up victories to gain ground on the Bigfoot. North Idaho pulled even with the Bigfoot and Walla Walla within a point with road wins.

On the men's side Columbia Basin used a close-fought win against Treasure Valley to jump a spot over North Idaho, which fell in a tight one at Wenatchee Valley.

HS UPDATE 10.9.18: West Valley Bests Cheney; NEA Showdowns Up Again

Last Thursday's action was highlighted by West Valley downing GNL leader Cheney to tighten up the top of the table as the postseason approaches.

In the MCC, there were a handful of close contests as well. Southridge rallied to win in overtime against Hanford in a battle of mid-table sides and Walla Walla put forth a goliath effort defensively in going toe-to-toe with Chiawana in a narrow 1-0 loss. The highlight of the night, though, was Hermiston finally picking up its first victory of the season, downing fellow cellar side Pasco in a shootout after a 1-1 stalemate.

This week the top three sides in the Northeast A League once again begin facing one another as they fight for playoff seeding over the final two weeks of the regular season. Deer Park (8-0) visits Lakeside (8-1) today (Tuesday) and Lakeside visits Freeman (7-2) on Thursday. Then next week Freeman is at Deer Park on Tuesday in a match that should settle things barring any stunning upsets as they all face the rest of the league on Thursday.

INWsn College Best XI - Week 8: Defenders Made Presence Known Last Week

In the women's ranks last week defensive play seemed to be the theme of the week as a number of teams won close contests or saw a balanced attack with numbers spread out or defenders playing a role. One such team was Walla Walla CC, which picked up a big win on the road against Yakima Valley College in a battle of contenders for the NWAC East. Defender Victoria Higley not only helped the Warriors blank a YVC side that won their previous meeting, but provided a goal and an assist in the attack to earn the Player of the Week nod.

On the men's side forward Carlos Solorio led Eastern Oregon to a pair of 2-2 draws  on the road against fellow mid-table opponents to remain in good position to make a run for the postseason, sitting sixth for an eight-team tourney. He was involved in both goals in their draw at Evergreen State and on another in their tie at Northwest University.

College Notebook 10.8.18

Here's a recap of the weekend's action...

NWAC East Tonight 10.6.18: Last-Minute Equalizers Leave Hawks, Knights All Tied Up

It was a pair of dramatic finishes in Wenatchee where the Knights got a last-minute equalizer for a draw in the women's contest versus Columbia Basin, but saw the Hawks return the favor in the men's match with a goal in the 89th to nab a draw.

The men's draw was a bit of fortune for Spokane, which had played to a surprising draw in Treasure Valley Friday that hampered their chase of Walla Walla. Both of the struggling sides from the southeast nearly picked up surprise victories with winless Blue Mountain narrowly falling 1-0 to North Idaho on Friday as well.

Meanwhile, it turned out to be a rough week in Yakima with the Yaks falling at home for the second time this week to a fellow contender. This time it was Walla Walla getting the win, keeping the race very close.

College Notebook 10.6.18

Here's a recap of recent action over the past few days...

HS UPDATE 10.4.18: Close Contests Highlight GSL Rivalry Night

Two of the four classic GSL rivalry showdowns on the night were decided by one goal and a third went to a shootout to determine a winner Wednesday evening as the league played its midway point games. Central Valley edged University 3-2, Mead rallied against Mt Spokane 2-1 and North Central nabbed the tiebreaker against Shadle Park after a 1-1 stalemate. Lewis & Clark also grabbed South Hill bragging rights with a 2-0 win over Ferris.

On Tuesday, MCC juggernaut Kamiakin experienced their first moment of trailing in a match versus mid-table Hanford, which tallied the lone goal of the first half. The Braves, though, ran away with another win to stay perfect in the second half.

Also rallying for a win Tuesday was Cheney, which avoided an upset at Clarkston.

NWAC East Tonight 10.3.18: Hawks Upend Yaks; Walla Walla Sweeps Knights

It was a light night across the division on the night with just three games, but there was plenty of drama with the road teams all heading home with wins. Columbia Basin surprised Yakima Valley to hand them their second loss of the season. Meanwhile, Walla Walla swept Wenatchee Valley in a doubleheader. The Warrior ladies used their win to pull even with the Yaks while the men put some space between themselves and the second-place Knights.

INWsn HS Best XI - Week 5: Defender Brielle Schneider Grabs Spotlight for Kamiakin

Playing a second-place Richland, who they narrowly defeated 2-1 in their previous meeting, last Thursday, the Kamiakin Braves kept their record perfect as they kicked off the second half of the season. Defender Brielle Schneider was key in the attack for the first half with the outside back setting up the opening goal just four minutes into the match for early control of the contest. She later unleashed a bomb from about 30 yards out that proved to be the game-winner in the 25th minute, pushing the lead to two at the time. Through that game the Braves had not trailed in a match and Richland's tally in the second half was only the second they allowed in league play.

College Notebook 10.3.18

Here's a recap of the some early midweek action action and other news...

INWsn College Best XI - Week 7: Sherle Honored Again As She Reaches MW Peak

At the rate things are going this season, INWsn might as well just leave her on the list for the rest of the season. It was another big week from Raimee Sherle as she scored four of the team's five goals for a pair of Mountain West wins. Despite the opposition knowing what is coming she still finds a way to do it, and two of the goals came on drives in which she came out of the midfield, beating players along the way. The four goals put the junior forward even with Amy Kofoed (Utah 1999-01) for the career goals record among Mountain West players with 41. Her tally of 16 this season is five more than any other player in the Division I right now.

This is the fourth appearance on the list this season for Sherle, who is only the second player in the five years of the INWsn Best XI to earn back-to-back Player of the Week honors. Cassie Black (Eastern Washington) was recognized in weeks four and five in the first year of the site in 2012. Sherle was also honored on the list three times last season, including a PotW nod in Week 9.

On the men's side a pair of Northwest Nazarene players put up excellent performances in a bid for the nod, but sophomore striker Jake Levine had a goal and assist in each win. He set up the game-winning overtime goal on the road against Saint Martin's and helped lead the Knighthawks to a 4-2 road win over MSU Billings.

HS UPDATE 10.1.18: CV, G-Prep Take Lead in GSL

A number of close contests last week left the the Central Valley Bears and Gonzaga Prep Bullpups alone at the top of the Greater Spokane League once the dust settled Friday evening. Mead knocked University from the unbeaten ranks via a shootout Wednesday, but were themselves handed their first loss on Friday by the Bears in a contest that was far more balanced on the field than the scoreboard showed at the final whistle. There were a number of other interesting results Friday as Prep only narrowly got past Shadle Park 1-0, University edged Lewis & Clark in a shootout and Ferris needed a shootout to dispatch North Central.

Down in the Mid-Columbia Conference the results played out much as expected for the week, chief among them being a Kamiakin home win against Richland that put a two-game gap between them at the top of the table.

In a battle at the top of the Great Northern League East Valley darted out to a massive four goal lead against Cheney, but the Blackhawks made thing interesting as the game finished with just one goal deciding it. The Northeast A League, meanwhile, is back in a schedule cycle that has the top three playing and easily posting wins against the rest of the pack.

College Notebook 10.1.18: Weekend Rewind

Here's a recap of the weekend's action...