Defensive players lead Spokane to 2-0 win over Yakima

An early save from Jeff Srock was one of several great stops on the night - Full Gallery [+] 

Longtime foes Yakima and Spokane took to the pitch Saturday night in their first meeting of the season and once again did not disappoint in a thoroughly entertaining contest that saw many near misses, an outstanding goalkeeping performance from the Shadow's Jeff Srock and a late first half goal seconds before the whistle that gave the hosts command en route to a 2-0 victory at Spokane Falls CC Stadium.

First win over Shadow puts Vancouver back atop EPLWA

Vancouver improves record against Spokane to 1-1-1 with the win  |  Full Gallery [+] 

Having built a 3-0-0 record on teams struggling to get off to a good start, the Vancouver Victory took the long trip to Spokane Saturday for its biggest test of the season against the defending league champions. A bit of a chess match at times, the visitors found the winning moves for a goal in each half to leave town with a 2-0 victory and their place back atop the league table once again.

EPLWA Round-Up - May 14

Yakima and former league-leader South Sound battled to 2-2 draw last weekend

In Week 3 of the Evergreen Premier League season, the winless streak for home teams came to an end with Vancouver Victory downing Bellingham to move to 3-0-0, but it was the only one as the three others finished in two draws and a loss. Last year's top two sides, Spokane and South Sound, both finished even with their opposition.

This week, two of the three eastern-based sides are set to square off in this week's matches with Wenatchee playing host to Yakima Sunday afternoon. Spokane, meanwhile, will welcome the unbeaten Victory Saturday evening.

Stars find redemption in Spokane with 1-1 draw

Saturday's contest in Spokane was a case of two completely different halves  |  Full Gallery [+] 

The home opener for the reigning Evergreen Premier League champion Spokane Shadow did not go as expected. Coming off an 8-2 season opening win at Wenatchee, the Shadow came out flat in the second half and saw the visiting Seattle Stars take control and snare a 1-1 draw.

For Seattle, it was redemption for a team that came to Spokane on the final weekend of the season with only nine players and were walked all over in an 11-0 defeat.

EPLWA Round-Up - Week Two

Everyone was in action for the second week of the Evergreen Premier League season with defending champion Spokane kicking off their title defense in Wenatchee with a win while newcomers Olympic Force were downed in their debut by visiting Vancouver, who were led by a pair from eastern Washington. The other area team in action, Yakima United, raised a few eyebrows with a one-sided result in Bellingham.

Two league-wide themes so far is the performance of visiting teams and the scoring rate. Road teams are 6-1-0 thus far away from home with the Seattle Stars the only side with a win at home. Scoring is also up from last year, which is surprising considering the season averaged nearly four goals per game last year. Through seven games, the scoring rate is 5.43 per game compared to 3.86 in the first seven a year ago.

Spokane’s EPLWA title defense opens with a bang

Home opener for Wenatchee also served as the season opener for the Shadow | Full gallery [+] 

The early moments of the match showed signs of a Spokane team still coming together due to collegiate player availability, but by the time the intermission was over everyone was on the same page. A 3-2 halftime lead turned into an 8-2 victory against host Wenatchee FC as the defending champion Shadow ran past the Capitals to a season opening Evergreen Premier League win.

EPLWA this Weekend - Week 2

The eastern trio of the Evergreen Premier League will all be in action the second week of the season as the defending champion Spokane Shadow take to the pitch for the first time. The title defense for Spokane begins Sunday in Wenatchee. Yakima United, meanwhile, is heading to Bellingham Sunday.

Back in Blue: 13 players set for Shadow return as others move on

Adam Talley (center) is back for the Shadow attack  -  Training Gallery [+]

The Spokane Shadow kicked off preseason training last week and have chosen a base group of 13 returning players to build off of for the 2015 Evergreen Premier League season. The reigning champions have lined up a number of returning players from local Whitworth University in addition to a handful of recent high school graduates returning from their first year of college.

Players seek spot with EPLWA champion Shadow

The reigning Evergreen Premier League champion Spokane Shadow took the pitch for the first time to begin preparations for defending the EPLWA title in 2015, hosting their tryout sessions at Dwight Merkel Sports Complex in north Spokane Saturday.

Gonzaga dominates in 3-1 win over Yakima United in friendly

Just two weeks into preseason, the Evergreen Premier League’s Yakima United were still trying to find their feet as they played a visit to the Gonzaga University Bulldogs Saturday afternoon in Spokane, Wash., falling 3-1 in a contest in which the collegiate side’s team familiarity and fitness made them clear winners in the friendly.

INWsn joins EPLWA as Media Partner

Look for expanded coverage of Yakima United, Wenatchee FC, Spokane Shadow and EPLWA here on INWsn in 2015

Inland Northwest Soccer News is proud to announce that the regional soccer news site is joining goalWA.net as the Evergreen Premier League’s second official media partner, providing in-depth coverage of the eight-team league.

Yakima United, Wenatchee FC and Spokane Shadow will feature prominently on the site, based in Spokane, as part of INWsn’s coverage zone that follows the sport east of the Cascades in Washington and Oregon as well as the states of Idaho and Montana. The three teams in the region were very competitive in 2014 with the Shadow winning the league title, Yakima handing Spokane one of its two losses and Wenatchee sweeping their central Washington foes. In addition to having three area teams, the champion Shadow as the eastern-most based club, featured several players from Idaho and Montana in its return to the pitch last year.

Spokane's Ramos chosen by Toronto FC in MLS SuperDraft

Spokane native Mike Ramos capped a fantastic year in which he led the Spokane Shadow to the Evergreen Premier League title and Whitworth University to the Northwest Conference championship with his selection Tuesday in the third round of the Major League Soccer SuperDraft.

The striker was taken 50th overall, eighth in the third round, by Toronto FC in the four-round even that began with the first two rounds held at the NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia last Thursday and finished with the second half via teleconference call. Looking for talent up top, Ramos was the first of three strikers the club chose on the day. In the first two rounds they chose a goalkeeper, three defenders and another forward.

Former Shadow, MLS standout Waibel takes RSL coaching post

After helping lead the University of Washington to its best season in program history this past fall in his first year with his alma mater, Spokane native and former Spokane Shadow PDL standout Craig Waibel was named as part of the assistant coaching staff for new Real Salt Lake head coach Jeff Cassar Wednesday.

Award-winning Waibel guiding Huskies into unprecedented territory

Waibel was named Far West Assistant Coach of the Year by the NSCAA Thursday | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

Only three years removed from playing his final Major League Soccer game for the Houston Dynamo and in his second season as an assistant coach for his alma mater, Spokane native and former Spokane Shadow PDL standout Craig Waibel was honored Thursday by the NSCAA and has the University of Washington on the verge of the NCAA Final Four with a home contest against New Mexico. The game can be seen on the Pac-12 Networks.

“It has been a year of steady growth and continued improvement for our guys,” Waibel told INWsoccernews. “They have battled as tough as any of their competitors and have found ways to win game through efficient play, and at times beautiful soccer.  But their spirit and their humility is their true strength. They also possess the ability to win games ugly when needed.  They have the confidence in themselves to set aside their ideals of the beautiful game and roll up their sleeves. And in doing so, they show their maturity as a group and their overwhelming desire to succeed on the field.

Spokane Shadow appoint Barnhart as GM for EPL-WA men’s team

The Spokane Shadow men’s soccer team set to re-launch in 2014 as members of the state’s newly-formed Evergreen Premier League (EPL-WA) announced that Spokane native and INWsoccernews founder Gerald Barnhart, who served as the first Public Relations Director for the Shadow’s USL Premier Development League team from 1997-99, has joined the team and will serve as the general manager.

Spokane Shadow expanding vertically with addition of senior teams in 2014

Soccer entertainment in Spokane has not been a bumpy road, but rather a mountain range of peaks and valleys. In 2014, however, the Spokane Shadow are returning to the senior level of the sport hoping the mountains are in the rear-view mirror.

The soccer world in the Northwest has evolved since the Spokane Shadow PDL team went dark after the 2005 season. The Sounders went from being a leading lower division side to a marquee MLS franchise and have been joined by successful Cascadia counterparts in Portland and Vancouver, creating a thriving soccer culture in the region. Now, Spokane fans will once again be able to come together at the pitch and cheer on their own team - likely two - courtesy of the announcement that the Shadow are relaunching a men's team and are planning to also feature a women's side beginning in 2014.