Report: Spokane Shine select Dan Philp as new head coach

Philp handling his youth coaching duties during the Northwest Cup | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

With an announcement to come within the next week, INWsoccernews has learned from two sources close to the choice that the Spokane Shine of the Women’s Premier Soccer League have chosen Dan Philp, a current coach with the Spokane SC Shadow youth soccer club, as its new head coach. The news comes as schedules and new Shine venue details are also coming to light.

Report: Expanding WPSL Northwest set for 2013; league AGM marred by turmoil

The Northwest Division of the Women’s Premier Soccer League has set forth the infrastructure for the 2013 campaign, expanding from five clubs to eight with four teams each in Washington and Oregon. New to the division will be a controversial third Seattle-based club and two new teams to replace the departed Portland Rain.

Back on top, Spokane Shine await Battle For Seattle result Sunday

Shine put forth best offensive effort of the season | Photos: Gerald Barnhart - Full Gallery - Facebook Gallery

The Spokane Shine did what they needed to the past couple weeks to put themselves in position to win the division title, wrapping up the campaign Sunday with a leisurely 6-0 win against the winless visiting Oregon Rush, though it was hard work beneath the baking mid-day summer heat.

“Wait by your phones,” head coach Jason Quintero told the team after the match.

The Shine now await the division’s finale – the second meeting in the Puget Sound showdown between Emerald City and Issaquah. Spokane needs Emerald City, whom they defeated Friday evening, to earn a draw or victory against now second-place Issaquah SC Sunday evening at 7:00 pm PT at Issaquah High School. EC controlled possession for much of the match Wednesday against their local rivals in a 1-1 draw in which they also hit the woodwork a couple times as well.

Squeezing out wins in second meetings no ‘fluke’ for Spokane Shine

Chelsie Breen, Stephanie Busch and Maggie Schrader have been key to Shine defense

“Fluke.” That’s what Spokane Shine head coach Jason Quintero said of Lisa Robertson’s goal directly off a corner in Friday night’s 1-0 win against visiting Emerald City. What is not a fluke, however, are two things the Shine are quickly becoming known for: grinding out wins and improving on previous performances.

“Seems to be our M.O.,” Quintero said of the final score. “I think this is our fourth one-nil win. We get one and we are so good in the back – and in goal as well – that we just don’t really get scored on that much.

“It’s a testament to Maggie Schrader, Chelsie Breen and Allison Jordan – and Shannon Lindsay was unavailable tonight – and then Averi Hallman. It’s just a great team effort and Stephanie Busch is just so calm; that really sets the tone for our defenders not to panic as well.”

Final weekend a tough task for Spokane Shine with postseason at stake

The bench has played a key role for the Shine this season

The Spokane Shine will be front and center for the first two days of the weekend, playing host to two games that have playoff implications before all is said and done Sunday in the second half of the Battle for Seattle. The Shine host fellow playoff contender Emerald City Friday at 7:00 pm PT and the winless Oregon Rush Saturday afternoon at 2:00 pm PT. Both games are at Joe Albi Stadium.

Both the Shine and visiting Emerald City sit four points back of Issaquah SC, whom Emerald City plays again Sunday at 7:00 pm PT. The two clubs played to a 1-1 deadlock Wednesday evening in the Puget Sound showdown. While the result provided the Shine with two of the three points they needed Issaquah to drop to keep them in play, it made the weekend a lot more anxious and the scenarios a little more complicated with a three-way tie among the potential outcomes.

The Shine are coming off a positive weekend in which they posted a pair of 1-0 victories that directly eliminated Eugene Metro FC and Portland Rain out of postseason contention. Unfortunately, sometimes a win can also be a loss – as was the case Sunday.

WPSL Seattle Showdown Part I finishes 1-1; NW Division title up for grabs

Race for division title will go to the wire for leaders Issaquah as Emerald City, Spokane lurk in shadows

When the word came down at the Spokane Shine training session Wednesday evening that Emerald City FC and Issaquah SC played to a 1-1 draw in the first of their two-games this week, there was muted optimism as they only got part of the help they needed in the playoff chase.

Wednesday’s result creates a myriad of scenarios for the division title that includes a three-way tie, something that would not be good for the Shine given their current goal differential. Spokane and Emerald City sit four points back of Issaquah. The Shine and Emerald City meet Friday in what is a must-win result for the Shine if they wish to avoid the three-way tie. Emerald City then returns to Seattle to face Issaquah again Sunday evening after Spokane plays host to the winless Oregon Rush  Saturday afternoon. 

Spokane Shine edge Portland Rain on the road; playoff chase down to final week

With a short-handed roster and a tough road trip after a hard-fought victory Friday, it was not an easy task. But once again the Spokane Shine went on the road and picked up a 1-0 victory over an opponent that got a better result previously at Joe Albi Stadium as they topped the Portland Rain 1-0 Sunday on a goal from Darci Smith.

A must-win scenario for both sides, the Shine kept their postseason hopes alive and knocked Portland out of the race for the division title, leaving only the three Washington-based clubs to duke it out in the final week of the season.

Spokane Shine snare late win against Eugene, keep playoff hopes alive

Tight contest decided by Shannon Lindsay, Kara Marbury and Averi Hallman | Facebook Gallery - Full Gallery

With both sides tied in the table and clinging onto postseason hopes, the Spokane Shine were saved by two fantastic plays from Shannon Lindsay and Kara Marbury in a 1-0 nail-biter against visiting Eugene Metro FC, who were officially knocked out of contention with Issaquah also posting an expected victory against winless Oregon Rush Friday evening (updated table below).

Defender Shannon Lindsay of the University of Montana made the first significant play nine minutes into the second half that loomed large in the overall result of the contest. A long ball up to the left-hand side of the box found Megan Marchesano, who saw Stephanie Busch coming out. Marchesano, looking for her second goal of the campaign, flicked the ball over Busch toward an empty net only to see Lindsay make a quick sprint and a miracle semi-bicycle kick effort to clear the high bouncing ball off the goal line. 

The match remained back-and-forth until the final quarter-hour when the Shine began to apply extra pressure, looking for the victory.

“About 25-30 minutes left – a tie was as good as a loss for us – so we started pushing players forward,” said head coach Jason Quintero. “We had to open up the game to get some more chances.”

The third in a series of fantastic opportunities for the Shine over the course of a minute-plus finally gave the Shine a chance to celebrate in the 79th minute as Kara Marbury, a 16-year-old striker out of Mead that committed to the University of Illinois this week, scored her first of the season. With the team already in the offensive third from the previous chances, midfielder Averi Hallman gathered the ball on the right side of the area and sent a solid ball inside the box to Marbury, who made an excellent near-post run and directed it past Elise Nord for what stood as the winner.

WPSL NW: Eugene, Issaquah finish level as Emerald City blanks Oregon

After reclaiming first the night before in Portland, Issaquah SC was only able to add one more point to their tally Sunday afternoon in Eugene, keeping the playoff race fairly wide open. With a big win in Bend, Emerald City jumped into third by snapping a four-game draw streak, drubbing Oregon Rush 5-0.

Shining brighter and further in Spokane

A few days before the home opener at Joe Albi Stadium, Head Coach Jason Quintero shared a positive view for the upcoming season for a Spokane Shine squad and club that continue to evolve. The team plays host to an unbeaten Issaquah SC side Friday evening at 7:05 pm ET.

“I know they have not been scored on, and I want to change that,” was the first thing Quintero said of the upcoming opponent. “They got some decent players, just looking at their roster and where those players have been - and what level they play at - I know they are going to have a decent team.

The first-year Issaquah club comes into the match with a 2-0-0 record with a 3-0 win over Eugene Metro FC and a 2-0 result against Portland Rain SC – both at home. This will be the team’s first trip away from home, giving Spokane the opportunity to perhaps take utilize a similar advantage their opponents had last week when they opened on the road themselves in Eugene and Bend versus the same Metro FC side as well as the Oregon Rush.