SIXTH STRAIGHT WITH NO END IN SIGHT
It may be too early to proclaim mission accomplished for the 2007 Puget Sound Loggers but the first checkpoint has been reached as the Loggers used a pair of wins in Eastern Washington to clinch a sixth-straight Northwest Conference title and the seventh in the last eight seasons. This week, the Loggers will attempt to wrap up a perfect regular season as they travel down to George Fox and Pacific on Friday and Saturday.
The Loggers vs. Whitworth
Taking matters into her own hands, sophomore Janece Levien ( Beaverton, Ore.) and the fourth-ranked Puget Sound Loggers held off the 14th-ranked Whitworth Pirates, 3-2, in a Northwest Conference women's soccer match on Saturday afternoon in Spokane, Wash. The Loggers (17-0, 13-0 NWC) are now just one game away from clinching their sixth-straight NWC title.
Whitworth (14-2, 11-2 NWC) got on the board first and they did it early as Lindsey Oaks used passes from Whitney Ramsey and Greta Thibodeau just 2:35 into the game to give the Pirates the early 1-0 lead. In the 18th minute, Levien tied things up, using a pass from Fiona Gornick (Portland, Ore./Grant) to break into the box and power a shot past Whitworth's Krista Dietz. Levien gave the Loggers the lead in the 32nd minute on another pass from Gornick, this time on a breakaway through two defenders that gave UPS the 2-1 halftime lead.
Levien made it 3-0 Loggers just minutes into the second period, dribbling through defenders and firing a shot into the upper-left corner for the unassisted goal, her 19th of the season. The Bucs cut the Logger lead to a single goal in the 82nd minute on a goal by Thibodeau but it wasn't enough to break the Loggers' 17-game undefeated streak as Puget Sound picked up the 3-2 win.
Kallie Wolfer (Salt Lake City, Utah/Skyline) made four saves for the Loggers to collect the win. Puget Sound outshot Whitworth on the day, 13-11, in what was otherwise an extremely evenly played match.
The Loggers vs. Whitman
Led by two goals from sophomore forward Janece Levien (Beaverton, Ore.), the fourth-ranked Puget Sound Loggers clinched their sixth straight Northwest Conference title on Sunday with a 2-1 win over the host Whitman Missionaries in Walla Walla.
The Missionaries (9-6-3, 8-4-2 NWC) got on the board first when Corina Gabbert took passes from Kristen Berndt and Alysse Ginkel in the seventh minute and beat the Loggers' Katie Wheeler (Oregon City, Ore.) with a shot from about 25 yards out. Levien and the Loggers (18-0-0, 14-0-0 NWC) evened things up in the 17th minute when senior Katie Gillette (Fairbanks, Alaska/West Valley) sent a cross into Levien, who tapped the ball into the net to tie things up at 1-1.
Levien gave the Loggers the lead in the 28th minute after powering in a shot from about 10 yards out into the bottom left corner of the net as the Loggers used the 2-1 win to capture no worse than a share of their sixth straight NWC title and their seventh title in eight years.
Levien's goals were her 20th and 21st of the season, one shy of the school record of 22, set by 2005 NSCAA Division III National Player of the Year Cortney Kjar.
Kallie Wolfer (Sandy, Utah/Skyline) took over in goal in the second period, making the Loggers lone stop of the day. Whitman's Courtney Porter recorded eight saves but allowed the two goals by Levien.
National Attention
The Loggers remain fourth in the country according to both the NSCAA/adidas National Rankings and the D3kicks.com Top 25.
Statistically Speaking
The Loggers as a team lead the NWC in a number of categories, including shots (440), points (144), goals (55), goals allowed (9), goals against average (0.50), shutouts (12), corners (99), and attendance (238 avg/g). Individually, Janece Levien leads the NWC in shots (107), points (44) and goals (21). Sophomore keeper Kallie Wolfer is tops in goals against average (0.52).
On the national stage, the Loggers are 18th in shutout percentage (0.667) and 19th in goals against average (0.5). Janece Levien is 10th nationally in goals per game (1.167) and 27th in points per game (2.44). Kallie Wolfer is 25th in nation in goals-against average (.523).
Gearing Up For the Postseason
By virtue of the conference title, the Loggers now know that they will be making their sixth-straight appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament. The only questions that still remain is who and where they will play their first-round games. The NCAA is expected to announce the 60-team field for this year's tournament on Sunday evening at approximately 7 p.m. PST (10 p.m. EST) with the bracket announced on Monday morning at 6 a.m. PST (9 a.m. PST).
Regional Rankings
As expected, the Loggers remained the top ranked team in the West Region, according to the official NCAA rankings released on Wednesday. Whitworth is ranked second, followed by Claremont-M-S and UC Santa Cruz.
Scouting George Fox
The Bruins head into Friday's match with the Loggers holding an 11-6-1 overall record, including 8-5-1 in NWC play. The Loggers picked up a 1-0 win in the teams' first meeting, back on Oct. 7 in Tacoma. Jenny McKinsey and Amber Stevens have led the Bruin offense in 2007, collecting 10 goals each in 18 games played. In goal, Jessica Cardwell has seen the majority of minutes, allowing 21 goals in 1435:23 for a 1.32 GAA and an .802 save percentage.
Scouting Pacific
The Boxers come into this weekend with a record of 4-13-1 overall and 2-12 in NWC game.s Their NWC wins this season have both come at home, a 2-1 win over Pacific Lutherand and a 1-0 overtime win over George Fox. UPS put together a 2-0 win in the first meeting of the year, back on Oct. 6. The Boxer offense has struggled in 2007, scoring just 16 goals in 18 games, led by three from Ashley Kanda. Sydney Vincent has been solid in goal, allowing 29 goals in 1570:38 for a 1.66 GAA.
The Coach
Leading the Loggers in 2007 is six-time Northwest Conference Coach of the Year Randy Hanson, who has put together a record of 169-49-21 through the weekend in 11 seasons with the Loggers.
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