HS Round-Up 11.10: NEA Off to Big Start Outside Districts

Saturday proved to be a big day for the Northeast A League as both Freeman and Lakeside advanced from their crossover matches with the Eagles raising eyebrows for their result away from home against the top-ranked team in the state. That success has carried into the state tournament, where Deer Park kicked things off with their biggest margin of victory on the year. 

The Lakeside ladies were not on their own in the upset department as Cheney came to Union Saturday and knocked off Mead 2-0 in the final district playoff contest, settling things as their league meeting went scoreless before a Panther shootout win.    

HS Round-Up 11.05: Mt Spokane, West Valley Claim District Titles

The Mt Spokane Wildcats are on a hot streak, and they just steamrolled over a University side that had not allowed a postseason goal to claim the 3A district title.  

Meanwhile, out in Spokane Valley there was a thriller at hand as Clarkston and West Valley met for a third time after a season split, looking to determine who would finish on top... only to see the match go to a penalty shootout to decide the lone 2A entry to the state tournament.  

Gonzaga Prep came up short at Richland in the 4A district final, but it was a rare defeat to an MCC opponent for the GSL this year as they have gone 7-2-3 with two wins and a loss among the drawn games that went to tiebreakers for a 9-3 mark. On Thursday Cheney and Mead both eliminated MCC oppenents from the playoffs to ensure a third GSL 3A entrant to state. Central Valley travels south to face Kamiakin for the third 4A berth.   

Hattenburg, James Lead Sides in Big Wins in Week 7 INWsn HS Best XI Lists

With a super tight race for the top 3A seed at stake in the final week of the season Cami Hattenburg helped lead the Mt Spokane Wildcats to a pair of wins that kept them atop their classification heading into the postseason. Meanwhile in 2A action Pullman played spoilers to Clarkston's hopes of challenging West Valley as Hannah James propelled the Greyhounds to an upset win over the Lady Bantams after suffering a 5-1 loss earlier in the season. 

 

HS Round-Up 11.03: Deer Park Survives Scare from Freeman to Win 1A District Title

Whilst Monday's 2A district playoff contests played out as expected the same could not be said of the doubleheader in Deer Park Tuesday. After Lakeside easily handled business in the opener, the crowd on hand was treated to a back-and-forth thriller between Freeman and Deer Park. 

Fresh off their upset win at Lakeside the previous week, the Scotties put a bit of fright into the Lady Stags on the chilly evening. A 2-1 lead midway through the first half marked the first time Deer Park had trailed in a league game all season and was the first time the Lady Stags, who gave up three tallies all season, had allowed more than one goal against an NEA opponent. 

They held that advantage until a frenzied 10 minutes in the second half in which the two sides exchanged four goals, but finished with the regular season champs ultimately prevailing against a Scotties side that - oh, by the way - was playing with their back-up keeper in goal. 

HS Round-Up 10.30: University Stuns Again With Another Scoreless Shootout Win

On Tuesday the University Titans shocked the top MCC 3A seed Southridge on the road with a shootout victory following a scoreless draw. The recipe seems to work well for them... as it was the same result Saturday against league foe Mead, earning an unexpected spot in the district final and a berth to state. 

It was one of three shootouts on the day. Ridgeline was eliminated from the postseason by Walla Walla after another scoreless stalemate, and after an exciting 1-1 affair versus Kamiakin the Gonzaga Prep Bullpups moved onto the 4A final, claiming a state berth. 

HS Round-Up 10.28: Freeman Stuns Lakeside; Shadle Wins at East Valley

Swept on the season by the other two NEA elites Deer Park and Lakeside by a combined tally of 13-3, it looked like Freeman would end up being in the third spot and taking the extra crossover game route to State. But as the saying goes, beating a team three times in a season is a tough task. Lakeside learned that the hard way in heartbreaking fashion as a 3-1 halftime lead proved not enough. 

HS Round-Up 10.26: GSL Nearly Sweeps Early Postseason Matchups Versus MCC

The positive results for the opening rounds of postseason play kicked off on Saturday with Lewis & Clark taking care of business against Hanford. Then on Tuesday, the Tigers were, however, the lone side to falter in five matchups between the two leagues, including a three-game sweep among the 3A contingent that has an all-GSL semifinal setup that guarantees at least two will be headed to state. 

And the night was full of drama as well. Central Valley posted a stunning two-goal rally to win 3-2 against Chiawana, Mead survived a tight 1-0 affair against Hermiston and University pulled off the upset of the night - according to seeding - with a shootout win against top MCC 3A seed Southridge after a scoreless contest.   

Cullen and Skinner Lead Late Season Pushes in Week 6 INWsn HS Best XI Lists

With late season title hopes Mead was being led by the hottest goalkeeper in the league with Mercedes Cullen on a lengthy shutout streak, earning Player of the Week honors. Meanwhile, Clarkston registered a huge win over unbeaten West Valley via Rebecca Skinner for a late chance at the GSL 2A title. 

HS Round-Up 10.22: West Valley Snags 2A Title, Deer Park Completes NEA Sweep

Other than Rogers getting their first goal of the league season and making Pullman sweat a bit in a close one, the final night of action was relatively quiet as Deer Park and West Valley finished off their regular season championship campaigns. 

For the Lady Stags it proved to be an unbeaten record as the lone other outstanding contest due to a postponement was ruled a forfeit.    

HS Round-Up 10.20: Prep Seals GSL Title; Wildcats Lock Up Top 3A Seed

The way things were going this season, you would have expected a crazy finish to the regular season, but despite a lot of drama with three extra time affairs things pretty much finished as they started on the day. 

The postseason kicks off Saturday with a 4A play-in game and gets underway in earnest Tuesday as the GSL sides face teams from the Mid Columbia Conference for the district title and state berths. 

HS Round-Up 10.19: Pullman Derails Clarkston; Deer Park Completes Elite Sweep

Well, well, well... a little drama this Tuesday evening. Just days after pulling even with West Valley, Clarkston was upended in Pullman by the Greyhounds. Though no game has been a gimme this year virtually anywhere (next game of topic prime example), Thursday's slate of East Valley for WV and Shadle Park for Clarkston - both home games - seems a pretty sure thing to see West Valley finish alone at the top. 

As for the other surprise on the night. While Deer Park finishing with a sweep of the other NEA elites - Lakeside and Freeman - was not a shock given the previous results, the manner in which it occured was a tad surprising. Despite starting eight freshman, host Freeman was able to shut down leading scorer Livvy Moore, preventing her from a bid to score in every league game, and hold the Lady Stags to a paltry 1-0 victory. 

HS Round-Up 10.18: Bullpups Edge CV; Overall Title Up for Grabs Wednesday

On a night of nailbiters with four of the five contests decided by one goal, only one thing was really decided. Gonzaga Prep's win secured the top 4A seed out of the GSL. Now it comes down to Wednesday with the GSL league title and the top 3A seed at stake with the top three sides - GP, Mt Spokane and Mead - all separated by just two points. 

HS Round-Up 10.16: Clarkston Hands West Valley First Loss; Wildcats Join Bullpups at the Top

Though not as many teams are as involved, it looks like GSL 2A is gonna go down to the wire as well with Clarkston and West Valley now having split on the season and need to avoid slip-ups in the final week. Meanwhile, a win in a makeup game on Friday allowed Mt Spokane to pull level with Gonzaga Prep in the other half of the GSL as five teams sit separated by four points going into the final two games next week. 

Ewers, Walker Power GSL Leaders for Week 5 INWsn HS Best XI Lists

After suffering their first defeat the week before in a 1-0 shutout Erin Ewers went into Beast Mode this week to guide the Bullpups in a pair of wins. Meanwhile, West Valley continues to cruise through GSL 2A thanks to the scoring exploits of Delani Walker, who notched seven on the week in two league and one quality non-league results.  

HS Round-Up 10.14: Prep Survives Top of Table Clash, Wolfpack Pick Up First Win & Rarity at CV

Yet another wild night of action in the GSL. The day started with North Central making a big comeback to earn its first win in a shootout and finished with a late-running shootout decision between the top two sides that fell in favor of Gonzaga Prep. 

In between that Cheney bounced back from Monday's defeat with a Mansfield-to-Miller hat-trick in a thumping of Lewis & Clark, Ridgeline topped Ferris and Mt Spokane made it a northside sweep at Central Valley, following up Mead's 2-0 road win Monday with the exact same result against the Bears in the valley. 

And if that final result seems odd... well, it is. In doing a bit of research, back-to-back losses is extremely rare for CV, especially by more than one goal. Going back through 2010, they had only lost back-to-back on five occasions and three of them included a shootout decision (2019, 2015 playoffs and 2010 season openers). In the 2016 playoffs they fell to Hanford (3-2) and Prep (5-0) back-to-back with the only regular season instance over the previous 11 seasons coming in 2011 against Prep (2-1) and Mead (1-0 in overtime) at the close of the league campaign.   

HS Round-Up 10.13: Panthers Growl, a Stunning Rally & Pullman Snags Late Win

Originally scheduled as an idle day, Monday was home to a pair of reschedules... and they proved to be worth the wait. Mead posted a statement result with a 2-0 shutout win at Central Valley whilst a battle of the other valley schools saw University rally from down two late to win in the final minute of overtime at Ridgeline. 

On Tuesday the results were not necessarily a surprise, though Pullman needed a late goal on a free kick to beat Shadle on the road 1-0. Lakeside completed a sweep of Freeman to cement themselves as the number two of the NEA behind Deer Park.  

HS Round-Up 10.07: Shadle Snags Shootout Win Versus East Valley

Amidst another 'ho-hum' afternoon of GSL 2A and NEA action there was a little scrappy affair at Dwight Merkel where East Valley and Shadle Park played to a 1-1 stalemate that required a shootout that finished in favor of the Highlanders. 

Defensive Stars Reagan, Sicilia Lead Week 4 INWsn HS Best XI Lists

In Week 4 a multitude of 1-0 contests in the 4A/3A flight put the spotlight on defensive performances and chief among them was Cheney keeper Sydney Reagan. And in a week of rather one-sided affairs among the 2A/1A contingent, West Valley defender Abbie Sicilia stood out for her role in a shutout win in the battle of unbeatens. 

HS Round-Up 10.06: Mead Edges Rival in Thriller; Ridgeline Surprises Cheney

The Turf War between Mead and Mt Spokane was a memorable one Wednesday night as the two sides put on a show that made you shake your head every few minutes as attempt after attempt to break the stalemate went for naught. Guts, desperation and exceptional skill were on full display. 

Meanwhile, Gonzaga Prep was at home spoiling Ferris' hopes of joining the contenders at the top and the young Ridgeline squad showed no fear against Cheney with a big result on the night. 

It was written right here not too long ago that this season is a crazy one that will be a wild ride. Stick around.   

HS Round-Up 10.05: Deer Park Firmly Atop NEA

With a resounding 3-0 victory on the road against Lakeside for a regular season sweep of the Eagles, the unbeaten Deer Park ladies have firmly set their grasp on the top spot in the NEA as the league nears the postseason.  

HS Round-Up 10.04: Cheney & Mead Climbing Table

With Mead making up its postponed games, the Panthers took on Cheney Friday and the two sides battled to a scoreless stalemate. Both would then go on to win Monday night, allowing them to jump up the table.  

HS Round-Up 9.30: Blowout Thursday!

Well, not much to see here. Closest contest on the day in scorelines was four goals, though West Valley got three late in a relatively lackluster five-goal contest against Shadle Park. 

Stiles, Moore Lead Week 3 INWsn HS Best XI Lists

In Week 3 the Greater Spokane League opened up league play with some thrilling contests and one of the players constantly creating drama was Mt Spokane's Kylie Stiles. Meanwhile, Livvy Moore earned Player of the Week honors for a second time thanks to a dominant performance in a big win between NEA elites. 

HS Round-Up 9.29: Cheney Stuns Again; Tigers & Titans Snag 1-0 Overtime Wins

If you thought the season last spring was odd... well, then this season is just outright crazy. After a series of subpar non-conference results and a season-opening loss to Mt Spokane it looked like Cheney could be written off. But Wait! 

HS Round-Up 9.28: Bullpups Nab Narrow Win in Top of Table Clash

The game of the night proved to be a tightly fought contest with the two early league leaders Gonzaga Prep and Mt Spokane squaring off and seeing the Bullpups come away with a 1-0 victory. The surprise of the night occurred out in Cheney where the hosts rallied from two down in the second half to register a stunning shootout victory against the Bears.  

Crockett & McLellan Highlight Second Week INWsn Best XI Lists

As the final week of preseason wrapped up for the Greater Spokane League and the second week of Northeast A League action unfolded, Zoe Crockett and Abbi McLellan jumped into the spotlight to garner INWsn Player of the Week honors. 

HS Round-Up 9.23: Deer Park Stomps; Clarkston Keeps Pace with West Valley

In the lone game of the day in the NEA due to cancellations - thankfully the most-anticipated - the showdown of two of the league's powers finished with little doubt as to who the frontrunner is for the league with Deer Park now boasting victories over both Freeman and Lakeside. 

In the GSL 2A action Thursday the results were rather one-sided. Clarkston topped East Valley to remain unbeaten with West Valley whilst Pullman registered its first victory. 

HS Best XI Lists for Opening Week* Unveiled

The first edition of the Inland NW Soccer News High School Best XI lists were unveiled for games up to September 12, covering the first week of Northeast A League play as well on non-league action for the GSL and NEA. The new format of the honors this year now features two lists split between 4A/3A and 2A/1A. 

HS Round-Up 9.22: Prep Avoids Stunner While Wildcats Remain Top

 And that is why you can't judge everything based on preseason / non-league results. Wednesday's contests proved to be a bit of an eye-opener as you looked down the list with Gonzaga Prep needing a shootout to prevail at University, Ferris thumping North Central and Ridgeline faltering at Lewis & Clark. 

HS Round-Up 9.21: Valley Sides Prevail in GSL 2A Openers

 The Opening Day for the GSL 2A sides saw most of the action in Spokane Valley with East Valley and West Valley playing hosts on the day. West Valley would pull away from Pullman in what was a back-and-forth affair, but East Valley posted the big result on the day with a comeback win against spring champion Shadle Park. In the NEA meanwhile, it was surprisingly close contests for powers Freeman and Lakeside away from home as they picked up victories. 

HS Round-Up 9.20: Prep Wins Opening Night Thriller in OT; Lakeside Tops Freeman

 Opening Day for the Greater Spokane League saw the brand new Ridgeline Falcons pick up a win, but the contest of the night proved to be Gonzaga Prep versus Lewis & Clark. The two went toe-to-toe, and as it appeared to be headed to overtime the Bullpups once again found that winning strike. 

HS Round-Up 9.16: Eye Openers in NEA, Non-League Play Tuesday & Wednesday

In NEA league play Tuesday, it was a stunner. By the early results it looked as though Riverside may be in the mix with the power three, but Deer Park squashed those notions emphatically with a double-digit shutout performance on the road. Wednesday featured a couple close non-league games. First LC dominated at NC, but the Tigers were only able to eek out a narrow 1-0 win on a late goal. Later it was a toe-to-toe affair at Union where Central Valley took a dramatic 2-1 decision over Mt Spokane on a late strike.  

HS Round-Up 9.10-9.13: Big Efforts Highlight Non-League Play

It was essentially a four-day weekend as non-league games rolled from Friday all the way through Monday with Freeman using its idle Tuesday to fit in a non-league matchup. It was even more notable by the fact that some of the lower classification sides showed well in their games. 

 

HS Round-Up 9.9: Deer Park Tops Lakeside; NC Wins Rivalry Showdown

Thursday featured a few big matchups with the first contest between elite NEA sides saw Deer Park prevail at home against Lakeside while North Central claimed bragging rights in their rivalry with Shadle Park in a contest that is now a non-league affair due to classifications. 

HS Round-Up 9.7 & 9.8: Same Story as NEA Opens Season

Tuesday was a big night as it was the start of the Northeast A League and featured quite a few non-league fixtures for the rest of the area schools. 

Non-League Action Underway for High Schools

 It was Labor Day weekend, but it was no holiday for a handful of high school programs that got in their first bit of preseason non-league action - aside from Wednesday's jamborees. There were six games on Friday and a few more on Saturday with a mixture of match-ups that ranged from league foes to sides from north Idaho, central Washington and local lower league teams.

Local College Action Kicks Off in Spokane

Normality, to some degree, is back when it comes to college soccer, and it kicks off Thursday night with Gonzaga playing host to Eastern Washington. The following day the Bulldog men host an exhibition against NAIA program College of Idaho, which is sticking around to play CC Spokane on Sunday. 

Not long after action begins to stir at Whitworth with the men's program playing host to Northwest University (NAIA) on Tuesday.

NWAC RECAP - Surprise Rise from Blue Mountain Men; Spokane Women Go Unbeaten

Hampered by the pandemic, the NWAC East carried on in a modified format this spring with a team missing each from the men's and women's groups and a schedule that was far from balanced due to travel and cancelations that popped up during the season. In the end, though, it was the Blue Mountain men and the CC Spokane women that were the top sides based on points per game.

GSL Stat Leaders for Spring 2021 Girls 3A/4A

Check out the Stat Leaderboards for the Spring 2021 Girls GSL 3A/4A regular season (as tabulated by INWsoccernews)...

Catching Up With Collegiate Soccer

Well... It has been quite a year... but the time has finally come for most collegiate players in and from around the region. 

Here is a round-up of where things stand with area leagues and programs since we last checked in with things at the end of 2019. The following summation begins with area leagues with significant representation in the inland northwest and conclude with leagues with one or two members in the region.