Redhawks bounce back; Cougs top Zags

The Seattle University Redhawks bounced back from their 2:0 loss to Washington on Friday to rip St. Mary’s 5:1 on Sunday August 19 at Championship Field. Meanwhile in Pullman the Cougars shut out the Zags 3:0. In a scrimmage on Saturday Seattle U’s Men fell 2:1 to the University of British Columbia. See reports from the schools below.

(W) Washington State Cougars 3:0 Gonzaga Bulldogs

PULLMAN, Wash. - Washington State women’s soccer showcased its talent at Lower Soccer Field by opening its 2012 season with a win over Gonzaga 3-0, Sunday.

In front of an excited home crowd, junior Micaela Castain scored the first goal of the season for the Cougars in the 24th minute. Castain won the ball from the goalkeeper and a defender in the box then converted from 15 yards out.

Washington State’s second goal came off the foot of redshirt-junior Kayla Johnson late in the 68th minute. Set up by sophomore Jocelyn Jeffers and freshman Kourtney Guetlein, Johnson took a shot from 25 yards out which hit the crossbar and then found its way into the net.

The Cougars added to their lead in the final minute of the game when senior Brandi Vega took a through ball at midfield, beat the keeper one-to-one and tapped it in. Senior Mariah Cameron set up Vega for the breakaway goal.

“It was nice to get on the field and get the season officially started,” stated Washington State Head Coach Keidane McAlpine.

McAlpine, talking about his first game as the Cougar head coach, added “I enjoyed the win and I enjoyed the fans being out; they brought a lot of energy to the game.”

The Cougars held the advantage over the Bulldogs in shots (14-11) and corners (8-4). Washington State’s goalkeeper, redshirt-sophomore Gurveen Clair, played the entire match and was credited with three saves to lead the Cougars to the shutout victory.

Washington State returns to the field, Friday when it takes on Boise State at Lower Soccer Field. The game is scheduled for 3 p.m., and admission is free for spectators.

COUGAR NOTES
The match attendance was 889, eighth-largest home crowd in school history…Keidane McAlpine made his official debut as Washington State’s head coach…Kayla Johnson`s score was her first career goal as a Cougar…Brandi Vega moved into ninth place on the Cougar career list with her 14th goal and is tied for 10th all-time at Washington State with 36 points…Micaela Castain recorded her sixth-career game-winning goal, tied for seventh all-time at Washington State…eight of Castain’s 12-career goals have tied the match or given the Cougars the lead…Gurveen Clair’s 13th victory in goal is tied for seventh all-time at Washington State…Clair lowered her career goals against average to 0.71, tops in Cougar history.

Senior Melissa Busque takes a corner kick for the Seattle U Redhawks. The Quebec native netted a hat trick (three goals) for Seattle U in a big win over St. Mary’s on Sunday August 19. (Dale Garvey)

(W) Seattle U Redhawks 5:1 St. Mary’s Gaels

SEATTLE, WA —Seattle University women’s soccer capped off the opening weekend of the 2012 regular season with a big win over St. Mary’s, topping the Gaels, 5-1, Sunday at Championship Field.

“I was exceptionally pleased,” said Seattle U head coach Julie Woodward. “I think Friday’s game was great for us because it prepared us for the season. Anytime you open with a great opponent [...and] a very well-coached team, it can only benefit you. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the result [we wanted] on Friday, but I’m extremely happy with the way the team responded today.”

Senior Melissa Busque (St. Bruno, Quebec, Canada) led the Redhawks with a hat trick. Busque and Julia Moravec (Spokane, Wash.) also led the Redhawks with five shots apiece.

“Obviously scoring a hat trick feels good, but [today] was a whole team effort,” said Busque. “If I can score goals, that’s good, but if I can help people score, it’d be great to do that too.”

Busque opened the game scoring the first two goals for Seattle U, the first in the 19th minute and the second in the 36th minute. Monique Escalera (Riverside, Calif.) assisted on the first goal and Liana Heberer (Oceanside, Calif.) made the assist on the second.

Off the bench, Heather Thomas (Woodinville, Wash.), assisted by Alyssa Campagna (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Taylor Ritzman (Holladay, Utah), assisted by Thomas, added goals to the Redhawks’ total, each scoring within three minutes after entering the game. For Thomas, her goal came just one minute and five seconds after coming onto the field.

The Redhawks went into halftime leading 4-0 but the Gaels got on the board in the 61st minute with a goal by Katy Roby, assisted by Vicki Shimkus, to bring the score to 4-1.

The celebration for the Gaels (1-1-0) was short-lived, as Busque added her third and final goal of the game for the Redhawks, less than a minute later, off a corner kick in the 62nd minute.

As Seattle U excelled offensively, their defense was equally on-point, shooting 28 shots, and allowing only eight from St. Mary’s. The Gaels’ first shot did not come until Jaime Turrentine took a shot in the 58th minute, shortly before the team’s only goal of the match.

Freshman Brianna Smallidge (Port Orchard, Wash.) got her second career start in goal, again playing all 90 minutes for the Redhawks. She recorded two saves, allowing only one goal. Kate Brenot and Stephanie Busch split time at goalkeeper for the Gaels, with Brenot playing nearly 69 minutes, but giving up all five goals.

(M) Seattle U Redhawks 1:2 U. British Columbia

SEATTLE, Wash. – Despite attempting more shots during the match, the Seattle University men’s soccer could not convert on enough of its chances, as the University of British Columbia held on for a 2-1 victory in an exhibition match Saturday afternoon at Championship Field.

Just over two minutes into the contest, the Redhawks were able to find success on their first scoring chance, as Marshall Kosaka (Burien, Wash.) sent a pass to Miguel Gonzalez (Yelm, Wash.), who flicked a touch pass onto the foot of Travis Heim (Ridgefield, Wash.). Heim, one of the team’s leading goal scorers during the 2011 season, blasted a shot past UBC goalie Luke O’Shea to put Seattle U ahead, 1-0.

After Seattle U goalkeeper Jake Feener (Rocklin, Calif.) turned aside a couple of Thunderbird shots, the Redhawks dominated the possession during the middle of the first half, but none of the five shots attempted by Seattle U players during that span were on target. After a Seattle U foul in the 38th minute, Marco Visintin sent a free kick into the box, and Paul Clerc was able to guide the ball with his head into the back of the net to tie the match at 1-1, where it would stay at halftime.

Early in the second half, Visintin again found himself with the ball, this time setting up Brandon Bonifacio for a blast from about 25 yards out that eluded Feener and went into the goal. Gonzalez had two golden opportunities to pull the Redhawks even, as O’Shea left the net open on two different occasions, but by the time Gonzalez attempted a shot each time, O’Shea had recovered and was able to make the save.

The Redhawks increased the offensive pressure by switching to an offensive formation in the 72nd minute, but again most of the shots were not on target. Seattle U’s final scoring chance came with less than four minutes remaining in regulation, as Heim sent a ball into the box that Hamza Haddadi (Shoreline, Wash.) attempted to steer into the goal, but his deflection attempt sailed wide.

“We don’t like the result, but today was a start. Our guys battled and created chances, which is good. We figured out a couple of positions that guys can play. We learned a lot of lessons about things on the positive side as well as about things we need to fix,” Seattle U head coach Peter Fewing said. “We were going for the win, so I am not happy that we lost. However, the effort was there and the desire was there.”

Gonzalez and Heim led the Redhawks with four total shots apiece, followed by Brady Ballew (Marysville, Wash.) with three shots. Bonifacio led the Thunderbirds with three total shots, with Kent O’Connor earning two shots on goal during the match. O’Shea was credited with five saves, and Feener finished with four saves.

Seattle University will open the regular season Friday, Aug. 24, by hosting the Cal Poly Mustangs at Championship Field beginning at 5 p.m. To catch all the action this season, visit http://www.GoSeattleU.com or call the Redhawk ticket office at (206) 398-GOSU (4678) to purchase season tickets. Men’s and women’s soccer season tickets are $75 apiece for reserved seats and $50 for general admission. Single game tickets are available at the gate beginning 60 minutes prior to the start of each match.

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