Northwest College Sports
Weekly notebook: Central, Western invading Seattle

By Seattle Times staff

Michael Koenen

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most read articles Most e-mailed articles

The last time Western Washington and Central Washington met in football, it was a nerve-wracking game for Western kicker Michael Koenen.

Koenen and the Vikings (2-1) face the Wildcats (1-3) again Saturday at Qwest Field in the second annual Wells Fargo Battle In Seattle.

Central claimed the first Battle last October, 29-20, but when the teams met three weeks later in Bellingham, the tables turned. The Vikings entered the fourth quarter trailing 16-7, but Koenen hit a 50-yard field goal early in the period and added the decisive extra point in the final minute to give Western a 17-16 victory.

"It had seemed like we couldn't catch a break," said Koenen of the first three quarters. "After the field goal, I thought, 'Wait a minute, we're in this thing.' "

And when Duncan Sherrard 's 1-yard run tied the game with 43 seconds left, it was up to Koenen to kick the go-ahead point. For all the stories of focused kickers, Koenen admits that's only partially true.

"The best way I can describe it are those cartoons with the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other talking to you," the senior from Ferndale explained. "One's saying, 'It's for the game, it's for the game,' and the other is telling you, 'It's just an extra point.' "

Koenen connected on the extra point, sending the Vikings, who entered the contest 1-6, on a three-game win streak to end the season and help them claim the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship.

Pick of the week Football Central Washington vs. Western Washington, Qwest Field, 6 p.m. The scoop: Two old rivals get prime-time exposure in Seattle for the second straight year. CWU won last year, 29-20; WWU later won 17-16 in Bellingham. Wildcats (1-3) hope to show why they were GNAC preseason favorites vs. Vikings (2-1).

Koenen, who led NCAA Division II in punting in 2002 with a 44.9-yard average and has five career field goals from 50 yards or more, called the first Battle In Seattle an awesome experience.

"You'd look around and it was unreal, almost like an out-of-body experience," he said of playing in front of 16,392, a record for a small-college game in the state. "It was so big, there were so many fans there."

All of which fades away if he gets another chance at a game-winner against the Wildcats.

"You just zone everything out. All you see is the uprights."

Other WWU sports

Volleyball: Western Washington had its 57-match league win streak snapped at Central Washington on Saturday, but the Vikings (7-4, 3-1 GNAC) still have a 20-match home-court victory string on the line when they host Seattle Pacific on Friday.

Men's soccer: All-star forward Cody Hagler (Canby, Ore.) suffered a season-ending injury for the third straight year, a torn knee ligament. Hagler was the Vikings' leading scorer in 2001, earning GNAC Newcomer of the Year and first-team all-conference honors.

Seattle Pacific

Men's soccer: Thanks to senior midfielder Brent Egbert (Sehome of Bellingham) and junior forward Nick Letts (Dublin, Calif.), SPU's attack is clicking again. The No. 18 Falcons have scored 15 goals in stretching their unbeaten string to six games. It took them until Oct. 15 to score 15 goals last season.

Women's soccer: The No. 4 Falcons (6-0-1) have not allowed a GNAC opponent more than one goal during their 22-game conference unbeaten (20-0-2) streak.

Volleyball: Sophomore setter Jenna Von Moos (Stanwood) leads the Falcons in assists (9.20), hitting percentage (.352) and is second in blocks (0.69) and third in digs (2.40).

Seattle University

Men's soccer: Junior forward Bobby McAlister (Decatur of Federal Way) already has scored 11 goals in 2004, five of them game-winners for Seattle U. (8-0-1, 1-0-0 GNAC). The five game-winners equal a GNAC record.

Women's soccer: Of the Redhawks' (6-1-2, 2-0-1) six wins, all but one have come by one goal.

Volleyball: With two home victories last weekend, Seattle U. athletic teams remain undefeated in matches on campus for the 2004-05 school year.

Washington sports

Cross country: The win by junior Mark Mandi (Mariner of Everett) at Saturday's Sundodger Invitational was the first by a UW men's runner at the meet since Simon Baines won in 1993.

Golf: James Lepp (Abbotsford, B.C.), a second-team All-American at Illinois and Big Ten Player of the Year in 2003, will make his UW debut when the No. 20 men's team opens Monday and Tuesday by hosting the Opus Northwest Invitational at Gold Mountain.

Men's soccer: All 19 Huskies who have played this season have started at least one game. UW (5-2-1) hosts the Husky Fever Classic on Friday and Sunday against Portland, Akron and UC Irvine.

Women's soccer: The No. 4 Huskies (6-0) have matched their best start ever behind senior forward Tina Frimpong (Hudson's Bay of Vancouver), who scored the school-record 13th game-winning goal of her career Sunday.

Volleyball: The third-ranked Huskies (8-0), who open Pac-10 play at No. 10 UCLA on Friday and No. 2 USC on Saturday, are the only undefeated team left in the conference. All eight of Washington's match victories have come in straight sets for a school-record 24 straight games.

Washington State sports

Volleyball: Sophomore middle blocker Jennifer Todd (Henderson, Nev.), who leads the team with 48 blocks, was named to her third all-tournament team this season at the University of Denver Invitational.

Cross country: The Cougars men's and women's teams compete this weekend at the Roy Griak Invitational Meet hosted by the University of Minnesota.

Other colleges

Central Washington: The volleyball team is ranked No. 21, its first national ranking since moving to NCAA Division II. With a sweep in Alaska this weekend, CWU would match its season win total from 2003 (13).

Eastern Washington: Junior Eric Kimble (Franklin Pierce of Tacoma), who averaged 29.4 yards every time he touched the ball against CWU on Saturday, was the Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week. He had a 76-yard punt return for a touchdown and a 71-yard pass reception to finish with 147 all-purpose yards.

Gonzaga: The women's soccer team, riding a three-game win streak and a 4-0 record at home, is off to its best start in program history at 6-2-0.

Northwest: The men's soccer team (2-2, 1-1 Cascade Conference) defeated Cascade 7-0 on Saturday to equal its 2003 season win total.

Pacific Lutheran: The mayor of Tacoma, Bill Baarsma, and the mayor of River Falls, Wis., Don Richards, have placed a wager on the outcome of Saturday's football game between Pacific Lutheran and Wisconsin-River Falls. If PLU wins the 1:30 p.m. game at Sparks Stadium, the payoff is Wisconsin cheese. If Wisconsin-River Falls wins, the payoff is Washington salmon.

Puget Sound: Senior midfielder Anthony Fioretti (Auburn), with three goals and three assists, leads a No. 21 men's soccer team (4-0-2) that has seen 11 different players score.

Saint Martin's: Senior Andy Prentice (Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls) paced the Saints to 10th place (fourth among NCAA II teams) in the National Catholic Cross Country Invitational hosted by Notre Dame on Friday. His mark of 25:58 over 8,000 meters was fifth among Division II runners and 21st overall.

Whitman: Junior forward Mckenzie Hoffman (Eastlake) had a goal and three assists as the women's soccer team (5-2, 2-1 NWC) won two of its first three Northwest Conference games.

Whitworth: The Pirates defeated La Verne 43-23 Saturday to improve to 5-8 all-time in California. Whitworth has won in its last four tries in the state.

Compiled from information submitted by college-sports information directors and other sources.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

E-mail this article

Print this article

Search archive

More sports headlines...