Zags untouchable at home
The Gonzaga women’s soccer team doesn’t run downhill both ways at Martin Field.
It only looks that way.
The Bulldogs upped their unbeaten streak to 10 on their home turf on Saturday with a 3-0 shutout of Eastern Washington. Gonzaga improved to 3-0-1, two of those wins at Martin Field.
Gonzaga has been nearly invincible at home over the past three seasons, sporting a 15-1-1 record at Martin Field during that span. The Zags’ last loss at home was in 2004.
Former basketball recruit Nanda McCormick is building on her breakout sophomore season and has posted two goals as the starting striker. Freshman goalkeeper Jessie Thalman has produced two shutouts and started every game for the Zags.
Gonzaga travels this week to the University of Arizona to compete in the Four Points Cats’ Classic. Gonzaga faces the 17th-ranked Wildcats on Friday and follows with a matchup against Pacific on Sunday.
Washington State
Early season road trips are intended to test a team’s resolve, and the Cougars passed their first test at the Utah Fall Classic in Salt Lake City.
WSU fell short in a 2-1, double-overtime loss against No. 24 Utah on Friday. The Cougars didn’t suffer an emotional letdown, though, in a 1-0 shutout victory over Utah State on Sunday.
“It’s heartening to see us respond after Friday’s performance with a win,” WSU coach Matt Potter said.
The Cougars won’t go on the road again until Sept. 21, when they face New Mexico in the Pac-10/Mountain West Challenge in Seattle. They host Nevada at home on Friday.
Whitworth
The Pirates escaped with a tie in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with U.C. Santa Cruz in Orange, Calif. Hoping to return home with a pair of victories following Friday’s win over Pomona-Pitzer, Whitworth instead was held to one shot in the second half against the Banana Slugs.
But what a shot it was.
Whitney Ramsey collected Kara Tisthammer’s pass and tallied the Pirates’ only goal in the 59th minute. Goalkeeper Leah Motz then shook off Santa Cruz’s goal late in the second half and preserved the tie with two crucial saves in the two overtimes.
Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington’s only consistency appears to be its inconsistency.
The Eagles surrendered nine consecutive goals on the road in losing its first three games, and the trend continued when Birmingham-Southern posted the first goal in the teams’ contest in Cheney on Sunday. The Eagles responded with four goals in a row, however, to collect a 4-2 victory.
EWU outshot the Panthers 19-14, its first advantage in that category over an opponent this season. In their first three games, the Eagles had been outshot 69-15.