WSU takes soccer
season opener behind two goals, one assist from junior Morgan Weaver
By COLTON CLARK
Lewiston TRIB
Aug 18, 2018
PULLMAN -
The season opener for the 21st-ranked Washington State women's soccer team
almost too fittingly coincided with the annual mass inflow of incoming and
returning students.
They
blanketed in crimson every square inch of the south-side bleachers at Pullman's
Lower Soccer Field - all 1,890 of them - while surplus observers looked on from
the windows and balconies of neighboring dormitories.
And what
this enthusiastic gaggle got was nothing less than the desired outcome. The
Cougars, after a laggard opening, discovered a raw aggression and eventually
mauled the Redhawks from Seattle University, 3-1.
"(It
was) electric. This place just rocks," said WSU coach Todd Shulenberger.
"I think we have the nicest place in the Pac-12, let alone the West Coast,
to be honest with you the stadium, this surface, the crowd."
But at one
early instance, Seattle forward Jessie Ray hushed the mutterings of the
excitable spectators. Laura Hooper whipped a cross right into position, only
where Ray could locate it. Ray tipped it right past the highly touted WSU
keeper, Ella Dederick, into the back of the net.
"After
that, we were like, 'We've gotta figure our stuff out. We've got to go.' And I
think that's what we did," said WSU forward Morgan Weaver.
That they
did. Risky long-balls were halted, and WSU became unpredictable.
The goal
was about the only promising premonition for Seattle - everything afterwards
could be considered utter domination by the Cougs.
Both
offensively and defensively, that is.
However,
judging by the sheer volume of shots taken by WSU and the three head-turning
scores, it'd be easy to speculate that this contest could be chalked up as
Cougar command on the attack.
"I
was happy with our offense and the opportunities we created in the second
half," Shulenberger said. "We have a lot of weapons, and if one
person's not stepping up, we can go to someone else. Before, we haven't had
that there."
There may
be spare weapons, but the Cougars relied primarily on one, Weaver, who was an all-conference
pick and the squad's top goal-scorer a year ago.
She gashed
the Redhawks, who were playing a rare and tricky 4-2-4 defense, for two goals
and one assist - all in barely over half a game played.
Weaver
first trotted out her stuff with about 10 minutes left in the first. A short
cross from Maddy Haro was left hanging about five yards in front of Redhawks
keeper Mackenzie Curry. Only one Cougar was in the vicinity, and it was Weaver,
who skyed and chipped in a header.
And three
minutes into the second half, she shared the load.
It was a
two-on-one attack - Weaver dribbled parallel to teammate Elyse Bennett, then
pinpointed a pass directly in front of Curry. Bennett slid in, collided with
Curry, but caught just enough of a piece to hand WSU a one-goal advantage.
The
Cougars coasted after that point. Seattle, which has won the last three Western
Athletic Conference titles, labored on the offensive end. The 4-4-2 WSU
formation muzzled the Redhawk attack, which only managed to attempt six shots.
"I
saw two different halves," Shulenberger said. "We were prepared for
them before but we didn't perform the way we wanted to in the first half (In
the) second half, we were a totally different team. I liked our fight to come
back."
Albeit,
there had to be a cherry on top. An authoritative victory just wouldn't be the
same without it, right?
Well, it
came from Weaver in the 59th minute, right before she trotted over to the
sidelines to rest.
It was
almost too unassuming. Weaver hastened up near the halfway line, dribbling
between and around trailing Redhawks. About 40 yards out, she turned and
slashed one around a midfielder, almost as if to say, "might as
well."
"I
just was like, 'You know what, if you don't take a shot, you'll never know if
it's gonna go in or not,' " Weaver said. "So I figured, 'Eh, just
take it. Why not?' "
And go in
it did. Curry seemed shocked with the bold strike, and barely even moved from
her post while she watched it trickle in off of one bounce.
"I
don't remember if I've ever done something like that before," Weaver
admitted. "That was one of my favorite goals I've ever made."
A tune-up
contest against a team of less credibility than Seattle would have sufficed,
but to Shulenberger, that prospect wouldn't cut it. Even though WSU is a top-25
team, they were still picked to finish seventh in a stacked-house Pac-12
Conference.
"We
can't hide in this conference - we've gotta go for it," Shulenberger said.
"I know it's a little risky because you want to get some wins going into
the Pac-12, but if you go out and just play a lesser team, then you're gonna
fool yourself going into conference, and that can't happen."
Washington
State 2 1-3
Seattle 1
0-1
Seattle -
Ray (Hooper), 12:01.
Washington
State - Weaver (Haro), 35:53.
Washington
State - Bennett (Weaver), 48:20.
Washington
State - Weaver, 58:33.
Shots -
Washington State 17, Seattle 6.
Saves -
Washington State: Dederick 3, Seattle: Curry 6.
…………
WSU
football
Brandon
Arconado hauls in two more TDs … and four other reactions from Washington
State’s second fall scrimmage
UPDATED:
Sat., Aug. 18, 2018, 8:40 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson Spokane S-R
PULLMAN –
Nearly two weeks shy of their 2018 opener at Wyoming, the Washington State
Cougars returned to Martin Stadium Saturday afternoon for the second scrimmage
of the preseason camp. Here are five reactions, with some additional notes,
from the midday mock game.
1.
Grooming Gardner
The
Cougars haven’t named a starting quarterback after 13 practices, but Gardner
Minshew separated himself from Trey Tinsley and Anthony Gordon during the first
scrimmage, then got the largest share of reps in the skeleton and 11-on-11
periods in each of the next six practices. On Saturday, Mike Leach let Minshew operate
three offensive drives, while Gordon, Tinsley and Cammon Cooper each had two.
Minshew
got through the scrimmage without any major errors, finishing 13 of 18 with 123
yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. Tinsley, who seems to be his top
challenger at this point, was 6 for 10 with 52 yards and three TDs, but the
redshirt junior let the ball slip out of his throwing hand on consecutive
passing attempts during his second drive. The defense jumped on the first
fumble, but Tinsley was able to pounce on the second. Gordon was 6 of 11 with
86 yards and three TDs, while Cooper was 8 of 12 with 77 yards, one TD and one
interception.
“That’s
the biggest difficulty we’ve had, is all three are pretty similar,” Leach said.
“And with less experience with us, Gardner’s coming along rapidly and he’s
right there with the other two. So I definitely want to know what he can do
with more reps, which that’s why we gave him more reps this week.
“The other
thing is, I think he does a great job controlling and elevating the unit and
getting those guys all hyped up.”
2. Reason
for concern
The
kickers aren’t exactly instilling confidence in Cougar nation 13 days ahead of
the season opener. Redshirt sophomore Jack Crane and redshirt freshman Blake
Mazza have been getting equal opportunity to prove they can succeed Erik
Powell, who missed just four field goals on 24 attempts last season. By
comparison, Crane and Mazza, with a much smaller sample size, have already
missed six kicks in the two scrimmages. After each going 2 for 3 on Aug. 10,
they combined to make just 3 of 7 on Saturday. Mazza made two, from 35 and 42
yards, and hit two, from 37 and 45. Crane was good from 33 yards out, but
couldn’t convert from 43 and 47.
3. Dynamic
duo
Running
backs James Williams and Max Borghi combined for 98 all-purpose yards and four
touchdowns, offering another glimpse of how dynamic they could be as a
backfield tandem this season. The shifty Williams led WSU on the ground, with
three carries for 25 yards and two touchdowns. Supposedly, the junior tailback
is barred from hurdling defenders this season, but he lifted his body over
Darrien Molton as the corner was diving for his legs near the sideline and
squeezed out another 5 yards. Borghi caught one touchdown pass, hauling in a
ball from Tinsley near the sideline before chugging around the right side for a
17-yard score, and punched in another TD on the ground. The Colorado native
continues to be one of the most physically imposing skill players on this
roster and it probably needs no reminder, but he’s just 18.
“Max is
special, he really is,” Minshew said. “Just his strength, speed, understanding
of the game. Lot of freshman come in, the game’s fast, they’re wide-eyed. Nah,
he knows what to do and he’s going to do it really well.”
4. Growing
pains
The
Cougars have a number of true freshmen who will see the field this year: Borghi
and Rodrick Fisher on offense, Tyrese Ross and Halid Djibril on defense, to
name a few. But the vast majority will need the obligatory redshirt year to
improve their strength and physical conditioning, and to adjust to the college
game. Offensive line coach Mason Miller was particularly vocal when two
breakdowns up front led to consecutive QB sacks on Cooper. Freshman tackle Cade
Beresford was yanked from the O-line and redshirt sophomore Liam Ryan took his
place. Leach ended the drive prematurely, visibly frustrated by the group’s
execution.
“I thought
our third group on offense … it was atrocious,” Leach said. “They just didn’t
play together, played timid. I would say, I don’t know how many for sure, but
it looked like nine out of the 11 out there looked timid with the third group
and they better get used to playing because they’re going to do it virtually
every Thursday.”
5.
Arco-bravo
Through
two scrimmages, it’s not Tay Martin, Jamire Calvin, Kyle Sweet, Renard Bell or
Dezmon Patmon leading the Cougars in receiver touchdowns. It’s Brandon
Arconado. The redshirt junior, who came to WSU as a walk-on and earned a
scholarship this spring, is up to four touchdown catches in two mock games. His
first on Saturday may have been the highlight of the scrimmage. Under pressure,
Tinsley blindly aired a ball toward the end zone and Arconado stumbled back a
few steps before cradling the pass into his arms.
Notes
Luke
Falk’s No. 4 is up for grabs again. Renard Bell inherited the number this
offseason, but the redshirt sophomore receiver has apparently parted ways with
it after just two weeks. One of a few Cougars to undergo recent number changes,
Bell is back to the No. 81 he wore last season as redshirt freshman when he
caught 40 passes for 538 yards and three touchdowns.
Other
notable number changes: freshman safety Tyrese Ross (No. 6 to No. 1), sophomore
corner George Hicks III (No. 8 to No. 18), Rush linebacker Willie Taylor III
(No. 57 to No. 27), freshman Nickel Patrick Nunn (No. 22 to No. 32), redshirt
sophomore kicker Jack Crane (No. 42 to No. 33), freshman receiver Brandon Gray
(No. 83 to No. 84) and junior receiver (No. 89 to No. 86).
Kyle
Sweet, the top receiver in yardage with 78, hauled in two touchdowns and was on
the end of a 50-yarder thrown by Tinsley in which he outlegged corner Makiah
Gilmer to get open before catching the ball in stride and racing into the end
zone.
Even if he
doesn’t crack the rotation this year, true freshman receiver Kassidy Woods
appears as if he’ll have a bright future with the Cougars. Woods hauled in two
passes for 41 yards and scored a touchdown.
The
Cougars are progressively getting better at defending the red zone and it showed
again. That’s where WSU recorded its only interception, on Cooper, and forced
its only fumble, on Keith Harrington. “When you pressure people, you make
people make plays,” defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys said. “It’s one-on-ones
and who wins and they got to block them. It’s not just like a coach calling a
play and you’re sitting back in the zone.”
Wide
receiver Calvin Jackson Jr. didn’t participate in the scrimmage, nor did
linebacker Peyton Pelluer. Defensive players Nnamdi Oguayo and Derek Moore weren’t
in attendance.
There was
a good turnout for the second scrimmage, which fell two days before the start
of the academic semester at WSU. An estimated 100 fans and students showed up.
WSU will
hold a short practice Sunday at 8 p.m., take Monday off, then return for a
fully padded, full-length practice Tuesday. Every practice from Wednesday
through the rest of the season will be closed to media and the general public.
………..
Mike Price 'thrilled' by Pullman Walk of
Fame induction
Former
WSU football coach will be one of four enshrined at today's ceremony during the
National Lentil Festival
·
By DALE GRUMMERT OF THE Lewiston TRIBUNE
PULLMAN
- Back when he lived in this town, Mike Price rarely got a chance to attend the
annual National Lentil Festival in Pullman. Like most football coaches in
mid-August, he was pretty busy.
As a
retiree, though, he'll be at this year's edition - as a guest of honor.
The
former Washington State coach is one of four people who will be inducted into
the Pullman Walk of Fame in a downtown ceremony at 10 a.m. today at the
southwest corner of Main and Kamiaken streets. Price, 72, who lives much of the
year in the Coeur d'Alene area and retains numerous ties to the Quad Cities,
will attend the enshrinement with his wife, Joyce.
"We're
thrilled to be honored like this," Price said by phone Friday from Coeur
d'Alene. "Pullman means so much to us. We spent 21 years of our lives
there, and all our kids were born in Pullman."
Like
other inductees, Price will be presented a plaque that will be embedded in a
downtown sidewalk, as in the Hollywood version of the same concept. The Pullman
Walk of Fame was established in connection with the lentil festival in 2003 as
a way of honoring "individuals who have served the Pullman community in a
significant way."
Price
headed the WSU football program for 14 years and led the Cougars to five bowl
berths, including two of the four Rose Bowl bids in school history. He becomes
the third WSU football coach to join the Walk of Fame, after William (Lone
Star) Dietz and Babe Hollingbery.
Price
began his WSU head-coaching tenure in 1989, which was also the inaugural year
of the National Lentil Festival, now celebrating its 30th anniversary. Although
preseason workouts prevented him from attending the event, he remembers sending
a contingent of freshman players to march in an accompanying parade.
As
recently as last fall, football still was making claims on Price. As a favor to
Texas-El Paso, where he had coached for nine years until his ostensible
retirement in 2012, he agreed to lead the Miners for the final seven games of a
bleak, eventually winless 2017 campaign, after the school fired Sean Kugler in
midseason.
Now he
has returned to being a fan, especially of four grandsons who compete in
scholastic sports in Asotin and Clarkston. (In all, he has nine grandchildren,
ranging in age from 7 to 17). His daughter Angie is married to Clarkston
assistant school superintendent Jim Fry, and Price is taking delight in
following Fry's grandfather into the Pullman Walk of Fame. Dick Fry, a former
WSU sports information director, was inducted a year ago.
"It
makes it even more special, because he's such a wonderful person," Price
said.
In
football season, Price describes his schedule as follows: Monday is freshman
football, Thursday is JV, Friday is varsity, Saturday morning is flag games,
and Saturday afternoon or evening is the Cougars.
Mike
and Joyce Price still spend their winters in El Paso, where their son Aaron, a
former WSU assistant coach, is now a high-school coach and athletic director.
So members of both the Texas and Inland Northwest branches of the Price orbit
will attend today's ceremony - with exceptions, of course.
In some
cases, football practice will take precedent.
OTHER
INDUCTEES - The others who will get spots on the walk of fame today are the
late Richard Daugherty, an archaeologist and author, as well as the late Ivan
Sayles, who worked in insurance and was a Pullman city councilman, and his wife
Velma, an active community volunteer.
SCRIMMAGE
TODAY - The Cougars will stage their second preseason scrimmage today at Martin
Stadium. Practice begins at 1:30 p.m. and the mock game starts about 40 minutes
later.
:::::::::::::::::
………….
That’s DOG
DAYS, NOT DAWG DAYS
……………………….
Looks like
WSU has reached the dog days of camp
For the
second consecutive day, things were a little ragged.
By Jeff
Nusser on August 17, 2018
Coug
Center
It takes
football teams a number of weeks to get themselves ready for the season. One of
the biggest challenges for coaches is keeping it fresh when guys are practicing
against the same people day after day.
Inevitably,
after the initial adrenaline of the start of camp wears off, there are going to
be days where things are just not as smooth as everyone would like. It looks
like the Cougs have arrived at these dog days.
Wednesday,
there was a bit of lethargy that had set in due to fatigue, leading to Mike Leach’s
time-honored tradition of using up-downs to wake everyone up. Thursday, the
intensity was back, but the play was still ragged.
Gardner
Minshew, who seems to have taken the lead spot in the battle to be the Cougs’
starting quarterback, was just 5-for-15 with a couple of touchdowns and an
interception during the team portion of practice, according to Theo Lawson’s
practice report. Some of that was inaccuracy, some of that was on his
receivers, some of that was pressure from the defense.
But the
defense, for all of its effectiveness against the pass, gave up five TDs to
Minshew’s unit.
It was
competitive, but “out-of-sync,” as Leach put it.
That’s to
be expected when the same guys are hitting each other and seeing the same plays
for two straight weeks. Familiarity breeds sloppy practices.
A few
other things caught my eye in the practice reports Max Borghi continues to show
why the Stanford Cardinal coveted him late in the recruiting process. That’s
awesome.
I’m just
going to paste this part from Lawson: “I omitted a Lamonte McDougle note from
yesterday’s practice. During the offensive line vs. defensive line segement,
the redshirt freshman nose tackle bowled over not one, but two offensive
linemen before swiping the “towel” that acts as the target for defensive
players in the drill. McDougle was a Freshman All-American at West Virginia
last season and he’s sitting out this season because of transfer rules. We’ll
go out on a limb and say he’ll be one of the best scout team players the
Cougars have had in some time…”
The
punters and kickers seem to be even. I’d guess those competitions will probably
go all the way to the end of camp, since there’s really no reason to make an
early decision.
The Cougs
will have a walk-through practice on Friday before their second scrimmage, on
Saturday.
Basketball
gets a new-ish assistant
One little
piece of basketball news: Ernie Kent has promoted Tim Marrion to assistant
coach, filling the vacancy left by Curtis Allen’s departure for Pepperdine.
Marrion was the coordinator of basketball operations.
I have no
idea if this improves the staff, but I have it on excellent authority that
Marrion is a really good dude. Thus, I’m happy for him!
I’ll also
be honest: I had no idea Allen’s spot hadn’t been filled. But I digress.
Mims Named
Preseason All-Pac-12, Cougars Picked Seventh - Washington State University
SAN
FRANCISCO -- The Washington State volleyball team was slotted to finish seventh
in the preseason Pac-12 coaches poll as announced by the conference office on
Wednesday, August 15. In addition, senior Taylor Mims picked up right where she
left off her 2017 campaign as the senior was named to the Preseason All-Pac-12
team.,
Baseball
Alumni Weekend Set For Oct. 19-21 - Washington State University
Washington
State Baseball invites all Cougar Baseball alumni to be part of 2018 Cougar
Baseball Alumni Weekend set for Oct. 19 - 21 in Pullman. All former Cougar
players and their families are welcome to attend, as well as current players
and their families.
#
