HS Update: Five Washington State semifinals all-509 affairs - Updated!

In five of the six Final Four events this weekend in the Washington State high school championships, one of the semifinals will feature a pair of schools from eastern Washington squaring off for the chance to play in the state championship match Saturday.     **Updated Info Below**

A 509 side is guaranteed a shot at the 4A State Championship Saturday as the second semifinal Friday evening will pit the top sides from the Mid-Columbia Conference and Columbia Basin Big Nine against one another with Hanford (12-2 in MCC) taking on West Valley (12-0 in CBBN) at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup. The winner will take on either Skyline or Camas.

The MCC's other co-champion, Southridge (12-2), is the lone 509 side left in the 3A tournament. They face Bishop Blanchet out of Seattle at Sparks with the winner facing Seattle Prep or Bellevue.

In the 2A tournament, Selah is the last remaining side from the 509, representing Yakima County. They will take on Columbia River out of Vancouver at Shoreline Stadium in the second semifinal after Liberty and Archbishop Murphy square off in the other semi.

In the 1A bracket, it is a central Washington showdown between La Salle and Cascade, which finished 8-0-0 in the Caribou Trail League. La Salle was 14-0-0 in the SCAC West, but was edged in the postseason by 11-0-0 Kiona Benton out of the East. KBHS was eliminated in the first round by Seattle Academy, which lost to Cascade. The winner will face either Overlake or King's in the championship Saturday.

In the B tourneys, Saint George's boys and girls sides out of Spokane will face a pair of 509 foes in their semifinals. The boys will take on Prescott out of Walla Walla County and the girls will square off with Liberty Bell out of Okanogan County.

RESULTS -- Friday, November 18 #####  

3A - SOUTHRIDGE 1-0 Bishop Blanchet
3A - Seattle Prep 0-1 Bellevue
4A - Skyline 0-1 Camas
4A - WEST VALLEY (Yakima) 2-1 HANFORD
1A - Overlake 1-0 King's
1A - CASCADE 0-1 LA SALLE
2A - Liberty 6-2 Archbishop Murphy
2A - SELAH 0-5 Columbia River
B-Girls - Adna 0-0 (0-1 SO) Kalama
B-Girls - SAINT GEORGE'S 2-0 LIBERTY BELL
B-Boys - Crosspoint 1-0 Tacoma Baptist
B-Boys - SAINT GEORGE'S 2-1 PRESCOTT

COMING UP -- Saturday, November 19 #####  

Third Place Matches
B-Girls - LIBERTY BELL v Adna (Sunset Chev Stadium, Sumner) 10:00
1A - CASCADE v King's (Shoreline Stadium) 10:00
3A - Bishop Blanchet v Seattle Prep (Sparks Stadium, Puyallup) 10:00
B-Boys - PRESCOTT v Tacoma Baptist (Sunset Chev Stadium, Sumner) 12:00
2A - SELAH v Archbishop Murphy (Shoreline Stadium) 12:00
4A - HANFORD v Skyline (Sparks Stadium, Puyallup) 12:00

Championship Matches
B-Girls - SAINT GEORGE'S v Kalama (Sunset Chev Stadium, Sumner) 2:00
1A - LA SALLE v Overlake (Shoreline Stadium) 2:00
3A - SOUTHRIDGE v Bellevue (Sparks Stadium, Puyallup) 2:00
B-Boys - SAINT GEORGE'S v Crosspoint (Sunset Chev Stadium, Sumner) 4:00
2A - Liberty v Columbia River (Shoreline Stadium) 4:00
4A - WEST VALLEY (Yakima) v Camas (Sparks Stadium, Puyallup) 4:00

>> schedule subject to change <<

###

INWsn College Postseason Central

• Central Washington wins in Regional debut

Championship season for college soccer is underway. All but the DI men kick off national tournament play this weekend for the NCAA. The NWAC championships are down to the Final Four this weekend as well. The NAIA brackets will be announced Monday along with the NCAA-DI Men's bracket.

Central Washington University kicked things off on Thursday with their first-ever West Regionals match, topping league foe Seattle Pacific University 2-1 (more info below).

The rest of the tournaments are in full swing for area teams on Friday. Here's a rundown by division (times Pacific).

**Bookmark to return for updates.

NCAA Division I Women   #### 

Eastern Washington University: The Eagles kick off their first-ever appearance in the tournament on the road against USC, which is a two-seed in the bracket and ranked seventh in the nation.  Match: Saturday, November 12 - 1:00 pm  Stream Link [+]

Stanford: Featuring Averie Collins (Bozeman, MT), the Cardinal ranked second in the nation and as a one-seed play host to Houston Baptist.  Match: Friday, November 11 - 7:00 pm.

Colorado: Featuring freshman Kennedy Yost (Pocatello, ID), the Buffalo play host to Oklahoma State in the opening round.  Match: Saturday, November 12 - 11:00 am

Seattle University: The Redhawks travel to face UCLA, which is a four-seed and ranked 18.  Match: Friday, November 11 - 7:00

NCAA Division II Women   ####

Central Washington: In the Western Regionals the Wildcats were seeded fifth and has a pair of GNAC foes in their path in the West Regionals. First up was Seattle Pacific, who they fell 2-0 to in the league tournament semifinals after posting 1-0 and 1-1 results against the Falcons during the season. Whitney Lowe scored twice in the first round of the West Regionals, scoring from about nine yards out after a lengthy drive in the ninth minute and then heading the ball in after a missed clearance by the keeper in the 52nd minute. Seattle Pacific scored when a defensive error allowed Hannah Huesers to score on a breakaway in the 61st.  MORE [+]

The Wildcats will now face Western Washington, which won their season meeting 4-1. Four different players scored for the Vikings with Abby Litka scoring the lone tally for the Wildcats in the middle. The Wildcats squad includes Karlee Goehner (Wenatchee, WA / Spokane, WA), Riley Steele (Yakima, WA) and Keilin Farrand (Ellensburg, WA).  Next Match: Saturday, November 12 - 1:00 pm  

Seattle Pacific: In the Western Regionals the Falcons were seeded fourth, but were knocked out, 2-1, by Central Washington (see more above). The squad included Asia Cayetano (Nampa, ID), Sierra Smith (Boise, ID) and Maddy Booster (Bend, OR).  [Eliminated]

Western Washington: The Vikings, seeded number one, were ensured a second round match-up against a league foe. They will take on Central Washington, whom they defeated 4-1 during the regular season. Gabriela Pelogi and Liv Larson gave them a two goal lead in the first half. Abby Litka put the Wildcats on the board in the 50th before Mariah Roggow and Elise Aylward scored. Caitlyn Jobanek tallied a pair of assists. The squad includes Sandy Hanses (Yakima, WA), Sophia Kallas (Boise, ID), Colleen Lindsay (Spokane, WA) and Malia Maack (Spokane, WA).  Match: Saturday, November 12 - 1:00 pm

Colorado School of Mines: Featuring Anna Deleray (Kalispell, MT), the Orediggers are the top seed in their portion of the bracket and await the winner of the first round match between Colorado State-Pueblo and Dallas Baptist.  Match: Saturday, November 12 - 11:00 am.

Minnesota State-Mankato: Featuring Ryan Rydeen (Spokane, WA), the Mavericks are the second seed in their region and will host the winner of the first round match between Fort Hays State and Harding.  Match: Sunday, November 13 - 11:00 am.

NCAA Division III Women   ####

Pacific Lutheran: The Lutes, who ended the 14-year run at the top by Puget Sound, are on the road against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, which is hosting their two-round foursome. The Lutes squad features Justice Aragon (Pasco, WA), Sarah Burns (Kennewick, WA), Jordan Haggerty (Boise, ID), Brianna Hunting (Kennewick, WA) and Megan Zimmerman (Pasco, WA).  Match: Saturday, November 12 - 1:30

NCAA Division II Men   ####

Western Washington: Featuring Eleazar Galvan (Chelan, WA), Brady Ulen (Coeur d'Alene, ID / NIC / Shadow MFT) and Greydon Saunders (Spokane, WA / Snohomish, WA), the Vikings are the six-seed in the Western Regionals and are in San Diego where they will face Dixie State in the first round before a possible match-up against host UC-San Diego.  Match: Friday, November 11 - 12:00

NCAA Division III Men   ####

Whitworth: The NWC champion Pirates travel (again) to Texas for the opening two rounds. The open things against the host of the two-round foursome Trinity.  Match: Saturday, November 12 - 3:00

Redlands: Featuring Ben Thompson (Spokane, WA), the Bulldogs travel to Indiana for the opening rounds. They kick things off against Washington-St Louis.  Match: Saturday, November 12 - 4:30

NWAC Final Four Women  ####

Spokane: The reigning league champion Bigfoot look for a repeat at the Starfire Complex. They open things up against Highline, the top team out of the West Division. The Sasquatch topped Highline in the opening game of the preseason, 2-0, on goals from Erica Simpson (Post Falls, ID) and Sydney Weiler (Spokane, WA) and a shutout from Molly Webster. They also faced both teams in the other half of the bracket. They posted a 1-1 draw and a 3-1 win against division foe North Idaho during the season and played North champion Peninsula to a 2-2 draw at home in their final game of the preseason.

North Idaho: The Cardinals, second out of the East, face perennial power and north champion Peninsula in the semifinals. The two did not play this year, but the Pirates played to a 2-2 draw at fellow East division side Spokane in the preseason before going a perfect 15-0-0 in their division.

Other Players: The Highline roster features Jenna Jensen (Spokane, WA) and Zoe Wolf (Billings, MT) and the Peninsula squad includes Cicely Warnick (Pullman, WA), Sarah Reiber (Yakima, WA) and Maddy Parton (Leavenworth, WA).

Friday, November 11
Semifinal 1: (E2) North Idaho v (N1) Peninsula  12:30
Semifinal 2: (W1) Highline v (E1) Spokane  3:00
Sunday, November 13
All-Star Game  10:00
FINAL  2:30

Watch Live: https://www.youtube.com/c/NWACSportsNetwork

NWAC Final Four Men  ####

Spokane: The Bigfoot, looking to claim a championship after a runners-up campaign a year ago, will be going up against the West, which saw all three teams advance to the semifinals. In the semifinal contest the Sasquatch will face West champion Highline in a rematch of their preseason opener. They fell in that match 2-0 as the offense struggled to find it scoring touch in the early stages of the campaign. Since opening preseason 0-2-2, they have gone 14-1-1. The Bigfoot have not played either Pierce or Tacoma of the other semifinal, but Pierce - third in the West - edged fellow East side North Idaho 1-0 in the opening round of the playoffs and Tacoma knocked East side Walla Walla out in penalties after a 1-1 draw before also eliminating powerhouse and defending champion Peninsula in penalties.

Other Players: Pierce features Daniel Angel (Yakima, WA).

Friday, November 11
Semifinal 1: (W3) Pierce v (W2) Tacoma  5:00
Semifinal 2: (W1) Highline v (E1) Spokane  8:00
Sunday, November 13
All-Star Game  12:00
FINAL   5:15

Watch Live: https://www.youtube.com/c/NWACSportsNetwork

###

Big Sky Tonight 11.6.16: Eastern Washington wins Big Sky title in penalties

It could have been one of the most heartbreaking endings ever. Eastern Washington thoroughly dominated Sunday afternoon in Cheney against Northern Arizona in the Big Sky Championship match only to find themselves trailing after a penalty and ultimately needing the shootout tiebreaker to claim the program's first-ever league championship and NCAA Tournament berth.

After giving up a penalty in the first half, EWU tied things up early in the second period and went the distance even at 1-1, sending the game to a shootout. In the tiebreaker, the Eagles prevailed 4-3 to claim the Big Sky Championship as the league's fifth seed, though they were among the league leaders before going 1-3-1 in their final five of the season.

The match started off with EWU swarming the Northern Arizona goal, something that turned out to be a nearly endless theme on the day. It took very little time for the Eagles to put a scare into the third-seeded Lumberjacks. Just over two minutes in a ball came out to Jenny Chavez, who launched a shot from about 30 yards that caromed off the crossbar. The resulting scramble saw the ball collected by Brooke Dunbar, who unleashed a shot that was headed inside the right post only to see goalkeeper Meghan Dickmann dive and parry it away at the last second.

Chavez and Dunbar were among the myriad of Eagle attackers, led by two-time Big Sky Offensive MVP Chloe Williams (Spokane, WA), that were continually beating NAU defenders one-on-one and creating opportunities only to see their final efforts just off the mark or right at Dickmann.

At the end of the first half, the Eagles held a 10-1 shot advantage. The bad news was Northern Arizona's lone shot was a penalty Ali Lixandru converted with five minutes remaining in the first half following a foul in the box on Anna Goebel.

The good news was the Eagles only needed four minutes to change the complexion of the contest. Another drive along the endline created the set piece that changed things. Williams sent a driven, low ball at the near post that a pair of NAU defenders ended up deflecting upward into the six that another NAU defender headed straight up into the air. The pop-up fell to Delaney Romero (Yakima, WA / Walla Walla CC) about nine yards out in front of the center of goal. Her first-time attempt to volley the ball only connected partially, bouncing down and right to Chavez, who turned on the ball and volleyed it past the sea of bodies standing inside the six between her and the goalline.

Eastern continued its dominance in possession and held the ball in the attacking end for most of the second half while they looked for a winner before tired legs appeared to finally be making the Eagles look like NAU had for the entire match. Things evened out a bit for the final dozen minutes of regulation as they slowed in pace and saw their touches on the ball began to fail them. They also struggled to continue winning all of the 50-50 challenges, allowing the Lumberjacks to create some anxious moments down the stretch with some set piece opportunities and chances in the final third.

The Eagles, though, battled through the brief slump and looked re-energized when they took the pitch for overtime with an 18-3 advantage in shots that grew to 22-4 by the time the whistle sounded and signaled the oncoming tiebreaker.

The Lumberjacks would step to the spot first and Alexis Moest sent her effort just a little to the right, allowing Mallory Taylor to make a huge save that proved to be monumental in giving Eastern Washington the championship.

Chavez, Williams, Laci Rennaker (Spokane, WA) and M'Kenna Hayes would convert for Eastern in the first four rounds, respectively, while Adrian Nixt, Lindsay Doyle and Carly Gamble converted attempts two-four for the Lumberjacks. Then Lixandru, who converted on the penalty in the first half, stepped up for the first shot of the fifth round and skied her effort about a foot over the crossbar, sending the EWU players and supporters into a championship frenzy.

Though the match was technically a draw, the championship result avenged the Eagles' biggest loss of the Big Sky campaign as they fell 3-1 to the Lumberjacks last month in Flagstaff. They also avenged one of their other losses with their first round defeat of Montana. The semifinal victory over Idaho gave the Eagles the season sweep over the two-time regular season champion Vandals, whose only losses in the league on the campaign were to Eastern.

EWU Recap [+]   Box Score [+]       

Once the celebration was muted a bit, everyone gathered at midfield for post-game presentations that included the All-Tournament awards. Chloe Williams, who  played all 290 minutes for the Eagles despite her endless running and slight bumps near the close of the championship game, was named the Big Sky Tournament Most Valuable Player. She was among five EWU selections on the All-Tournament Team with Jenny Chavez, M'Kenna Hayes, Aimie Inthoulay and Allison Raniere.

Also recognized as All-Tournament Team selections were NAU's Riley Porter, Lindsay Doyle, Adrian Nixt and Anna Goebel, who could have been argued as a possible MVP despite losing considering her unexpected three-goal tally was crucial in the team's success. Elexis Schlossarek (Idaho), Hallie Widner (Montana / Meridian, ID), Jennifer Lum (Sacramento State) and Sydney Schroeder (Northern Colorado) rounded things out. Surprisingly, no goalkeeper was selected among the honorees despite Taylor, who made the decisive tiebreaker save, finishing the tournament with the only goal allowed in 290 minutes of play being a penalty.  Awards [+]

The Eagles will learn their NCAA Tournament placement and first round pairing during the soccer selection shot at 1:30 pm Pacific on NCAA.com.

Big Sky Final: Tourney MVP Chloe Williams post-game media interview @EWUSoccer pic.twitter.com/hCh9uuk8Y4

— Gerald Barnhart (@INWsoccernews) November 7, 2016

Big Sky Final: Laci Rennaker post-game media interview @EWUSoccer pic.twitter.com/xT2aeMHzF8

— Gerald Barnhart (@INWsoccernews) November 7, 2016

Big Sky Final: @ChadBodnar post-game interview @EWUSoccer pic.twitter.com/uqZydiVlOJ

— Gerald Barnhart (@INWsoccernews) November 7, 2016

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NWAC East Tonight 11.5.16: Sasquatch sweep, NIC women advance to Final Four

In Saturday's quarterfinal action, three of the remaining four NWAC East teams advanced to next weekend's Final Four events at the Starfire Complex in Tukwila, WA. The Spokane women took care of business with a comfortable 2-0 win against Lane while the men drubbed Edmonds 5-0. On the road, the North Idaho women took a last-minute 2-1 decision at Clark and Walla Walla fell 5-0 to Peninsula.

The Cardinals are the lone lower seed remaining in the women's bracket with top seeds Peninsula (North) and Highline (West) moving onto the Final Four along with Spokane. Top seeds were not as fortunate in the men's tournament where two teams were knocked out Saturday - both in penalties. West three-seed Pierce, which surprised North Idaho 1-0 Wednesday, knocked Chemeketa out in the tiebreaker West two-seed Tacoma eliminated Peninsula in spot kicks, making the men's Final Four Spokane versus the three teams from the West Division.

NWAC PLAYOFFS - WOMEN  ##############

(S2) Lane 0 :: 2 (E1) Spokane - The Bigfoot, in a rematch of an preseason 2-1 win, had the better of play against the Titans, who were missing one of their top attackers to a knee injury. Spokane scored back-to-back goals in the first half to grab full control of the contest.

A Sydney Weiler (Spokane, WA) free kick in the 19th minute from about 30 yards created the opening goal when goalkeeper Nora Goodrie tipped the ball off the crossbar, leading to a corner when the rebound was knocked out. The service from the left by Cali Moscrip (Lewiston, ID) found the head of Stephanie Overland (Moses Lake, WA) at the far post to give the Sasquatch the lead in the 20th.

Three minutes later Molly Webster made a huge save on what could have been a game-changing moment when she tipped a headed free kick over the bar to prevent an equalizer from Lane.

Two minutes later Overland intercepted the ball as Lane attempted to advance out of the defensive end. She quickly slipped the ball forward to a wide open Erica Simpson (Post Falls, ID), who placed her shot past Goodrie to double the lead in the 25th.

From there the Bigfoot rode into the sunset for the shutout win with plenty of the possession and six saves from Webster.

(E2) North Idaho 2 :: 1 (S1) Clark - The Penguins took the lead at home 14 minutes in with a strike from Ellie Quercia, but Jocelyn Cook-Cox (Spokane, WA) evened things up on a ball from Sterling Healy (Sandpoint, ID) in the 31st. The match appeared headed to overtime when a free kick from Jessica Scott (Post Falls, ID) was nodded in by Megan Lowery (Coeur d'Alene, ID) in the 90th minute for the upset road win by the Cardinals. Tiegan Horton (Dalton Gardens, ID) made five saves for NIC.

(E3) Walla Walla 0 :: 5 (N1) Peninsula - Maddy Parton (Leavenworth, WA) put the hosts on the board 11 minutes into the contest. Hoku Afong and Eleanor Small scored to make the lead three before the break. Parton set up Sydney Warren nine minutes into the second half with Sarah Reiber (Yakima, WA) capping the scoring in the 89th.

(N2) Everett 0 :: 2 (W1) Highline - After a lengthy stalemate, Madasin Jennings set up Chentay Warnes in the 71st and scored herself four minutes later.

NWAC FINAL FOUR  ####

Friday, November 11
Semifinal 1: (E2) North Idaho v (N1) Peninsula  12:30
Semifinal 2: (W1) Highline v (E1) Spokane  3:00
Sunday, November 13
All-Star Game  10:00
FINAL  2:30

NWAC PLAYOFFS - MEN  ##############

(N3) Edmonds 0 :: 5 (E1) CC Spokane - The Bigfoot controlled the match from the beginning and were consistently dangerous on set pieces. In the 22nd minute a corner gave them the lead when defender Kelly Kyllo (Spokane, WA) rose above everyone and nodded the service from Jared Davis over the keeper and a defender standing on the post.

Five minutes before the break the ball was stopped at the edge of the box by an Edmonds defender, eliciting handball shouts from Spokane, but it was all moot as the ball rolled to Eric Sanchez-Flores, who ripped a rocket into the upper corner of the goal from about 27 yards.

In the second half Spokane put things well out of reach. Before everyone got set in the 56th minute for a free kick, he sent it early up the right side to Sanchez-Flores, who sent it from the corner in to Breno Rocha for the finish. Three minutes later amidst a flurry around the goal, Jonny Cortez (Moses Lake, WA) dropped a short ball back to Sanchez-Flores, who blasted another ball into the back of the net from the edge of the box. Cortez wrapped up the scoring with one himself via Chase Reidt (Spokane, WA) in the 72nd and Kevin Alvarez made five saves for the shutout

(W3) Pierce 1 :: [5-3 PK] :: 1 (S1) Chemeketa - Despite having just four league wins and the only losing record among the playoff field, Pierce continues to move on. Paul Powell put them on the board in the 39th minute and they were eight minutes away from a win in regulation when Gustavo Mendoza tied things up for the Storm in the 82nd. The match went to a shootout, where Pierce prevailed.

(W2) Tacoma 2 :: [4-3 PK] :: 2 (N1) Peninsula - In a back-and-forth contest the Peninsula Pirates led twice, but ended up being eliminated in a shootout. Alex Ramos scored the lone goal of the first half in the the 24th, but the Titans pulled even two minutes after the break. Juan Carrillo put the hosts back in front in the 73rd on a ball from Ramos, but that advantage only lasted five minutes before Correa found Mackenzie Smith for the equalizer, allowing Tacoma to move on via the tiebreaker.

(N2) Whatcom 0 :: 1 (W1) Highline - Brandon Gonzalez scored 12 minutes in and the Orcas held off the visitors the rest of the way for the victory.

NWAC FINAL FOUR  ####

Friday, November 11
Semifinal 1: (W3) Pierce v (W2) Tacoma  5:00
Semifinal 2: (W1) Highline v (E1) Spokane  8:00
Sunday, November 13
All-Star Game  12:00
FINAL   5:15

STATS  ##############

###

Big Sky Round-Up 11.6.16: Eastern faces NAU in Big Sky Final after edging Idaho

Both lower seeds prevailed in the 2016 Big Sky Semifinal contests Friday in Cheney with the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks and unofficial host Eastern Washington Eagles advancing to the championship game at noon Sunday.

The Big Sky Semifinals on Friday were two completely contrasting contests as the morning meeting between third-seeded Northern Arizona and second-seeded Sacramento State was a back-and-forth five-goal affair while the afternoon showdown of local foes Eastern Washington, seeded fifth, and regular season champion Idaho was narrow match decided on a late goal.

Sunday's championship will present Eastern Washington with a chance to avenge its biggest loss of the season, a 3-1 road defeat in Flagstaff. In that contest, Heather Donais (Kennewick, WA) set up Adrian Nixt in the 23rd minute for a lead that held well into the second half before Chloe Williams (Spokane, WA) finished a one-on-one opportunity to tie things up in the 77th. Ali Lixandru, though, put the Lumberjacks back in front in the 79th and Nixt locked things up in the 89th. A 3-1 defeat at UNLV in their second preseason match was the only other two-goal loss for the Eagles, who head into the final with a 13-4-3 overall record.

Last season when the Eagles played host to NAU, Eastern won 4-2. Chloe Williams set up Jenny Chavez in the 18th and scored herself in the 37th. Delaney Romero (Yakima, WA / Walla Walla CC) struck 15 seconds before intermission and Williams set up Tasha Luu (Colville, WA) in the 62nd. Nixt set up Mei-Te Coco in the 77th and Lindsay Doyle scored in the 87th in NAU's rally attempt.

First Round Recaps...

Eastern Washington 1 :: 0 Idaho   #####

Facing the only side that was able to hand them a loss this season, the Vandals were looking to get past Eastern Washington to return to the Big Sky championship and complete unfinished business from a year ago. Though both sides had chances in the game, the contest was highlighted by blocked shot after blocked shot, keeping things in a scoreless stalemate. At the end of the match there were 16 total shots, but only three were on target.

With just under three minutes remaining, someone finally broke through. On a quick throw-in on the right from Delaney Romero (Yakima, WA / Walla Walla CC), Aimee Inthoulay popped the ball forward over the high line of the Vandals, allowing Chloe Williams (Spokane, WA) to race past the defenders. She flew up the right side, battling the back-tracking Amanda Pease along the inside edge of the box until she reached the endline, where she fired the ball into the six. Allison Raniere came charging in from the opposite side and first-timed the ball home, creating a frenzy on the Eastern bench. It was Raniere's first goal of the year.

Eastern ran out the clock, leaving the two-time regular season champions devastated as the Eagles celebrated advancement to the Big Sky Final just two days after posting their first-ever postseason win. Mallory Taylor finished with one save in the shutout.      MORE:  EWU [+]   UI [+]       

Big Sky Tourney Post-Game: Quick thoughts from Chloe Williams @EWUSoccer @BigSky_Soccer pic.twitter.com/r5IqfGXJvL

— Gerald Barnhart (@INWsoccernews) November 4, 2016

Big Sky Tourney Post-Game: Interview with @ChadBodnar @EWUSoccer @BigSky_Soccer pic.twitter.com/4wKzofFZF7

— Gerald Barnhart (@INWsoccernews) November 4, 2016

Big Sky Tourney Post-Game: Interview Part 1 with @CoachDPittman @VandalsSoccer @BigSky_Soccer pic.twitter.com/fWRH42Ldf5

— Gerald Barnhart (@INWsoccernews) November 5, 2016

Big Sky Tourney Post-Game: Interview Part 2 with @CoachDPittman @VandalsSoccer @BigSky_Soccer pic.twitter.com/NL5YiXfXGb

— Gerald Barnhart (@INWsoccernews) November 5, 2016

Northern Arizona 3 :: 2 Sacramento State   #####

The Hornets took the lead in the 22nd minute when Regan Smithers scored on a close-range shot that deflected in off a defender. With just over five minutes left in the half, Heather Donais (Kennewick, WA) launched a ball out of midfield that Anna Goebel, whose younger sister is a redshirt-freshman at Eastern Washington, chased down and beat the keeper to and finished.

The Lumberjacks took the lead four minutes into the second half when Lindsay Doyle drove into the box and was taken down. On the resulting penalty Destiny Butcher got her hand to the ball, but her save deflected to the inside of the post, giving Doyle the goal. Jennifer Lum tied it back up for the Hornets in the 65th with a run to the edge of the box before finishing, but the joy only lasted briefly with Goebel scoring after she ran down a long ball over the top less than a minute later. It was the third of the tournament for Goebel, who came into the event with none for the season and just one start in 12 appearances.   MORE [+]  

Big Sky Conf Semi: Quick thoughts from Heather Donais (Kennewick) after 3-2 @NAUWomensSoccer win @BigSky_Soccer @KamiakinBraves pic.twitter.com/qfRCI3iXnI

— Gerald Barnhart (@INWsoccernews) November 4, 2016

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Big Sky Round-Up 11.4.16: Eastern edges Montana, face Vandals in semis Friday

Eastern Washington avenged their 3-2 overtime home loss from just five days earlier against the University of Montana with a narrow 1-0 victory on a first half goal from Chloe Williams in the second match of the opening round doubleheader. In the first, Northern Arizona knocked out the defending tournament champion Northern Colorado with a 2-1 result.

The results set NAU up against Sacramento State and the Eagles up against local foe and top seed University of Idaho, which will be looking to avenge their lone loss of the Big Sky campaign.

In their previous match, Delaney Romero scored in the first half of the match for EWU and Elexis Schlossarek tied it up with a penalty in the 86th to send the match to overtime where Eastern won 2-1 on a Williams penalty 10 minutes in. The loss ended the Vandals' 11-game unbeaten run in the Big Sky. Since then, though, the Vandals are back on another run with a streak of 6-0-2, repeating as Big Sky regular season champions with a record of 7-1-2.

In the other semifinal, the match-up where their previous meeting left off as the Hornets and Lumberjacks finished even at 1-1 in Arizona. Lindsay Doyle scored for the Jacks at home in the sixth minute with an own goal putting Sac State level in the second half. That meeting, like EWU-Idaho's, also came on the second gameday of the Big Sky season. Since that game, Sacramento State has gone 5-2-1 and NAU went 4-2-2.

First Round Recaps...

Eastern Washington 1 :: 0 Montana   #####

You would never have known that the game came just five days after a five-goal thriller between the two. Both teams had chances in the game, but the high-paced back-and-forth action was nowhere to be found as both clamped down on the other and made it a much tighter affair.

The decisive moment came 13 minutes into the match when everyone was deep in the EWU box for a set piece. Following a blocked shot, the ball popped to Aimee Inthoulay, who one-touched it out to the right for Savannah Hoekstra, who was making her first start since returning from injury two weeks ago. She drove about 25 yards with the ball before unleashing a dead-perfect diagonal ball as she crossed the midfield stripe that hit Williams in stride about 30 yards in front of the Grizzly goal. The two-time Big Sky Offensive MVP made a double-juke move in an effort to beat defender Tess Brenneman at the edge of the box, but the Griz defender was able to get a piece of the ball. The ball, however, popped up off Williams' head and was dropped down right in front of Williams, who fired it past Kailey Norman for the go-ahead goal.

The Grizzlies, who rallied from two down the previous week in Cheney, went on to outshoot the Eagles 12-6 the rest of the way, but the Eagle defense limited them to only five on goal. Mallory Taylor finished the contest with seven saves for the clean sheet.

The result gave the Eagles their first postseason win in 19 years.

MORE:  EWU [+]   UM [+]      

Northern Colorado 1 :: 2 Northern Arizona   #####

The Lumberjacks jumped out in front just 85 seconds into the contest when an attempted clearance by the Bears was collected by Adrian Nixt, who soared a shot over the keeper for the opening goal. Sydney Schroeder tied the match back up in the 17th minute on a deflected shot and the match remained even through the break.

In the second half the Lumberjacks controlled the play and a through ball from Shelbie O'Connor allowed Anna Goebel to put the Lumberjacks back in front in the 58th minute as her substitution awaited her on the sideline. The goal stood as the game-winner.   MORE [+]

BIG SKY TOURNAMENT Schedule ##### 

Friday, October 4  
Eastern Washington v Sacramento State (2)  10:00 am
Northern Arizona v Idaho (1)  1:00 pm

Sunday, October 6  
Championship  12:00

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HS DAILY - 11.3.16: Quick bracket, schedule update

Editorial Note: Due to the high amount of games (college and HS) I have been attending this past week and an illness I have been fighting through, a full HS Update will come later this week. Until then, here are the updated brackets along with today's schedule. Don't forget to follow on Twitter and Instagram for updates on these games!  @INWsoccernews for both

COMING UP #####

Thursday, November 3
GSL/MCC 4A Playoffs - Gonzaga Prep @ Mead 3:30
GSL/MCC 3A Playoffs - Mt Spokane @ Kamiakin 4:00
Crossover 1A Playoffs - Lakeside @ Connell (Royal) 4:45
Crossover 1A Playoffs - Warden @ Freeman (SFCC) 5:30
GSL/MCC 4A Playoffs - Chiawana @ Hanford 6:00

>> schedule subject to change <<

PLAYOFF BRACKETS #####

>> brackets subject to change <<

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NWAC East Tonight 11.2.16: NIC, Walla Walla women advance; men eliminated

It was a day of glory and defeat for both North Idaho College, seeded second in both, and Walla Walla CC, the third seeds, on the opening day of the NWAC postseason tournament. The women's sides for both programs advanced with shutout victories while the men were ousted in tight contests.

The NIC ladies rolled against an undermanned Green River side that wilted in the second half, 3-0, while the Warrior women slipped past second-seeded Tacoma, which was 11-3-0 in their division, with a 1-0 road win. On the men's side Walla Walla was knocked out via a shootout after a 1-1 draw at Tacoma while North Idaho was bounced on a second half goal by visiting Pierce.

Walla Walla was the lone three seed to advance in the women's tournament while Pierce and Edmonds advanced with road wins in the men's tourney.

Spokane, which swept the regular season titles and received byes, will take the pitch on Saturday versus second round winners with Lane visiting the women at 1:00 and Edmonds facing the men at 4:00.

NWAC PLAYOFFS - WOMEN  ##############

(W3) Green River 0 :: 3 (E2) North Idaho (@ SFCC) - The Gators did well to keep the match scoreless through the first half, but the Cardinals quickly gained control against the visitors in the second half. Emily Aspden created the opening goal with a shot that was saved in the 49th minute, but the rebound popped to Monique Queen (Coeur d'Alene, ID) for the putaway. Aspden, though, would get her goal nine minutes later on a ball from Megan Lowery (Hayden, ID), who would go on to set up another in the 67th minute scored by Sterling Healy (Sandpoint, ID). Tiegan Horton (Dalton Gardens, ID) finished with four saves for the shutout.

(E3) Walla Walla 1 :: 0 (W2) Tacoma - The two sides were locked in a stalemate with Paige Kubista (Nampa, ID) finishing the contest with eight saves for the Warriors. With 12 minutes left Haley Berryman (Ephrata, WA) provided the deciding goal, her 20th goal in official play.

(S3) Southwest Oregon 0 :: 9 (N2) Everett - The Trojans led by two at the break with Claire Nelson finding Karin Heisen to break things open in the 34th and Danielle Baker scoring a minute before the intermission. Baker added a second four minutes into the second half and went on to finish with four total. Nelson scored the final goal after registering six total assists.

(N3) Shoreline 0 :: 4 (S2) Lane - After going scoreless for over an hour, the Titans went on a blitz in the final 21 minutes. Ally King set up the first two of three consecutive goals from Erin Riley in the 69th, 72nd and 78th as they rolled to the win.

NEXT ROUND  ####

Saturday, November 5
(E2) North Idaho @ (S1) Clark  TBD
(E3) Walla Walla @ (N1) Peninsula  12:00
(N2) Everett @ (W1) Highline  12:00
(S2) Lane @ (E1) CC Spokane  1:00

NWAC PLAYOFFS - MEN  ##############

(W3) Pierce 1 :: 0 (E2) North Idaho (@SFCC) - The Cardinals and Raiders both had several close calls in the contest, but the match went into the second half scoreless before a low, long shot from Christian Guzman found its way through the defense and into the left corner of the goal in the 48th minute. It would stand as the winner for Pierce (4-7-1/6-9-2), which had the only losing record in the playoff field, with Konnor Sokalski making five saves to maintain the shutout. Garrett Boyce had six stops for NIC.

(E3) Walla Walla 1 :: [1-3 PK] :: 1 (W2) Tacoma - After a scoreless first half, the Warriors got on the board first when Missael Lopez (Tieton, WA) scored his ninth goal in official play in the 55th minute. The advantage only last five minutes, however, with Mackenzie Smith knotted things back up at the hour mark. Jorge Llerenas (Pasco, WA) finished with seven saves as the two sides remained deadlocked, but in the tiebreaker the Titans prevailed 3-1.

(S3) Portland 1 :: 4 (N2) Whatcom - The Panthers scored first on the road six minutes in, but it was all Orcas from there as they tied it up and took the lead within 10 minutes with back-to-back goals set up by Eric Jones. They added one more in the 38th for a two-goal margin at the break and capped it with another set up by Jones in the 57th.

(N3) Edmonds 2 :: OT :: 1 (S2) Clark - The Penguins took the lead a minute before intermission, but Mohamed Elmoghrbi equalized for the Tritons five minutes into the second half and scored the game-winning tally a minute into overtime.

NEXT ROUND  ####

Saturday, November 5
(W3) Pierce @ (S1) Chemeketa  6:00
(W2) Tacoma @ (N1) Peninsula  2:00
(N2) Whatcom @ (W1) Highline  2:15
(N3) Edmonds @ (E1) CC Spokane  4:00

STATS  ##############

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