Cougars Need Win Over Huskies

Sunday’s NCAA Division I women’s soccer tournament selection show could get very interesting for the Washington State Cougars.

That’s if they can do something thrilling on Friday afternoon - beat the third-ranked Washington Huskies.

It’s a tough assignment even though the match is in Pullman, where the Cougars knocked off the Huskies two years ago, 1-0 in double overtime. The Huskies (17-1, 8-0) are the only team in the Pacific-10 Conference that does not have a conference loss. They’ve already clinched the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament and become the first team outside of California to win the Pac-10 title.

“A great result against them and I think it would be very difficult not to select us,” Washington State coach Dan Tobias said of his team’s chances of playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1994.

The Cougars (12-6, 4-4) are after one of 24 at-large bids in the 48-team field. Twenty-one teams will earn automatic bids. Three teams - such as the Big Sky Conference representative - will make it in through play-ins.

Washington State already has accomplished a lot this season. Its 12-6 record is the best since it joined the Pac-10 in 1995. It has beaten previously-ranked Arizona State and Arizona along with the Oregon schools - on the road - but fell short against the conference’s top teams, UCLA, USC, Stanford and Cal.

A win against the highest-ranked team in the soccer-rich Pac-10 would surely force the committee to take notice.

One of Washington’s best weapons is goalkeeper Hope Solo, a sophomore from Richland. One of four goalkeepers in the training pool for the Olympic team, Solo has only given up two goals in 569 minutes. Remarkably, her stingy 0.79 goals-against-average is only fourth best in the conference behind the UCLA, Cal and USC starting keepers.

“It’s exciting,” Tobias said about WSU’s season. “I’ve gotten a lot of e-mails and phone calls, letters… a a lot of support.”

Streufert stands alone

Despite Gonzaga’s disappointing season (3-14, 0-7 West Coast Conference), senior Sara Streufert is having her usual outstanding year. With two goals last week against Pepperdine, the University High graduate became the 10th player in conference history to reach the 100-point plateau. Her 101 career points and 43 career goals rank her seventh on the WCC career list.

Gonzaga closes its season against Idaho in Spokane on Sunday. The Vandals (10-6-2, 4-2-2 Big West Conference) are enjoying their best season in their three-year soccer history and only look to improve next year when all but three players (one starter) return.

Eagles moving in right direction

Things also are looking up for the 3-year-old Eastern Washington University program. The Eagles’ final record of 7-11 included more wins than its previous two seasons combined. EWU also set school records with 21 goals and 55 total points.

Senior Katie Bowers went out strong, finishing her career with a school-record 52 games played and second in all-time goals (6) and points (13). Her four goals this season tied her with junior Kyla Hamilton.

Notes

Washington State senior forward Natalie Kehl (Mead) had surgery Tuesday on the foot she broke in the USC game. Freshman Rachel Rodrick has moved into Kehl’s position and continues to earn praise from Tobias. Sophomore midfielder Erin Cook, out since the UCLA game, has ACL surgery scheduled … . The NCAA men’s and women’s selection shows are being shown on regional cable networks that might be available to satellite dish owners. The women’s show is Sunday at 7 p.m. (PST). The men’s show is Nov. 13 at 12:30 p.m. (PST).

This sidebar appeared with the story: WCC honors

Kuska Jason Kuska’s three goals and one assist in Gonzaga’s 4-1 victory over Oregon State earned the senior forward West Coast Conference player of the week honors this week.

Kuska of Moscow, Idaho, has 33 points on the year, tying him for second place on Gonzaga’s single-season list. His 14 goals also ties him for second.

After two non-conference games, the Zags (9-5) return to West Coast Conference play Friday at No. 8 San Diego (12-1-2) in a battle of the WCC’s last two undefeated teams. Both teams are 3-0 in league matches with three remaining. Gonzaga is looking to win all three in order to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time.

Gonzaga finishes at Loyola Marymount on Sunday and No. 24 Portland on Nov. 10.