NWAC East Playoff Update - NIC women, Walla Walla men advance to quarters

TheNorthwest Athletic Conference soccer playoffs kicked off in earnest Wednesday with the majority of the opening round of playoff games. Four teams from the East were in action while the champions at CC Spokane were awaiting results elsewhere to learn their opposition for Saturday in the quarterfinal round.

NWAC EAST UPDATE - MEN #############

The Warriors of Walla Walla CC moved on with a 2-0 victory against Southwest Oregon while Columbia Basin came up short, dropping a 2-1 decision to Chemeketa.

Jose Anguiano (Kennewick, WA) put the Warriors on the board in the 25th minute on a ball from Emilio Meraz-Rodriguez (Pasco, WA) and Alex Saldana (Milton-Freewater, OR) added some insurance a minute before the break. Walla Walla controlled the contest with the visitors only eliciting one save from goalkeeper Francisco Flores (Milton-Freewater, OR). Walla Walla now travels to take on powerhouse Peninsula Saturday.

Host Chemeketa took the lead against Columbia Basin in the 20th minute and doubled the advantage a minute into the second half. The Hawks attempted to come back, but a goal with six minutes remaining from Jason Rodriguez (Othello, WA) was all they could muster as their season came to a close.

Traveling to Spokane Saturday will be Whatcom, which advanced with a victory over visiting Bellevue led by a goal and assist from Uriel Herrera.

Playoff Results 

Wednesday, November 4

Southwest Oregon 0 :: 2 Walla Walla
Columbia Basin 1 :: 2 Chemeketa
Bellevue 1 :: 2 Whatcom
Edmonds 1 :: 3 Tacoma

Upcoming Games 

Saturday, November 7
Whatcom @ Spokane 2:15
Walla Walla @ Peninsula 2:00
Chemeketa @ Highline 7:00

NWAC EAST UPDATE - WOMEN #############

The North Idaho College ladies advanced with a 2-1 victory against visiting Chemeketa while Treasure Valley came up short in a narrow 1-0 decision on the road against Clark.

Former high school teammates combined to put NIC in front 19 minutes into the contest Wednesday evening when Haley White (La Grande, OR) fed Jasmine Smith (La Grande, OR) for the go-ahead goal. The visitors pulled even in the 38th minute, but ten minutes into the second half NIC reclaimed the lead for good when Emily Aspen scored on a ball from Megan Lowery (Hayden, ID). The Cardinals will now travel to face perennial power Peninsula on Saturday.

Fernanda Rogel made six saves for the Chukars, but the one that got by her in the 63rd minute was all Clark needed as Treasure Valley was unable to produce any goals at the other end.

Spokane will play host to Everett, which posted a dominant 4-0 victory over Tacoma Wednesday evening in which they scored twice in each half - Claire Nelson and Lauren Allison each tallying two goals and an assist - and forcing the Tacoma keeper to make 12 saves as well.

Playoff Results

Tuesday, November 3
Shoreline (5) 1 :: PK :: 1 (3) Bellevue

Wednesday, November 4
Chemeketa 1 :: 2 North Idaho
Treasure Valley 0 :: 1 Clark
Tacoma 0 :: 4 Everett

Upcoming Games 

Saturday, November 7
Everett @ Spokane 12:00
North Idaho @ Peninsula 12:00
Clark @ Highline 4:30

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CC Spokane sides sweep the week; claim NWAC East titles

The CC Spokane men's and women's sides faced a tough final week at home with local foe North Idaho College visiting midweek and longtime rival Walla Walla visiting on Saturday. The division championships were in reach for both, but they needed to take care of business to earn the top spots going into the NWAC postseason.

The Bigfoot ladies used a dramatic 2-1 victory over the Cardinals Wednesday to lock up a division championship repeat and celebrated with a 5-0 playoff tuneup victory Saturday against the Warriors.

The Sasquatch men also topped NIC by a 2-1 scoreline, but the title race went down to a season finale showdown with second-place Walla Walla Saturday that finished 3-0 in favor of Spokane.

NWAC East Update: Spokane men tie rival Walla Walla 2-2, hold first with unbeaten week

Having recently moved into the top spot in a men's NWAC East Division that nobody seemed to want to take control of, CC Spokane went into a Wednesday night showdown with heated rival Walla Walla and rallied from a goal down on two occasions to earn a draw on the night.

Wednesday Recap: Hosts unbeaten in Spokane vs Walla Walla x 3

Wednesday saw a tripleheader of Walla Walla visiting Spokane with the ladies of Whitman College facing Whitworth University followed by the CC Spokane ladies and men playing host to longtime rival Walla Walla CC. The Pirates grabbed a late 1-0 victory over the Missionaries early in the afternoon while the Bigfoot women downed the Warriors 2-0 to kick off the evening at The Falls with the Sasquatch men playing to a 2-2 draw in a battle for potential playoff position.

INW College Recap - Week 12: NWAACC Final Fours are set; players announced for All-Star games

The Warriors of Walla Walla CC were the lone sides from the East to survive the NWAACC Quarterfinal Round contests Wednesday as they won both at home while Spokane was swept on the road and the Columbia Basin was knocked out on the women's side.

CC Spokane sweeps NWAACC playoff doubleheader to reach Quarters

The Bigfoot now hit the road for Quarterfinals Saturday | Photos Gerald Barnhart 

Looking to return to the championship match after finishing runners-up a year ago, the Bigfoot women snared a relatively easy 3-0 victory in the opening round of the NWAACC postseason with a pair of goals from Tasha Luu as they downed visiting Bellevue College, sending them to a Quarterfinal showdown with Clackamas, whom they faced in the semifinals a year ago and in the season opener this year.

In the second half of the doubleheader the Sasquatch men made an adventure of it against the visiting Titans as they were in control much of the match and held the lead after an early Brian Clark penalty. However, the final five minutes saw Tacoma come within inches of scoring the equalizer three times only to come up short in the 1-0 decision.

NWAACC East contenders Walla Walla and Spokane split doubleheader

Spokane and Walla Walla square off in the return half of the series October 30 | Photos: Gerald Barnhart

CC Spokane and visiting Walla Walla CC - the clear NWAACC East Division leaders in both genders - played to a pair of thrilling encounters Wednesday afternoon at Spokane Falls CC with both games featuring even play and thrilling second half finishes. The CC Spokane women prevailed 2-0 with a fantastic Tasha Luu strike and a late counter finished by Rainey Pelzel while the men's contest nearly went the distance scoreless before Walla Walla's Mario Guizar struck in the 89th followed by a frenzied finish.

INW Collegiate Recap: NWAACC Friendlies & More

The defending East Division champions CC Spokane off to another good start

The Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges held its annual kick-off event at the Starfire Sports Complex last week, bringing in 22 of the 24 soccer programs in its membership for a series of preseason out-of-division contests. The East Division teams on the women's side performed extremely well at the event with a combined 7-3-1 record while on the men's side went 5-4-0.

Peninsula Pirates snare NWAACC titles from grasps of Spokane, Walla Walla for rare double

Both defenses were difficult to beat for Spokane and Peninsula in title game | Photos: Gerald Barnhart (gallery)

Sunday just was not a good day for the NWAACC East Division. Both of the East-West All-Star teams fell to the North-South in the first half of the day’s action at the Starfire Sports Complex, and then the CC Spokane women were edged via penalties, 3-2, after a 1-1 draw for the championship by the Peninsula Pirates, who also saw the men win, 1-0, against Walla Walla on an 87th minute tally.

The double was the league’s first since 1999 when Columbia Basin won both titles in a showdown with current East Division rival Spokane in both the men’s and women’s finals.

Big block sends Bigfoot onto NWAACC Final

Currie surrounded after scoring winning tally | Photo: Gerald Barnhart (photo gallery)

It was about as one-sided as a semifinal match could be Saturday morning at the Starfire Sports Complex as the East champion CC Spokane Bigfoot squared off against Clackamas in the first semifinal of the day, but it came down to a 90th minute Lateashea Currie strike created by a Tasha Luu block in the offensive third as the Sasquatch advanced, 1-0. The Bigfoot will face Peninsula, 3-1 winners against Everett, in the championship in Tukwila, Wash. Sunday at 3:00 pm PT. 

All-Star laden Sasquatch headed to Tukwila for NWAACC Final Four

It was a cold afternoon with temperatures just above freezing after the season's first snowfall a few days before

NWAACC Semifinals set for men & women; All-Stars & honors announced

The record-setting CC Spokane women affirmed their status as a top seed Saturday by clinching a ticket to the league’s Final Four with a fairly easy 3-1 victory over Whatcom CC, the second seed from the North. They join the trio of Peninsula, Everett and Clackamas, who are all returning from last year’s quartet.

Bigfoot look to take another big step forward Saturday in playoff opener

CC Spokane Bigfoot celebrate winning the East Division | Photos: Gerald Barnhart (gallery)

On Saturday, the NWAACC’s second-best team on paper begins its playoff campaign in the league quarterfinals when the CC Spokane Bigfoot play host to Whatcom CC, the second-place side from the North Division, at Spokane Falls Community College. The winner advances to the NWAACC Final Four the following weekend in Tukwila, WA at 1:30 pm.

Walla Walla picks up four points in Spokane doubleheader

Walla Walla men picked up a win while the Spokane defense stayed strong against champs - Photos: Gerald Barnhart

The Bigfoot of CC Spokane women maintained their unbeaten status and kept the top spot in the NWAACC East Division with a 1-1 draw Wednesday at Spokane Falls, but the Walla Walla CC Warriors were the better school on the day by also picking up a 2-1 victory in the men’s match.

Bigfoot host powerhouse Walla Walla Wednesday at the Falls

The powerhouses of the region are headed to Spokane Wednesday as the reigning nine-time NWAACC East Region champion Walla Walla Community College visit to play the unbeaten ladies of the Community Colleges of Spokane at Spokane Falls CC in a doubleheader with the men.

The Spokane women come into the match leading the division with a perfect 4-0-0 record and are one of three teams in the 23-team league with an unbeaten record on the young season and Walla Walla, which has won the league championship the past three years and reached the league final the past seven seasons, is in second at 3-1-0.