Espinoza Recognized As CCC Champion of Character

LA GRANDE, Ore. – In recognition of his dedication to his team, his school and his community, senior men’s soccer player Brady Espinoza (Pasco, Wash./Pasco HS) has been named Cascade Conference Champions of Character award winner as announced by the conference on Monday morning.

Espinoza spent the summer of 2013 working with the Gateways for Incarcerated Youth Program, mentoring youth in a Juvenile Detention facility with the hope of supporting the youth so they can successfully move into the classroom upon release.

He also worked on a group project to design and build a crossfit space in the Costantino Recreation Center on campus.  The 2012 CCC Men’s Soccer Defender of the Year has been engaged on campus, in the community and as a student-athlete during his two years at Evergreen.

In addition to Espinoza being honored, Northwest Christian senior volleyball player Janel Fetters and Concordia senior men’s basketball player Anthony Holton were honored by the conference for their commitment to the NAIA’s Champions of Character initiative.

The Champions of Character program helps participants find the balance by keeping five core values  – integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership – at the heart of the athletics experience.

Students learn to understand how the values play out in both practice and competition. Coaches are taught how to intentionally define, model, shape and reinforce the values through their coaching and mentoring. Parents learn how their behavior is key to supporting their athletes.

For more than a decade, Champions of Character has been making a difference in developing athletes, coaches and parents of character.

Class of 2014 Inducted into Evergreen Hall of Fame

OLYMPIA, Wash. – On a night that honored all the achievements within The Evergreen State College Department of Recreation and Athletics, the Geoducks inducted the second class of the Recreation and Athletics Hall of Fame.

Joining the inaugural class of 2012 were US Soccer paralympian Josh Blue, former men’s basketball player Troy Torbert and former men’s soccer coach Arno Zoske.

Josh Blue ‘01

A member of the 2004 U.S. Paralympic Soccer Team that competed in Athens, Greece, Josh is a 2001 graduate of The Evergreen State College.  He was voted the Last Comic Standing on NBC’s reality show Last Comic Standing during its fourth season.

Troy Torbert ‘99

The first All-American in Evergreen basketball history, Troy transferred to Evergreen prior to the 1997-98 season from Cornell University.  In his first season with the Geoducks, he was named First Team All-Conference and Honorable Mention All-America.  He remained at Evergreen as an assistant coach for the 1998-99 season, graduating that spring.

Arno Zoske

The second head coach in Evergreen men’s soccer history, Arno arrived on campus following a journey that should be on the big screen.  Born in 1939, his family escaped Eastern Germany and eventually immigrated to the United State in 1956.  He served as athletic trainer for the University of Notre Dame basketball team under Digger Phelps before moving to Washington to start a soccer coaching career. After stints at Tacoma CC and Pacific Lutheran, he arrived at Evergreen in 1983, earning 93 wins in 12 seasons at the helm of the Geoducks.

In addition to the hall of fame inductions, the Geoducks also handed out a number of awards, including Male and Female Athletes of the Year.

Sophomore high jumper Anthony Johnson (Seattle, Wash./Garfield HS) was named Male Athlete of the Year after earning a pair of All-American honors.  He placed fifth at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships before earning a runner-up finish last week at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.  He also became the first individual Cascade Conference champion in school history, winning both the high jump and long jump at the CCC Championships in Nampa, Idaho.

Senior women’s basketball player Sammi Clark (Monroe, Wash./Monroe HS)  earned Female Athlete of the Year honors after earning First Team All-CCC honors. Clark led the Geoducks in scoring with 15.0 points per game and added 115 assists to her now-school record total of 290.  She finished her three-year career at Evergreen with 969 points.

Evergreen Kickers Earn All-Conference Nods

LA GRANDE, Ore. – For the second time in as many collegiate seasons, sophomore Willie Spurr (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt HS) has been named First Team All-Cascade Conference, as announced by the conference office on Sunday. The Geoducks also landed three on the second team.

Spurr led the Geoduck offense with five goals and three assists this season as he was directly responsible for three game-winners this year. He was one of just two sophomores on the team, joining Corban’s James Williamson.

A trio of seniors were named Second Team All-CCC as defenders Greg Wolfe (Oak Harbor, Wash./Oak Harbor HS/Shoreline CC) and Brady Espinoza (Pasco, Wash./Pasco HS/Walla Walla CC), as well as midfielder Joseph Ademofe (Ifon, Nigeria/Shoreline CC) all earned recognition by the coaches.

Concordia senior forward Septi Danciu repeated as CCC Player of the Year while Northwest keeper Joe Galbraith was named CCC Defensive Player of the Year.  Corban’s Kemar Prince was named Newcomer of the Year while Aaron Lewis earned Coach of the Year after leading the Warriors to the regular season and tournament titles.

2013 Men’s Soccer All-CCC Teams

Beacons Stun Geoducks, 1-0

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. – A goal in the 70th minute by Sam Eymann was the only score of the day as the Northwest Christian Beacons earned their first ever win over the Evergreen Geoducks in a Cascade Conference men’s soccer match on Saturday afternoon at Mike Kelly Field in Springfield, Ore.

As expected, the Geoducks (7-8-3, 5-7-2 CCC) controlled the offensive pace, outshooting the Beacons (3-15-0, 3-11-0 CCC) by a total of 15-6 on the afternoon but NCU made one of their two shots on goal count, scoring the game winning goal in the 70th minute.

The loss, coupled with an earlier win by College of Idaho over Warner Pacific, knocked the Geoducks out of the contention for the fourth and final playoff spot in the 2013 CCC Championships presented by U.S. Bank.

Evergreen finishes the season with a record of 7-8-3 overall and 5-7-2 in CCC play to take fifth in the conference table.

Box Score

Eagles Weather Geoducks, 3-2

KIRKLAND, Wash. – Battling high winds, heavy rains and stormy conditions, the Northwest Eagles held off the Evergreen Geoducks, 3-2, in a Cascade Conference men’s soccer game on Saturday afternoon at NU Soccer Field in Kirkland, Wash.

The Eagles (13-4-0, 11-2-0 CCC) opened up the scoring in just the fifth minute as Brendon Wheeler fed in a ball behind the Evergreen (7-7-3, 5-6-2 CCC) defense to the feet of Jacob Weaver, who chipped the ball over Geoduck keeper Mauricio Sanchez (East Wenatchee, Wash./Eastmont HS/Wenatchee Valley CC) for the 1-0 lead.

Evergreen evened it up shortly after halftime as Jack Fortune (Monroe, Wash/Monroe HS) dropped a ball back to Joseph Ademofe (Ifon, Nigeria/Shoreline CC), who sent in a beauty from 30 yards deep past NU keeper Joe Galbraith for the score.

Northwest took the lead again in the 63rd minute as Weaver scored his second goal of the afternoon from about 12 yards with assists going to Edgar Esquivel and Adam Loga.  Esquivel made it 3-1 in the 78th minute, gathering a deflection following a shot by Mackenzie Samuelsen and scoring from six yards out.

The Geoducks closed the gap in the 86th minute as Kodey Eley (Federal Way, Wash./Federal Way HS) scored from 20 yards out but the NU defense stayed tough for the final five minutes to earn the 3-2 win and move one step closer to the CCC regular season title.

Evergreen held a 12-9 advantage on shots with just four shots on goal for each team.  The game was a physical one, with 33 total fouls called and seven yellow cards shown.

The Geoducks, who currently sit in fourth place in the CCC standings, wrap up the regular season next Saturday against Northwest Christian.  Kick with the Beacons is set for 3 p.m. in Springfield, Ore.

Box Score