Sports By Joward

Nov 9, 2012

Peninsula, Clark men atop playoff preview

These rankings 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's Soccer

The regular season and first round of post season now finished, the lineup is set for the NWAACC quarterfinals. Peninsula, Clark and Walla Walla are all favored at home, but the game where Columbia Basin travels to take on Edmonds is still a coin toss. Once the final whistle has blown on Saturday evening, the last four teams will finally be set. Those four squads will head to Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash. for the NWAACC final four from Nov. 17-18. These will be the final rankings for the season, and therefore I thank you for your readership and support these past few months. I will be at the final four taking photos, sending out live tweets, getting interviews and writing game stories. Be sure to check www.nwaacc.org/soccer for the game recaps.

Of note: A set of rankings was released on Oct. 31, but were not released with the coaches poll as usual. Those rankings can be found by clicking on the link above.

Soaring team of the week: Chemeketa - 5 wins in last five matches, 19-4 goal advantage

Freefall team of the week: Shoreline - finished 0-15-1, 12-78 goal disadvantage

Score of the week: Walla Walla 11, Wenatchee Valley 0

Bore of the week: S. Puget Sound 3, SW Oregon 1

For news and notes on NWAACC soccer throughout the remainder of the playoffs, follow @JowardHoward on twitter or search #nwaaccsoccer. View the coaches rankings here.

1. Peninsula (19-1-1) (12-0-1 West)

No. 1 Coaches

Previous ranking: No. 1, No. 1 coaches

With the region title long in the bag for the Pirates, they might have let things slip a little. Their dominant lead in scoring was cut to just four goals by Clark, and they drew with Bellvue in their final match of the season, though that may have been because the end result didn't matter for playoff positioning. Discounting the season finale draw, Peninsula had won their last 17 matches after falling to Wyoming in the third game of the season. They lead every category: 82 goals, 10 goals allowed and 12 shutouts, and would be heavily favored in every match except one against Clark, where they should find their toughest competition.

2. Clark (15-1-2) (12-0-1 South)

No. 2 Coaches

Previous ranking: No. 2, No. 2 coaches

Clark forward Borce Atanasov has continued his offensive brilliance, now totaling 26 goals and 10 assists, good for first and second place league wide. His Penguins have been steadily one of the two top offensive squads in the NWAACC, actually averaging almost half a goal more than No. 1 Peninsula per game, though they haven't scored quite as many. Clark, like Peninsula, is also a dominant defensive team. They have only allowed 13 scores this season, which sits at a close second place to Peninsula. Fortunately, because of how the bracket works, the only way that Clark and Peninsula can meet up is if both advance to the championship game on Sunday, Nov. 18. That game would be one for the ages, featuring the top offenses and defenses, and the two best scorers in the NWAACC.

3. Walla Walla (14-1-3) (9-1-3 East)

No. 3 Coaches

Previous ranking: No. 3, No. 3 coaches

With all the hoopla surrounding Clark and Peninsula, it can be easy to overlook Walla Walla. That is, if you forget one thing: the Warriors are the only team to have taken down Clark this season, which happened on Sept. 11 when Walla Walla's Ivan Chamorro scored with a minute left in the first half. The "DubDub" defense held, shutting out the high scoring Clark 1-0. However, mixed in with that brilliant performance are a few forgettable ones. Walla Walla had two straight draws, to Treasure Valley and Bellevue, on Sept. 19 and 22 and got blown out a few weeks later by Peninsula. Those games, and especially the Peninsula beatdown, are what seems to separate the Warriors from that next level on which Peninsula and Clark abide. However, Walla Walla has a chance to advance this weekend, as they are set to match up their No. 3 offense against a Tacoma defense that will have a lot of trouble handling the Warrior's attack.

4. Chemeketa (11-4-5) (10-1-2 South)

No. 6 Coaches

Previous ranking: No. 5, No. 6 coaches

The decision to leapfrog Chemeketa past several other teams was a difficult one. They didn't look horrible against Clark in mid October, but it was obvious that Clark was on another level at that point. Now, Chemeketa has bounced back and put together a strong finish to their regular season, defeating playoff opponents in three of their last five games, including two victories over Pierce and a round one win over Spokane. Chemeketa might not be able to keep up with the likes of the top three, but they're deserving to be mentioned in the same breath, especially given how last year ended: with the 2011 NWAACC title in hand.

5. Columbia Basin (12-5-4) (6-4-3 East)

No. 4 Coaches

Previous ranking: No. 8 (tie), No. 7 coaches

The Hawks' draw with Spokane was just as depressing as their draw with Walla Walla was impressive. The game with Spokane was one that Columbia Basin had to either win or draw to take the second seed, but things nearly went the wrong way for Columbia Basin. They went down 0-1 on a goal from Spokane's Matt Harper in the 22nd minute, and didn't score until an equalizer from Richard Rentera in the first minute of stoppage time. Just a little bit more hesitation, and CBC loses that game. Then, in the first round, Columbia Basin's porous defense let in three goals, the most for any winning team in the first round. That might work against Pierce, whose own defense gave up five goals, but it won't work against teams like Peninsula, Clark and Walla Walla, the league's top scorers.

6. Edmonds (10-7-3) (9-2-2 North)

NR Coaches

Previous ranking: No. 4, No. 5 coaches

Easily the lowest region champion, Edmonds didn't win the Northern Region by much. They beat out Whatcom by just three points after a draw with said Whatcom to finish league play. A loss there would have dropped Edmonds to second place in the reasonably weak Northern region, with an almost even goal differential at 41-37. They easily gave up the most goals of any second round team and came in second to last among all post season teams in goals allowed. They will now have to face Columbia Basin, who is the only road team to be favored in the quarterfinals.

7. Highline (11-4-3) (7-4-2 West)

No. 9 Coaches

Previous ranking: No. 7, No. 9 coaches

Overlooking a draw with an eight-loss Olympic squad, Highline had a successful finish to the 2012 regular season. They finished winning four of their last five matches, including a 2-0 defeat of No. 8 Tacoma in order to preserve the 2nd seed in the Western Region. Offensively, they sit in the top third of teams league wide, but they don't have the same firepower that the top scoring teams in the league possess. Highline finished sixth among all teams in goals scored, with all five teams being ranked ahead of them, and Highline's offense isn't built like most others'. They have only one player in the top 25 in the league in goals scored, but they have five players with five goals or more, lead by seven scores from David Leoung.

8. Tacoma (8-8-1) (5-7-1 West)

No. 7 Coaches

Previous ranking: No. 8 (tie), No. 5 coaches

Tacoma's first round upset of Whatcom demonstrated the power of the Western Region, as they became the third of eight teams in the quarterfinals from the West. That taken into account, the rest of Tacoma's resume isn't that impressive. They are the only second round team to have an overall losing record in league. They also have the smallest goal differential at 29-28 and are the lowest scoring team still in contention. Up next they have the difficult task of traveling to meet Walla Walla, a team that defeated them 4-2 on Oct. 17 in Walla Walla, despite Tacoma holding a 2-1 lead after a pair of goals from Caesar Esquevel, who leads Tacoma's attack with 12 goals. Tacoma's defense should be no match for Walla Walla's offense, but nothing is a lock. Tacoma has already won on the road once.

Teams added: Tacoma (beat Whatcom in round 1)

Teams dropped: Spokane (Lost to Chemeketa in round 1)

Peninsula women sweep top rankings for 2012

NWAACC Women's Soccer

As expected, Peninsula finished the season with flying colors, falling just once, and in a closely fought game to another spectacular soccer powerhouse. Now as the second round begins, we are reduced to eight teams, which will soon be pared down to just four. Those four squads will head to Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash. for the NWAACC final four from Nov. 17-18. These will be the final rankings for the season, and therefore I thank you for your readership and support these past few months. I will be at the final four taking photos, sending out live tweets, getting interviews and writing game stories. Be sure to check www.nwaacc.org/soccer for the game recaps.

Of note: A set of rankings was released on Oct. 31, but were not released with the coaches poll as usual. Those rankings can be found by clicking on the link above.

Here are a few quick and easy factoids to get you caught up:

Soaring team of the week: Shoreline - Lone road playoff win

Freefall team of the week: Highline - Lone upset of the week, disappointing end to their comeback

Score of the week: Shoreline 1, Highline 0

Bore of the week*: Walla Walla 4, Clark 0

*The worst of the round one blowouts.

For news and notes on NWAACC soccer throughout the rest of the playoffs, follow @JowardHoward on twitter or search #nwaaccsoccer. View the coaches rankings here.

1. Peninsula (18-1-0) (13-1-0 West)

No. 1 Coaches

Previously ranked: No. 1, No. 1 Coaches

What more can be said about Peninsula that hasn't already been covered. Leading the league in goals scored, shutouts and wins, they're now 37-4-3 in their last two seasons. Their 2011 run ended with a loss in the final to Walla Walla, and Peninsula returned this year with a clear goal in mind. They won their region yet again, and proceeded to wreak havoc on the rest of the league all season long, but this is where it really starts to matter. They will face Lane, who makes the trip up to Port Angeles, Wash. after finishing as one of the better defensive teams in the league. That being said, Peninsula will be a tough, tough match up.

2. Spokane (12-1-3) (11-1-2 East)

No. 2 Coaches

Previously ranked: No. 2, No. 2 Coaches

Spokane now hasn't tasted defeat in over a month, last falling to No. 1 Peninsula on September 29th, and it was a close one at that. The Sasquatch answered the first Peninsula goal, but fell behind 3-1 in the second half before scoring a goal in the 67th minute to bring themselves back to within striking distance. Outside of that loss, Spokane has only two other blemishes - a pair of draws with No. 4 Walla Walla. Behind a relentless 89 goals (second in league), Spokane won the region title from the Warriors for the first time in... uhh... oh yeah, more than 10 seasons. That's a huge accomplishment. Their second round opponent is Whatcom, a team tied for third in least goals allowed with 10, but can Whatcom keep up with Walla Walla's attack?

3. Walla Walla (11-2-3) (10-1-3 East)

No. 3 Coaches

Previously ranked: No. 4, No. 3 Coaches

Its not every year that a team can go 14-2-3, finish with a 76-9 goal advantage and 11 shutouts and NOT win their region. That's a testament to exactly how much of a challenge the NWAACC East is, that a team like Walla Walla, who has won the last 10 region titles and last three league titles, would take second place in a head to head battle with Spokane. The series has been evenly matched all season long - with draws in both meetings. While Walla Walla has put up good numbers in many of their matches, it was ultimately their inability to score that sealed their pair of defeats. On both occasions, the Warriors gave up a goal right around halftime and were unable to equalize or fight back for the win. Everett, the next hurdle for Walla Walla, is nearly identical defensively on paper. They've allowed 10 goals, and Walla Walla nine, and both teams have 11 shutouts. However, the North where Everett plays lacks the same firepower that the top of the East-West has shown all season long.

4. Clackamas (12-3-0) (11-2-0 South)

No. 5 Coaches

Previously ranked: No. 3, No. 5 Coaches

While the Cougars have played well of late, winners of their last six matches with five shutouts, their lack of quality wins against good teams is beginning to bite them. They have a pair of victories over No. 8 Lane, but outside of those, Clackamas has only the victory over No. 5 Everett in the months of September and October to really be proud of. The win before that was over Walla Walla, and while that was very impressive, the luster of that early season victory has begun to fade, especially after the Oct. 5 loss to No 6 Whatcom. Now, that is being fairly picky. Those blemishes - losses to Shoreline, Whatcom and Peninsula aren't too much to be ashamed of, as all are good, solid teams. Clackamas hasn't been strong offensively outside of forward Tayler Ficek, but their defense is as good as or better than any defense in the league. They will rematch with Shoreline in the second round, which is a chance for Shoreline to silence the doubters, and a chance at redemption for Clackamas. Keep an eye on this one: last year's quarterfinal match at Clackamas ended with an inswinging header in double overtime with less than a minute left before penalty kicks.

5. Everett (9-4-3) (9-2-2 North)

No. 4 Coaches

Previously ranked: No. 7, No. 8 Coaches

Ever since drawing with Whatcom on Oct. 17, Everett has won five in a row, including games against No. 8 Shoreline and a rematch against No. 6 Whatcom to end the season. It took nearly all of those five consecutive victories to take the region title, for which Everett beat out region rival Whatcom 35-28. In that last match, Everett finally took the lead in the North in goals scored with 40, but they lag far behind the leaders offensively, coming in fifth among playoff teams in total goals. Defensively, however, they've let in just 10 scores all season, good for third in the league. Their offensive leader is Riley Henderson, who paces the Trojans with 12 goals on the season.

6. Shoreline

No. 8 Coaches

Previously ranked: NR, NR Coaches

The second half of the season, few teams had made a turnaround like Highline. They caught fire at the right time, and charged back to take the 2nd seed in the West... before promptly losing to Shoreline. The Dolphins, by contrast, started out well, but fell into trouble mid-season. However, the finish is what matters. Shoreline went undefeated in their final four games of the season, carried their momentum with them to the playoffs, and were the only women's team to win on the road in the first round. That kind of play speaks volumes about the heart and resiliency of a team. Among teams in the 2nd round, SHCC is last in shutouts, last in goals allowed and seventh in goals scored, but they have something that none of the other teams do: a playoff win on the road. That said, their next opponent is Clackamas, a team that has only let in one goal in the last six matches.

7. Whatcom (10-1-4) (8-1-4 North)

No. 6 Coaches

Previously ranked: No. 5, No. 6 Coaches

In comparison to some of their Northern Region compatriots, Whatcom stumbled into the playoffs. Still in the hunt for the region title, the Orcas lost their final two matches to Edmonds and Everett, and were forced to settle for second place by a decently wide margin. Whatcom was also held scoreless in those two matches, which caused them to lose their grip on the region scoring lead, and while they scored three in their first round victory, it was against a very beat down Bellevue team that had squandered away it's 2nd seed in the last half of the season. They now travel to face Spokane, a team that went undefeated in their last 10 games, with nine wins and one draw. Spokane's powerful attack and stifling defense will be an extremely difficult challenge.

8. Lane

NR Coaches

Previously ranked: NR, No. 8 Coaches

The Lane Titans started out strong, falling just once in their first nine games, with six of the first five matches against teams who made it to the playoffs. Lane defeated Everett, Whatcom and drew with Spokane and Highline. Through the month of September, Lane allowed just four goals - one of the best in the league up until that point. That's when things went horribly wrong. The Titans finished the season winning just two of their final 10 games, with both victories coming over lowly SW Oregon. Lane did win their first round match up, but it was against Treasure Valley, a team that finished dead last among playoff teams in goals allowed with 62. Now they have to travel to Port Angeles to face Peninsula, who now has well over 100 goals and has only lost once.

Teams added: Highline

Teams dropped: Shoreline

One last shoutout: Props to Jeff for his support and sports banter regarding Highline. It is fans like you, Jeff, that make what I do that much more enjoyable. For all the other fans, don't feel bashful about following Jeff's example! I love to hear your opinions, and I'll always answer back.