Soccer notebook: Cougars await Pac-10 elite

It’s final exam time for the Washington State women.

The Cougars’ regular season wraps up in the next two weeks, with the team facing some of the nation’s best in its final four games.

WSU (10-2-3, 3-1-1 Pacific-10 Conference), third in the conference standings, will play its final two road games this weekend beginning with a Friday matchup against California, ranked 19th in this week’s National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas national rankings.

The Cougars’ final road game of the regular season is Sunday at fifth-ranked Stanford.

“We need to continue doing what we’ve been doing,” WSU coach Matt Potter said. “We’re pleased with the opportunities we’ve been creating … I think (we) just have to continue along those lines.

“There’s nothing like testing yourself against the best, and that’s what we get to do now.”

The Cougars’ Pac-10 and regular-season schedule will conclude at home the following weekend with a Nov. 9 matchup against top-ranked UCLA and Nov. 11 against 11th-ranked USC.

Senior forward Brooke Bemis (Lake City High) was named the Pac-10 player of the week Tuesday after notching two goals for WSU last week, bringing her season total to eight.

Josten moves up

George Josten’s name is now next to Brian Ching’s in the Gonzaga record books.

Josten, who was named the West Coast Conference player of the week, scored twice last Friday as the Gonzaga men passed the midway point of WCC play in a 2-2 double-overtime tie with visiting Portland – the first time this season the Bulldogs gave up more than one goal.

The senior has 34 career goals, tying him for third on the all-time list with Ching, a Major League Soccer standout for the Houston Dynamos and a member of the U.S. World Cup team. One more goal will tie Josten for second with Jason Kuska. Jeff McAllister’s 45 career goals top the list.

John Reha’s assist against Portland was his fourth of the season and the 14th of his career as he moved into sole possession of fifth place on Gonzaga’s all-time list.

Ching leads with 23, Kuska is second with 21 and Josten and current Gonzaga assistant coach Mike Thompson are tied for third with 16.

Pirates’ party on hold

The Whitworth men have to be kicking themselves for this one.

One day after celebrating a huge victory over Puget Sound late in double overtime, the Pirates (13-3-1, 11-2 NWC) dropped a double-overtime match to Pacific Lutheran and missed out on celebrating a Northwest Conference championship – at least at that time.

Now the Pirates, still likely to wrap up the title this weekend, play the scenario game:

“If the Pirates win Sunday at Whitman, Whitworth will clinch its third NWC title in the last four years.

“If PLU (11-6-1, 9-2-1) beats Linfield and Willamette and the Pirates lose, PLU will win the title.

“If PLU loses or ties either of its final two matches, Whitworth wins the title.

“Finally, if Whitworth ties host Whitman and PLU wins twice, the teams will be tied in the final standings. At that point, the Pirates hold the tiebreaker for the automatic bid to the Division III tournament based on comparable results against Puget Sound.

Corner kicks

The Gonzaga women defeated then 11th-ranked Santa Clara for the first time in a 14-game all-time series last week. Prior to the match, the Bulldogs had posted a 0-13-1 record against the Broncos. … Whitworth’s Jael Hagerott tied the school’s career record for assists in a win over PLU on Sunday. The assist was Hagerott’s 26th of her career, tying Haley Nichols on the all-time list. … The Community Colleges of Spokane men clinched the Eastern Region championship for the first time since 1998. The top-ranked Sasquatch have a first-round bye in the NWAACC tournament and will play in the quarterfinals on Nov. 10 (opponent TBD). Jay Vela of CCS leads the NWAACC in scoring with 25 goals and seven assists. … The North Idaho men won their third straight Region 18 Championship last Saturday while the Cardinals women earned their first. Both NIC squads earned individual top honors, with Mark Pacold and Jillian McAndrews being named the region’s most valuable players.