The Big Picture Weighs On Mind Of Shadow Coach
When Spokane Shadow coach Sean Bushey looks at the USISL Premier League soccer standings, he doesn’t focus on the Northwest Division.
That’s probably a good thing because his soccer team already has clinched a tie for its second straight division championship.
“Our standards are that we’re not just concerned about our division, we’re concerned with region and national,” Bushey said.
At 10-1 in division play (11-2 overall), the Shadow have 30 points. Spokane would have to lose the rest of its games and Yakima would have to win the rest just for a tie. The Shadow can get that formality out of the way this weekend when they play a Friday game at Yakima and a Saturday game against the Reds at 7 p.m. in Albi Stadium.
“This will be a tough weekend with back-to-back games against the same team and a rival,” Bushey said.
The top four teams in the five-team division make the playoffs, a single-elimination weekend Spokane hopes to host in late July. The survivor then plays the winner of the Southwest Division - at the site of the team with the best record - for the trip to nationals.
At the moment, the best record in the Southwest belongs to the San Gabriel Valley Highlanders at 8-3 (8-5 overall). The defending national champion Central Coast Roadrunners, who had a 4-0 win in Spokane, are 7-3 (9-4 overall).
Trying to focus on the division, the region and being competitive nationally, the Shadow have added a handful of players who just became eligible because their school years ended.
Gonzaga Prep standout Joe Ascolese is back after his freshman year at Santa Clara University. From the University of Washington are former Lewis and Clark High star Craig Waibel and teammates Ryan Edwards, Pete van de Ven and Lane Jerdal. Simeon Enemuo, who plays at Gonzaga, also has joined the team.
“We’re looking for the best players,” Bushey said. “Other teams are getting better (by adding collegiate players) and we need that competition within us to keep raising our standard. It’s midway through the season and the new players inject a little bit of enthusiasm.”
Waibel played last weekend and immediately made his presence felt at midfield, where the Shadow have struggled keeping players healthy.
“He played very well last week,” Bushey said. “We were able to play Joe Marks as outside back, which helped our attack, it gives us more possession abilities in the back.”
Ascolese and Edwards also help at midfield, Ascolese with his quickness and Edwards with his size. With van de Ven as a keeper, that spot has gone from a preseason crisis position to one of great depth.
“They’re going to have to be very professional in their attitude,” Bushey said of his three strong keepers, including currently hot Brian Mullen (3-0) and six-game winner Josh Fouts. “We’ll go with the one playing best at the time. They’re all very strong players. We’re somewhat spoiled in the sense, but it will help with training. They’ll have to compete.”
Corner kicks
Prior to Saturday’s game, a team of North Idaho high school seniors will take on a combined team of Greater Spokane League and Frontier League players. John Smith of Coeur d’Alene has the Idaho squad with Mark Belstad of Cheney and Stuart Saunders of Shadle Park coaching the Washington team… . Former Shadow midfielder Kieran Barton, recently picked up by the USISL A League Seattle Sounders, had his first two goals in a 10-0 drubbing of S.V. Transvaaal of Suriname.
Shadow forward Dave Berto, who has seven goals and 20 points, is eighth in Premier League scoring… . Eddie Enders of Cocoa leads with 30 points and is tied with Omar Tejade of Miami with 13 goals. … Lester Felician of Jackson is the assist leader with 11 and has 29 points. … Spokane is the first team among the 30 Premier League teams in six divisions to win 10 league games. The only other team with less than three losses are the Mid Michigan Bucks at 8-1. The Bucks are 10-1 overall.
, DataTimes