Geoducks Dig Past Knights, 4-1

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LACEY, Wash. – Playing their first playoff match since 2005, the Evergreen Geoducks kept a magical season alive, defeating the Warner Pacific Knights, 4-1, in a Cascade Conference Men’s Soccer Championship Semifinal on Tuesday afternoon at the Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey, Wash.

The Geoducks (13-5-0) first got on the board in the 24th minute as senior Kevin Flavin (Oak Harbor, Wash./Shoreline CC) fed in a cross from the far side of the field and freshman Willie Spurr (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt HS) got a head on it, pushing it past Drew Bonifacio for the 1-0 advantage.

The Knights (9-9-1) evened it up in the 30th minute as Alberto Casas sent in a shot that was cleared off the line but a Geoduck defender but Jameson Jones was there to collect the loose ball and put it in an open net to tie the game at 1-1.

Things would stay tied heading into the half and through the first 15 minutes of the second period but Flavin gave Evergreen the lead again in the 60th minute, dribbling around a WPC defender and Bonifacio before finishing from point blank for the 2-1 advantage.

Evergreen collected their first insurance goal in the 67th minute as Spurr took a page out of Flavin’s book, dribbling around the WPC keeper and firing it in for his second goal of the game.  The final goal for the Geoducks came in the 80th minute as senior Kyle Wiese (Battle Ground, Wash./Prairie HS) gathered a ball following a collision between WPC defenders and fired in on an open net for 20 yards out for the 4-1 win.

The Geoducks outshot the Knights, 13-11, on the night.  Bonifacio finished with four saves for Warner Pacific while Mauricio Sanchez (Wenatchee, Wash./Wenatchee Valley CC) made five saves to earn the win for Evergreen.

The win was the first postseason win for the Geoducks since Nov. 18, 2004 when Evergreen earned a 2-1 win over Rio Grande in the second round of the NAIA National Championship in Olathe, Kan.

Evergreen now advances to the 2012 Cascade Conference Men’s Soccer Championship Match on Saturday evening against Concordia.  Kick with the Cavs is set for 6 p.m. at Tuominen Yard in Portland, Ore.

Box Score

Evergreen Falls to NCU on Senior Night

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OLYMPIA, Wash. – Evergreen senior Stephanie Peshlakai-John (Kirtland, N.M./West Texas College) was honored before the match but the Northwest Christian Beacons picked up the straight set win over the Evergreen Geoducks, 25-15, 25-22, 25-20, in a Cascade Conference volleyball match on Saturday evening at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

The Beacons were bright early as NCU quickly built a 12-2 lead.  The Geoducks finally settled down and got the differential back into singled digits but NCU easily earned the 25-15 set one win.

The second set was a lot tighter as Evergreen looked hungry for a win.  The Geoducks held the lead early but a five-point swing put the Beacons back on top and the blue and gold held off the Geoducks for the 25-22 win.

Northwest Christian tried to blast past Evergreen in the final frame but the Geoducks weren’t going to go down without a fight, pulling within four points late at 17-13.  The Beacons eventually proved to be too much, picking up the 25-20 win to sweep the match.

Evergreen was led by nine kills from Cassidy Watkins (Tucson, Ariz./Trevecca Nazarene Univ.).  Sasha Nash (Sandy, Utah/Skyline HS) finished with 12 assists while Hapa Patcho (Waipahu, Hawai’i/Ke Kula Kaiapuni ‘O Anuenue) finished with 11 assists on the night.  As a team, the Geoducks had 28 kills with 14 errors on 90 total swings for a .156 clip.

Northwest Christian was led by 11 kills from Tami Brown.  Maren Mansfield added 10 of her own in the win.  Cori Wallace finished with 21 assists while Alyssa Dorr added 17 to here season total.  The Beacons threw down 44 kills with just 17 errors on 103 total attacks.

Evergreen ends the season winless with a record of 0-27 overall and 0-18 in CCC play. Northwest Christian ends the regular season with a record of 17-11 and 10-8 overall, good enough for the fifth seed in next week’s CCC Volleyball Championship.  They will open up the postseason on Tuesday at Concordia.

Box Score

Espinoza Sends Geoducks Past Eagles, 1-0

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OLYMPIA, Wash. – In a potential playoff preview, the Evergreen Geoducks used a goal from junior Brady Espinoza (Pasco, Wash./Walla Walla CC) to get past the Northwest Eagles, 1-0, in a Cascade Conference men’s soccer match on Saturday afternoon on Field #3 in Olympia, Wash.

The first half was scoreless as neither team managed many opportunities.  Evergreen held a 4-1 advantage on shots prior to the break but it wasn’t enough to open the scoring.

In the second half, the Geoducks took advantage of a hard foul just outside the box that gave Espinoza the opportunity to bend the free kick around the defense and into the upper corner of the net for the game’s lone goal.

Evergreen finished the match with a 10-7 advantage on shots and both teams managed six opportunities in the second half.  Mauricio Sanchez (Wenatchee, Wash./Wenatchee Valley CC) made two saves to collect the shutout while Joe Gailbraith and Scott Lane combined for three saves for the Eagles.

The Geoducks will play their first playoff game since 2005, and their first home playoff game in school history, on Tuesday.  The opponent will be announced Saturday evening for the match which will be played at 4 p.m. at the Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey, Wash.

Box Score

Corban Swings Past Geoducks, 3-0

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OLYMPIA, Wash. – Senior Chandra Teague threw down 18 kills as the Corban Warriors swept past the Evergreen Geoducks, 25-23, 25-16, 25-14, in a Cascade Conference volleyball match on Friday night at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

The first set was by the far the most exciting of the night as the Geoducks found themselves holding a lead for much of the frame.  The Warriors lived up to their mascot, pulling even at 23 before using a pair of Evergreen errors to escape set one with a 25-23 win.  The set saw 13 tie scores and four lead changes as it truly was anyone’s game.

Corban continued to work with that momentum in the second set as a 6-0 run but them up 17-9 and the Geoducks couldn’t get their way back into the set, falling 25-16.  The Warriors had their best hitting frame of the match in the second set, putting down 13 kills with four errors on 30 attacks for a .300 hitting percentage.

In the third frame, the Warriors earned the first point on a kill by Teague and Corban wouldn’t trail the rest of the way, using a 13-1 run to go ahead 22-8.  They were able to hold off a late Evergreen rally to take the third set, 25-14, and the match, three sets to none.

Evergreen was led by nine kills from Cassidy Watkins (Tucson, Ariz./Trevecca Nazarene Univ.).  Kameo Dela Cuadra (Salinas, Calif./Hartnell College) put up 16 assists on the night while Merideth Gurr (Tacoma, Wash./Tacoma CC) had a strong match on the back row, finishing with a match-high 17 digs.

Corban was led by the strong effort from Teague, who finished with 18 kills and seven errors on 37 total swings for a .297 hitting percentage.  Katherine Salness had her share is 35 of 39 assists for Corban while Jenny Harman posted six block on the night.

Evergreen wraps up the 2012 season on Saturday night when they play host to Northwest Christian.  Corban wraps up the season as well, heading up to Kirkland, Wash. to take on Northwest.  Both matches are set for 7 p.m.

Box Score

Geoducks Drop Exhibition to Seattle Mountaineers, 85-72

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OLYMPIA, Wash. – Facing their first outside competition of the 2012-13 season, the Evergreen Geoducks dropped a physical game to the Seattle Mountaineers in a men’s basketball exhibition game on Thursday night at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

Both teams came out pretty even in the opening minutes as the two sides traded baskets.  An 8-0 run put the Mountaineers up 20-13 with 9:41 left to play in the opening period but the Geoducks were able to cut the deficit to just four on a three-pointer by KJ Hong (Federal Way, Wash./Shoreline CC) with 46 seconds left.  Rashaad Powell answered back with a three for Seattle as the visitors took a 39-32 lead into the break.

In the second half, the Mountaineers pushed the lead into double-digits but the Geoducks stormed back, using a 16-3 run to get take a one-point lead on a three-ball by Hong with 11:41 left to play.  The more-experience Mountaineers eventually retook the lead and the advantage hit double-digits again with 4:13 left to play.   Seattle continued to hold off the Geoducks, leaving Olympia with a hard-fought 85-72 win.

The Geoducks were led by 18 points from Hong, 15 of which came from behind the arc.  Marc Taylor (Boise, Idaho/Edmonds CC) came off the bench to add 14 points while Travis Wagner (Federal Way, Wash./Green River CC), Evergreen’s lone returner playing in the game, racked up 10 points in the loss.  The Geoducks were 24 of 63 from the field for 38.1%.

Seattle was led by 25 points from Powell.  Marcus Bradford added 19 points in the win as the Mountaineers connected on 28 of 69 attempts of 40.6%.  Seattle outrebounded Evergreen, 46-43, on the night.

The Geoducks officially open the season on Tuesday night when they travel up to Kirkland, Wash. to take on Northwest in a non-conference game.  Tip with the Eagles is set for 7pm at NU Pavilion.

Box Score