LA GRANDE, Ore. – Freshman forward Willie Spurr (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt HS) and junior goalkeeper Collin Harlow (Kirkland, Wash./Shoreline CC) were both named Red Lion Cascade Conference Players of the Week following an outstanding weekend on the pitch as the Geoducks earned a pair of conference wins.

Spurr earned Offensive Player of the Week honors after scoring three goals and assisting on two others to vault himself to the top of numerous conference statistical categories.  The freshman leads the conference in points (8), points per game (1.60), goals (3), and goals per game (0.60).  He scored the equalizer and assisted on the game-winning goal in a 2-1 win over College of Idaho on Friday and then scored the first two goals and assisted on another in a 5-0 win over Oregon Tech on Saturday.

Harlow was named Defensive Player of the Week after allowing just one goal in 180 minutes for the Geoducks.  Making his Evergreen debut, the lone goal allowed came on a penalty kick in the 2-1 win over College of Idaho and then the 6-3 junior made five saves to secure the shutout on Saturday in the 5-0 win over Oregon Tech. His 0.50 GAA and .857 save percentage are both tops in the CCC this season.

The Geoducks will look to improve to 3-0 in Cascade Conference play for the first time since 2005 when they play host to Corban on Wednesday, beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Evergreen Pitch in Olympia, Wash.

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Freshman Willie Spurr (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt HS) and senior Mirza Memic (Bellevue, Wash./Whatcom CC) each scored twice as the Evergreen Geoducks picked up their second win in as many tries with a 5-0 victory over the Oregon Tech Owls in a Cascade Conference men’s soccer match on Saturday afternoon at Evergreen Pitch in Olympia, Wash.

Spurr scored his first goal of the game in the 12th minute after a deflection from OIT keeper Loren Jessen gave the freshman a chance to try out his bicycle kick and the fancy attempt was successful as Evergreen took the 1-0 lead.

In the 27th minute, Spurr secured the brace, and his third goal of the weekend, following a save on a shot by Kevin Flavin (Oak Harbor, Wash./Shoreline CC), gathering the rebound and finishing open net.  The Geoducks made it 3-0 heading into halftime in the 40th minute when Flavin scored one of his one, using the cross from Brady Espinoza (Pasco, Wash./Walla Walla CC) to finish on the left post.

In the second half, the Owls kept a strong defense for the first 20 minutes but a pair of goals by Mirza within a two-minute span proved to be the nail in the coffin.  Mirza collected his first goal on a great cross from Spurr that allowed the senior to head the ball in for his first score of the season.  Just 1:58 later, Mirza scored again, this time following the pass form Albert Anabtawi (Yakima, Wash./Eisenhower HS).

The Geoducks outshot the Owls, 29-6, on the match.  Evergreen keeper Collin Harlow (Kirkland, Wash./Shoreline CC) made five saves to collect his first shutout as a Geoduck.  Jessen finished with six saves for the Owls before being replaced by Tanner Lee in the 69th minute.  Lee added five saves in the final 21 minutes of play.

Evergreen remains at home on Wednesday evening when they host Corban in a Cascade Conference match.  Kick with the Warriors is set for 5pm on Evergreen Pitch in Olympia.  Oregon Tech will also be in action on Wednesday, playing host to Warner Pacific, beginning at 6pm in Klamath Falls, Ore.

Box Score

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Freshman Willie Spurr (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt HS) scored the equalizer in the 72nd minute and then sent in the cross that led to the winning goal in the 86th minute as the Evergreen Geoducks broke into the win column with a 2-1 victory over the College of Idaho Coyotes in a Cascade Conference men’s soccer game on Friday afternoon at Evergreen Pitch in Olympia, Wash.

After a scoreless first half in which Evergreen (1-3-0, 1-0-0 CCC) outshot College of Idaho (0-3-2, 0-1-0 CCC) by a total of 9-1, it was the ‘Yotes getting on the board first.  Yan Gioseffi converted on a penalty kick in the 56th minute, going left to beat Collin Harlow (Kirkland, Wash./Shoreline CC) for the 1-0 lead.

The Geoducks finally tied things up in the 72nd minute when Dyson Fowler (North Bend, Wash./Mt. Si HS) fed in a cross to Spurr, who careened the ball off the right post and past CI keeper Colin Benham-Marin to even things up at 1-1.

Spurr had another great play at the 86 minute mark when the freshman floated in a cross towards the left post and senior midfielder Brandon Wood (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho/North Idaho College) came flying in, heading the ball into the back of the net for the 2-1 win.

Evergreen finished the game with a 16-9 advantage on shots. Harlow had to make just one save for the Geoducks while Benham-Marin finished with three saves for the ‘Yotes.

The Geoducks will look to go 2-0 in conference play on Saturday afternoon when they host Oregon Tech, beginning at 1 p.m. on Evergreen Pitch. College of Idaho will also be in action Saturday, traveling up to Kirkland, Wash. to take on Northwest in a match set to begin at 3 p.m.

Box Score

OLYMPIA, Wash.  –  With a total of nine goals scored, it was the Rocky Mountain Battlin’ Bears who came out on top, defeating the Evergreen Geoducks, 6-3, in a non-conference NAIA men’s soccer match on Monday afternoon at Evergreen Pitch in Olympia, Wash.

Rocky Mountain (4-0-0) opened up the scoring in just the 12th minute when Brandon Loeffler fired in a rocket from about six yards out that got past Evergreen keeper Mitch Treend (Vancouver, Wash./Prairie HS).  RMC made it 2-0 in the 20th minute when Nick Heffernan took advantage from a free kick to score.

The Battlin’ Bears extended the lead to 3-0 just a minute later when Heffernan fed in a ball to Oliver Gore, who sprinted up the field and finished from the top of the box.  Loeffler scored again in the 26th minute on the assist from Heffernan, firing in a ball from point blank for the 4-0 lead.

The Geoducks finally got on the board in the 28th minute when Kevin Flavin (Oak Harbor, Wash./Shoreline CC) put in a cross that was put in the net by a Rocky Mountain defender for an own goal.  Evergreen scored the most impressive goal of the game in the 51st minute when Jeff Roland (Windsor, Colo./Windsor HS) fired in a cross and 5-foot, 7-inch Brandon Wood came flying in to head the ball past RMC keeper Joachim Soderstrom to cut the deficit to just two goals at 4-2.

Unfortunately for the Geoducks, the Battlin’ Bears answered back in the 52nd minute as Heffernan picked up his third assist on a feed to Michael Eggen, who finished from 10 yards out for the score.  Rocky Mountain scored the next goal as well, as Heffernan assisted for a fourth time, feeding in a free kick from about 30 yards out in the 61st minute to the waiting head of Mikey Wall to push the lead to 6-2.

Evergreen scored the final goal as junior Brady Espinoza (Pasco, Wash./Walla Walla CC) scored his second goal of the year off a beautiful free kick from about 30 yards out that flew past Soderstrom.

Rocky Mountain outshot Evergreen, 13-8, on the afternoon.  Treend finished with three saves for the Geoducks while Soderstrom made three saves for Rocky Mountain before leaving the game in the 80th minute.

Evergreen will take a break before their next game as they open up Cascade Conference play on Sept. 14 at home against College of Idaho.  Kick with the Coyotes is set for 3 p.m. at Evergreen Pitch in Olympia, Wash.

Box Score

OLYMPIA, Wash.  –  A corner kick off the foot of Andrew Cota found the crossbar before bouncing to the waiting forehead of Alex Vukic, who guided the ball in as the Menlo Oaks defeated the Evergreen Geoducks, 1-0, in a non-conference NAIA men’s soccer match on Thursday evening at Evergreen Pitch in Olympia, Wash.

After two unsuccessful shots early in the period, the Oaks got on the board in the ninght minute as Cota fed the ball into the box, skimming the kick off the middle of the crossbar and Vukic found it to score what would end up being the only goal of the game.  Despite allowing the goal, Evergreen keeper Mitch Treend (Vancouver, Wash./Prairie HS) made a pair of nice saves to keep the Geoducks competitive at halftime.

In the second half, the Geoducks turned up the offensive pressure, unleashing three shots on goal that Alex Palomarez was forced to stop.  Evergreen’s best opportunity came with less than a minute left on the clock as Jeremy Novack (Lake Forest Park, Wash./Shorecrest HS) dribbled around Palomarez and fired a shot on net but a Menlo defender was able to clear the ball of the line to preserve the win.

Menlo held a slight advantage in shots at 8-6 while each team finished with three saves on the evening.  The Geoducks were whistled for offsides twice, compared with just one for Menlo.

Evergreen will look to bounce back on Monday afternoon when they play host to Rocky Mountain in the second game of a men’s/women’s doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m.  The Oaks return to the pitch on Saturday when they travel up to Kirkland to take on Northwest University, beginning at 1 p.m.

Box Score