NWAACC Soccer Week 9 Preview

By John William Howard, NWAACC.org

These previews are the opinion of just one man, and do not reflect the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges or any of their sponsors. If you have a question or comment on this or any story for John Howard, send him an email, contact him via twitter , or leave a comment below. 

NWAACC Men:
Current Rankings

Both Walla Walla and Clark can wrap up a region title with one more win, as they lead their regions by seven and five points respectively. Then begins the debate: do you rest your players to get back to full strength and stave off injury, or do you keep your regular rotation on the field to keep up momentum going into the post season? Keeping in mind that region champions get a first round bi with the current playoff format, how would you as coach handle that situation? Answer on twitter or below in the comments!

Men's Matches of the Week:

Oct. 24th - No. 5 Edmonds at Everett

This match up is critical for both teams, and the stakes are high, while different, for each squad. Edmonds, who leads the NWAACC North by four points over Everett, looks to further pull away in the race for the division title and cement their claim to the crown. For Everett, things could go either way. They lead Whatcom by just one point, and if they lose or draw and Whatcom wins on Wednesday, Everett could find themselves in third place. However, a win for Everett would make them a legitimate title contender as well as  clinch a berth in post season play with just two games remaining.

Final result: Edmonds 2, Everett 0.

Oct. 24th - No. 7 Spokane at No. 3 Walla Walla

For the last few weeks, Spokane seemed as though they suddenly woke up. They were on fire, winning four matches in a row and allowing only two goals. Then they ran in to No. 6 Treasure Valley and allowed two scores in that match alone, which ended in a draw. The Sasquatch will look to get back on track, as well as move out of a tie for third place with the aforementioned Treasure Valley Chuckars. An interesting note about the East: should TVCC and Spokane both win on Wednesday, there will be a three way tie for second place in the division. Spokane will place both Columbia Basin (2nd) and Treasure Valley once more before the season concludes.

Final result: 4-0 victory for Walla Walla. Read the full game recap.

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NWAACC Women:
Current Rankings

By the end of the day on October 24th, the North could either be shaken out or even more of a mess. Four teams are within five points, and all four teams are playing one another on the same day. No. 7 Everett (1st) and Edmonds (3rd) face off, and No. 5 Whatcom and No. 8 Shoreline will play. If Everett and Whatcom win, there will be a clear 1-2 race and a clear 3-4 race. However, if things go the other way, all four teams will be within three points leading into the final week of the season. Hold your breath.

Women's Matches of the Week:


Oct. 24th - No. 2 Spokane at No. 4 Walla Walla

Two teams ranked in the top four. Two teams already qualified for the post season. Two teams separated by just one point, and two teams fighting tooth and nail for the Eastern Region championship. That sets up one heck of a game in Walla Walla. It sets up Spokane's (ironically) high powered offense against Walla Walla's stingy defense. Spokane has scored at least four goals in their last six contests, while Walla Walla's nine shutouts is tied for best in the league. The last time these two teams faced one another the game ended in a 1-1 draw, something that might not be quite as likely to happen this time around.

Final result: 0-0 draw. Read the full game recap.



Oct. 27th - Highline at No. 6 Bellevue

After suffering through a rocky early mid-season patch, Highline has come back with a vengeance  looking to unseat Bellevue from their 2nd place position in the NWAACC West. Bellevue hasn't done much to hold their own, losing their last three games to No. 2 Spokane, No. 1 Peninsula and unranked Olympic, and now find themselves leading Highline by just one point in the Western Region standings. A win definitely wouldn't guarantee Bellevue the spot, but it would give them some ground, as they have No. 1 Peninsula looming ominously to end the season while Highline plays a relatively soft schedule.


The next set of JOWARD Power Rankings will be out on the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 17. Look for them on twitter or facebook.

NWAACC Soccer Week 7 Preview

By John William Howard, NWAACC.org

These previews are the opinion of just one man, and do not reflect the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges or any of their sponsors. If you have a question or comment on this or any story for John Howard, send him an email, contact him via twitter , or leave a comment below. 

NWAACC Men:
Current Rankings

Before getting their second draw of the year with Walla Walla University (non-league), Chemeketa had just finished off a successful week, outscoring their two opponents by a combined score of 14-1. This week, they visit 0-11-1 S. Puget Sound, which looks to be another blowout. After a lackluster kickoff to their season, the 2011 champions have come roaring back, and with a top eight match up in teams above them, Chemeketa could jump one or more spots in next week's rankings.

Men's Matches of the Week:

Oct. 10th - No. 6 Tacoma at No. 4 Highline

This pivotal match pits the No. 2 and No. 3 teams from the NWAACC west against one another, with just one game in the win column separating the two. A win from Tacoma would tie up the two teams at 12 points each, and because it doesn't look like either team will be able to catch Peninsula in playoff position (6-0-0, 18 points West), the difference between a six point lead and a tie in the standings is a huge difference. For Tacoma, they face No. 3 Walla Walla next week, adding to the pressure for this game. Should they win, second place in the West is within their grasp. If they drop the game against Highline, that No. 2 spot begins to slip away.

Oct. 10th - No. 8 Edmonds at Whatcom

In another important match as far as playoff position is concerned, whichever team wins this game will take the lead in points in the NWAACC North. For now, Edmonds holds a slight edge with 16 points, while Whatcom is in a close second with 15, but Everett is close on their heels with 13 points. That means that should Edmonds fall this afternoon, they could possibly find themselves in a tie for second place facing a tough game against No. 2 Clark on Oct. 13th. Whatcom's schedule flattens out somewhat, as they won't face another top ranked team until they visit Edmonds on Halloween, making today's match extremely important for Edmonds to maintain a lead in the region.

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NWAACC Women:
Current Rankings

Ever since last week's rankings where Spokane was criticized for their lack of consistency in scoring, the Sasquatch have been on an offensive tear. They outscored Wenatchee Valley 13-0, and then Olympic College 5-0 a few days later. If Spokane can keep up that kind of performance against No. 5 Bellevue, they make make an appearance in the top two next week.

Women's Matches of the Week:


Oct. 10th - Olympic at No. 1 Peninsula

Last week, the mighty Peninsula Pirates finally tasted defeat, and not just defeat, but a frustrating 1-0 loss to Walla Walla in their first shutout of the year. And for a team that has been scoring an average of over 5 goals a match, a shutout is the next thing to the sky falling. Now, Peninsula gets their first chance at redemption, taking the field for the first time since their first loss. They could go two different ways from  this point. Either they use the loss to the Warriors as a stepping stone and get back to creaming people, or they could get caught up in the loss and let it turn in to two or three. This first game against Olympic (1-4-3 West) won't be a huge test, but it will be good to see what Peninsula does following a loss.


Oct. 13th - No. 3 Clackamas at Everett

Like Peninsula, Clackamas is also coming off a loss, this time to No. 2 Whatcom. While Whatcom was ranked slightly ahead of Clackamas, the Cougars were badly outplayed in their 3-0 home loss to the Orcas on Oct. 5th, letting in an easy goal in the 6th minute and not exerting the same pressure that they had during other games this season. Clackamas plays only one game this week, meaning that if they don't bounce back and take care of Everett, they could lose their spot at the top of the South to Lane, who plays twice. The road game against Everett shouldn't be overlooked, either. While Everett didn't make last week's rankings, they did get enough points from the coaches to garner a No. 8 ranking in the polls and they sit just three points behind No. 2 Whatcom for the lead in the North.



The next set of JOWARD Power Rankings will be out on the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 17. Look for them on twitter or facebook.

NWAACC Soccer Week 5 Preview

By John William Howard, NWAACC.org

These previews are the opinion of just one man, and do not reflect the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges or any of their sponsors. If you have a question or comment on this or any story for John Howard, send him an email , contact him via twitter , or leave a comment below. 

NWAACC Men: With all the hoopla surrounding top ranked Walla Walla and Peninsula, it can be a little too easy to forget about Clark. Following a 1-1 draw with defending champion Chemeketa, they flattened Shoreline and will face a winless S. Puget Sound squad before facing off with No. 6 Whatcom on September 29th. If Clark takes care of Whatcom, which they should, it will be difficult to keep Clark out of the top two.

Men's Matches of the Week:

Sept. 29th - No. 1 Walla Walla at No. 4 Highline

So far, Highline has seen their fair share of difficult opponents. In matches with No. 3 Clark, No. 7 Spokane and No. 6 Whatcom, Highline emerged 2-0-1. However, Walla Walla is a whole new breed of beast. They've outscored their opponents 29-7 so far and have kept four clean sheets. Despite their recent tear, Walla Walla has gone 1-0-2 in their league so far. Their hold on the NWAACC East has slipped, and they now find themselves tied for second with Treasure Valley. This top five match could do a lot to say whether Walla Walla will remain in their position as No. 1, and because No. 5 Columbia Basin (5-3-1, 2-2-0 East) plays only one more game this week, the Warriors will have a chance to leapfrog for the lead with at least a win and a draw.

Sept. 29th - No. 7 Spokane at No. 2 Peninsula

Peninsula has been all but unstoppable in the past few weeks, a run that included victories over two teams ranked in the top five. They now lead the league in goals scored, shutouts and fewest goals against, all by a decent margin. Because of their offensive proficiency, it's nearly impossible to keep them out of the back of the net, and scores against the Pirates are extremely hard to come by, so Spokane has their work cut out for them. Anything but a loss nearly guarantees Peninsula the No. 1 spot in a week's time.

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NWAACC Women: Expect to see a surge from Clackamas, who reeled off several impressive wins last week including a dominant 2-0 victory over No. 2 Lane. The Cougars won't face much this week, as they will be playing at SW Oregon (0-5-0, 1-28 Goal differential) and hosting Skagit Valley (2-3-3, 1-1-2 North). It's not over till it's over, but Clackamas shouldn't have a lot of trouble and will most likely find themselves at 6-2-0 next week.

Women's Matches of the Week:

Sept. 26th - No. 8 Walla Walla at No. 3 Spokane

For the first time in recent memory, Walla Walla is something other than perfect. The three time defending champion Warriors now have two losses on the season, their worst start in years. A third would most likely knock them from the rankings, the first time in a long time that Walla Walla wasn't one of the first teams mentioned when it comes to NWAACC women's soccer. That's a lot of pressure, and their opponent only adds to that weight. The team their facing, Spokane, has allowed the least amount of goals of any team in the league at two. Just two goals over a span of six games. Walla Walla will have a hard time with this one, but they have a legacy to defend.

Sept. 29th - No. 3 Spokane at No. 1 Peninsula

Shortly after their match against an unusually struggling (4-2-0 is "struggling" for Walla Walla) Warrior team, Spokane has to turn around and use their defensive prowess against easily the strongest offensive team in the NWAACC. Peninsula's 52 goals this season in nine games blows their nearest competitor out of the water and on to dry, dusty land with no moisture to speak of. It's safe to say that Spokane will likely have let a few more through by the time this one is done, but who knows if they will be able to score enough to keep up.



The next set of JOWARD Power Rankings will be out on the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 3. Look for them on twitter or facebook.