Bulldogs Can’t Afford To Look Too Far Ahead Postseason Soccer Hopes May Hinge On Battle With UW

There’s no way around it. The Gonzaga men’s soccer team will keep its postseason possibilities alive only if it beats Washington in a non-conference game Friday at noon at Martin Field.

The game will match the No. 7 Huskies (11-2-2), a team familiar with national exposure, against a team that’s a newcomer to the Top 25 coaches’ poll. GU (12-3-0), enjoying a four-game winning streak, checked in at No. 20 this week.

Gonzaga won’t impress anyone from the NCAA Tournament selection committee based on strength of schedule. Currently, the Bulldogs’ schedule is rated 118th most-difficult. Washington’s is rated 18th.

A Gonzaga win over UW, along with a win over Oregon State at home on Sunday and a West Coast Conference victory over first-place Portland at home on Nov. 7, might not be enough for the WCC title. However, it could convince the committee to give the Bulldogs an at-large invitation.

Last year, Gonzaga lost to Washington 1-0 in Seattle.

The Huskies’ Craig Waibel, Ryan Edwards, Pete Van de Ven and Lane Jerdal all played for the USISL Spokane Shadow this summer. Waibel, a Lewis & Clark High graduate, is a junior and is starting center back.

Friday’s game will feature some of the best players in the country, beginning with Gonzaga’s Jeff McAllister. The senior forward leads the nation in total points with 43 and is tied for fourth in the goals chase with 18. Washington will counter with one of the stingiest keepers in Bill May.

May has allowed just seven goals in 14 games covering 1,347 minutes for a 0.47 goals-against-average, third nationally. May also played for the Shadow in 1996, the team then coached by Gonzaga coach Einar Thorarinsson.

, DataTimes