Mount Hood

Wolves women’s soccer club goalie gets honored

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

Less than one year ago Western club sports added a new sport to its offers — women’s soccer. Starting out as just a collection of athletes wanting to play a version of soccer more competitive than just intramurals, Westerns women’s soccer club is now a dominant force in Oregon’s club soccer scene.

One of the stand out players from the roster is D-Dré Wright, junior chemistry major and the goalkeeper for the Wolves. In the goal, Wright may look like a season veteran due to her athleticism and ability to turn away a majority of the shots she faces. However, Wright hasn’t been playing for as long as some may believe.

“I started playing soccer practically last year. I did play 1 season in high school, my freshman year…but other than that just here in college recreationally,” said Wright. “I was interested in soccer in college because it was a way to get exercise on a (regular) basis while still competing against other schools.”

Joining the women’s club soccer team in its inaugural season, Wright seemed to gravitate toward the position of goalie for an unusual reason.

“I am very uncoordinated with my feet and I was well aware of this so I chose to play the only position that doesn’t really use their feet with a ball,” said Wright.

Despite this, Wright was a natural in the goal. On Oct. 20 the Wolves faced off against the University of Oregon Ducks. Before the game started, nerves were high. Wright and the rest of the team did their best to keep calm before the first whistle.

“I honestly get pretty nervous especially under pressure, but I try my best not to think and psych myself out. Instead, I just let my body go and do the actions it knows how to do. Ultimately, I just react,” said Wright.

As the game wore on, the Ducks kept testing the defense of the Wolves with shot after shot. But Wright and the Wolves stood tall.

“Although U of O did not score any goals, my defense (was) what made me look good. They always protect me at all costs,” noted Wright.

After the final whistle Western was victorious with a final score of 2-0. It was no doubt that the lights out play aided the Wolves to the win. In the week after the match, Wright was surprised to hear that her dominating play was being recognized. Western’s Club Sports named her as their “Player of the Week” and the Northwest Co-ed Soccer League as their “Player of the Week.” These honors showed that after only a short time in the goal, Wright is already making heads turn.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Matt Cornish

From the Sports Desk

Lake Larsen | Sports editor

In the weeks since my last installment of “From the Sports Desk,” I have received some comments and concerns about my coverage of the financial difficulties of the athletic programs on campus, my ethics as a journalist and my coverage of NCAA sports on campus. Because of this, I would like to take a moment to clarify myself and help resolve any questions other readers may have.

One of the most commonly mentioned criticisms I have received in regards to my columns are about my lack of mentioning the athletic accomplishments achieved by the student athletes at Western. While I do understand that my non-coverage of these facts may seem misleading, there was a purposeful intention as to why I did not include them — they are irrelevant to my story.

When I stated in “Opinion: From the Sports Desk” from Issue 4, that football was killing off the sports around it, my intention of this was to highlight how football was pulling funds away from other athletics, causing those other athletics to struggle financially. It was not meant to downplay the achievements of the other varsity programs.

However, these achievements play no part in my research for this story. In 1991, Western cut the wrestling program due to funding issues. In the final season of the wrestling program four members competed in the national championship. I bring this up because the size of the trophy case of a team means nothing if the team cannot afford to exist.

The other complaint I’ve received in regards to my coverage is how the sports section doesn’t cover enough of the NCAA sports on campus. This lack of coverage is also done for a reason.

The number of club sports being offered at Western is the same as the number of athletic teams yet the media coverage is nearly non-existent for club sports.

The argument that’s been voiced to me about needing to cover more NCAA sports has to do with the amount of work Western’s student athletes put into their teams. It has been told to me that they work very hard thus earning the right to be covered. However, this point is mirrored by the club sports on campus. Western’s club sports all work tirelessly to put together competitive teams and rarely a whisper is heard about them.

While many of the comments I have heard in regards to my opinions have been negative, I welcome the feedback. The more I hear back from readers, the better I can educate myself and others. But it is important to remember that the opinions in my column are based on research into the finances of an athletics program, whose director himself referred to as underfunded.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Wolves’s rugby shuts out the Willamette Bearcats

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

The post-season was at stake for the Wolves as players took the field for Western’s last regular season rugby match. Willamette entered the game with the ability to slam the door on the hopes of a playoff berth for the Wolves. But Western had other plans.

Prior to the game, the Wolves sat at second place in National Small College Rugby Organization standings behind Central Oregon Community College. If they beat the Bearcats, the Wolves would clinch a second place spot. And if COCC or Western wins the bid to host the playoffs, the Wolves will extend their season into postseason. With this in mind, Western rugby knew this match was a must win.

The first minutes of the game were a defensive slugfest as neither team wanted to give an inch. Through the use of brute force, Western broke the stalemate, fighting their way down to score the first try and nailed the conversion to make it 7-0.

Time ticked away as both teams defenses refused to give an inch to each other. After another defensive chess match, Western broke out of a scrum and battered their way to another score with a conversion. After this, the floodgates were opened.

Back to back to back breakaway runs from the Wolves led to three more tries, bringing the score to a lopsided 33-0.

“We were really fluid and we had a lot of compatibility between us so we were just feeding off each other. We just had a strong connection through the game,” said senior exercise science major Riley Bardes on the offense’s play.

However, this utter domination from the Wolves offense perhaps overshadowed the stellar defensive play from the Wolves.

“I think we did better on defense than we did on offense,” said Bardes. “We held them to nothing.”

Western’s defense gave up zero points and never even let the Bearcats past the half.

Going into halftime, signs of the physicality of the game started to show. Willamette, who already had a small bench of reserve players, started to see athletes fall victim to injury.

After the half the referee announced that Willamette would be unable to finish the game due to their not having enough players healthy to field a full team. After this announcement, Western broke their huddle, looking at the scoreboard with smiles, knowing that the 33-0 shutout in the final game of the regular season may pave the way for the Wolves to the playoffs.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

Western volleyball loses to Alaska Fairbanks

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

Hopes were high for the Wolves coming into their final home game of the season. The season had been a rough road for Western as they had only found themselves in the winning column six times of their 23 games so far. Despite this, the Wolves looked to put on a show at home for the departing seniors.

Before the matches began, each of the leaving players were honored with a few gifts and words spoken about their athletic achievements at the school and hopes for the future. One of the players playing their last game in Monmouth was junior psychology major Morgan Haskett.

“Since I had just decided to graduate in three years, I feel pretty (bittersweet) about the whole situation. I’m pretty excited to be done with college and move onto bigger things, but I am so in love with so many aspects of the sport… so that’s going to be pretty tough to leave,” said Haskett.

The first match was utter dominance for the Wolves. Jumping out to a 3 point lead, Western looked unstoppable. University of Alaska Fairbanks trailed the entire first match. The Nanooks needed to take a couple of timeouts to attempt to slow the raging momentum of the Wolves, but this was to no avail.

After a dominating win in the first match, the Wolves momentum seemed to immediately die. The Nanooks took control of Western and led the entirety of the second match. Alaska Fairbanks warded off several comeback attempts and won the second match with ease.

The Wolves never saw themselves back on top for the rest of their matches. The Nanooks controlled Western’s offense and tore their defense apart.

“We started really strong and I just don’t think we played mentally tough enough to get the win that day,” said Haskett.

The Wolves continued fighting to tie up the score, but despite their best efforts they couldn’t get back into any of the matches.

While this isn’t the end the seniors were looking for, many will miss playing in Monmouth.

“I’ll miss playing at a place where a lot of my family and friends were able to come watch, they’ve been such a big part of my volleyball career,” said Haskett.

After this loss, the season looked to be over for the Wolves. Mathematically, Western stands a chance to make the postseason tournament. However, making the tournament would rely on other teams dropping matches; meaning, the postseason hopes of Western is not in their hands.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Paul F. Davis

Wolves’s Lacrosse takes a loss in 2018 annual alumni game

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

Familiar faces gathered together Oct. 27 for the annual lacrosse alumni game. Players from past years, of the last graduating class to those long graduated, strapped on their helmets to battle it out against Western’s newest roster.

With the first whistle it was evident that the older alumni were out to have have some fun while also wanting to show the younger guys who’s boss. In the previous years, the alumni team has been laden with players on All Conference and All American teams and this year was no different.

The alumni team quickly took advantage of the young Western team, bullying them around with powerful hits and lightning quick dodges. Despite the hard play, banter and light-hearted trash talk could be heard between passes. With every ball thrown wide of the goal or long sprint of an alumni, Western could be heard chirping the older players.

“It was fun to play against former teammates that you haven’t seen in awhile. It’s good to catch up (on) the field and maybe give ‘em a good whack,” said senior history major Alex Eidler, midfielder for the 2018 team.

It was a afternoon full of high powered offenses as the Wolves and alumni both scored whopping 15 goals apiece. By the end of regulation, the score was all tied up and both teams were ready for overtime.

With a strong defense effort from the Wolves, it was no easy task for the alumni to set up their offense. However, the alumni was able to dodge their way to a opening for a laser shot, ending the game in a 16-15 victory.

Even with the loss, the Wolves are hopeful for the upcoming regular season.

“I think this year the team is on the up with the new freshman. We got a lot of new talent this year that will help define this team for the next few years,” mentioned Eidler.

The Wolves fall season ends soon with one final game at the University of Oregon on Nov. 9.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Paul F. Davis

Nightmare on Monmouth Avenue: A look at sports that have made it to the Western athletics graveyard

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

Western Oregon has existed as a school of many different names for 156 years. In this over a century and a half, the school has seen the birth and death of many different sports.

Since these sports departure the fields they called home have since been abandoned and forgotten. Welcome to the Western sports graveyard.

Tennis 1923-1990s

Tennis was first spotted on the Oregon Normal School campus as early as 1923. The program was split into a men’s team and women’s team and over the years these teams saw varying levels of success. There are years with no recorded mention of a tennis team, but its spirit lived a full life in Monmouth, finally seeing its death of an unknown cause in 1990.

Women’s Field Hockey 1925-1980s

The mysterious women’s field hockey team seemed to elude the history books for the better part of the 20th century. Pictures can be found of Oregon Normal School students playing field hockey during the 1925 school year. Skip forward 45 years and women are seen playing again. Their last sighting was in the early 80s, and not much is known since.

 

Golf 1920s-1980s

Another granny of the campus, along side the tennis program, golf has been spotted on the campus of Oregon Normal School, Oregon College of Education and Western Oregon State College. Perhaps the golfers would rather play a few holes than take a picture as records of the team are hard to come by. Lost on the back nine, the team seemed to fade from existence in the 80s.

Wrestling 1927-1991

Wrestling saw its first official team in the year of 1927. The wrestling team saw years of wins, losses, close-matches and eventually some national championship contenders. Wrestling is the only sport in the graveyard with a true murderer however. The team met a cruel fate after their 1990-91 season with the new Measure 5 ruling that defunded and killed the successful program after 64 years.

Swimming 1927-1980s

Splashing into pools for the first time in the late ‘20s, Oregon Normal School’s swimming team was host to all sorts of aquatic shenanigans. The death of the swimming program is lost to time as the history books have no clear answer to why they never made it out of the 80s.

Gymnastics 1971- 1980s

Blink and you’ll miss it, the gymnastics program was only alive for a short 10 years on the campus of Oregon College of Education. The team never saw much success in the gym, as noted by the Lamron staff never seeming to report on a match that was won. Evidence of the team can still be found on the walls of New PE showing off the teams of yesteryear.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of previous Western yearbooks: “The Norm” and “The Grove”

Fall intramural leaderboards

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

Volleyball

Co-Rec Competitive – Monday/Tuesday Evenings:

Gold Diggers

Mayjah Rayjahs

Orville Ready Blockers

Set for Life

Taco tuesdays

Block Party

Bumpin’

 

Co-Rec Recreational – Monday/Tuesday Evenings:

Hittas

Safe sets

AP Volleyball

I’d Hit That

That’s What She Set

Top Notch

Henkle Pancakle

 

Co-Rec Recreational – Thursday Evenings:

Just TRI Us

4C

Dutch Mafia

A1

Wolferines

 

Women’s/Men’s – Wednesday Evenings:

Humuhumunukunukuapua`azzz

Nolan’s Kane

Volley Kings

Heritage 2C

Hit Squad

Mas Hits

One HIT wonders

 

Flag Football

CoRec – Wednesday Evenings

The Abusement Park

Show Us Your TD’s

Off in the endzone

Spartans

 

Men’s – Sunday Evenings

Nothin’ but D

Regional Team

Bryce’s Team

Holy Ghosts

Mike G’s Team

Blue Mountain ST.

N.H.A.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Larsen’s picks of the week

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

Western Football at Azusa Pacific

Prediction:

In their last meeting the Wolves fell to Azusa Pacific 17-28.

This game will be won or lost on the back of the Western offense.

The first half of the season was riddled with weak play from the offensive side of the ball. However, in the past few games the offense has found solid footing and has been able to consistently find the endzone.

If the offense for the Wolves continues their streak of success and the defense plays the way they have all season, the Wolves will have no problem with Azusa Pacific.

 

Western Volleyball vs. University of Alaska Anchorage

Prediction:

Earlier in the season, the Wolves lost a tight set, 1-3. While the score seemed lopsided, the matches were anything but. Western’s defense needs to step up in the upcoming games in order to edge out the Seawolves. Western has struggled in their last few matches to halt their opponents point runs. This has caused the offense to constantly need to catch up in order to win games. If Western’s defense slows the Seawolves momentum, the Wolves stand the best chance to win.

 

Western Women’s Soccer at  Saint Martin’s University

Prediction:

Saint Martin’s and Western have played once before this season. In that game the Wolves edged out Saint Martin’s University 1-0. With their final meeting marking the last game of the regular season, this game is a must-win for Western if they want to end their season on a high note. Saint Martin’s offense is weak, not being able to score a single point in their last two games. If Western’s offense is able to put up points, this will be an easy win for the Wolves.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

Homecoming on the gridiron for the Wolves

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

It was a beautiful sunny day as the Wolves took the field for the 2018 Homecoming game. Western had just come off a sizable loss to the Central Washington Wildcats and looked to bring their record back to .500 with this home match.

In the last meeting between the two teams, the Wolves had walloped the Humboldt State Lumberjacks in Arcata, California with a score of 38-13. Hoping to duplicate those results, the Wolves snapped on their helmets and were ready to play.

On the opening drive of the game the Wolves were all business. A touchdown pass set up Western to quickly jump out to a 7-0 lead. The rest of the quarter was filled with defensive stops from both teams, ending with no more points being scored.

Humboldt State put themselves on the board and showed that they were ready for a fight, tying up the game 7-7 in the 2nd quarter. After a score by Western’s offense, the defense showed they could score too with a huge interception that was returned for a touchdown. Going into the half, Western was on top 21-7.

After the announcement of the homecoming court, Western looked to have lost a bit of momentum. Humboldt State kicked a field goal and later scored a touchdown to bring the game to 17-21. However, right before the end of the 3rd, the Wolves were in the endzone once again.

The 4th quarter was gearing up to be anyone’s game. The Wolves’s score late in the 3rd helped them maintain a lead, but the relentless Lumberjacks held the Wolves to a field goal. Both offenses fought hard to give their teams an edge. Western’s defense helped maintain the lead and the addition of two more touchdowns for the Wolves cemented the lead. Western brought the homecoming festivities to a close with a huge 45-24 win.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Bailey Thompson

Wolfie’s Bowl action

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

For the 2018 Homecoming week, the ladies were the first to step foot on the gridiron for the Wolves. The 39th Annual Powerpuff Game: Wolfie’s bowl was gearing up to be a powerful start to this year’s homecoming football festivities. With female students lining up for the On-Campus team and Off-Campus team, this year’s participants were ready for a fight.

The first half of action was a defensive struggle as neither team gave the other an inch. Blows were traded back and forth but neither team found the endzone.

“I was worried because I had class until 6 (p.m.) in Corvallis and I didn’t get here until halftime, but I knew we could hold them off,” said junior criminal justice and exercise science major Mikaela Wong on the Off-Campus team.

Within minutes of the start of the second quarter, Wong torched the defense on a trick play, finding the endzone to put the first points on the board. Due to tight officiating, the points ended up coming off the board. Forcing a turnover, the On-Campus team took possession and marched their way down the field.

Off the power of junior chemistry major D-Dré Wright’s arm, the On-Campus team was the first to put points on the board.

“I just know I’m throwing to the left half of the field. I don’t aim or anything, I just put it up and let my receiver get the ball,” said Wright on her touchdown bullseye.

After falling behind, the Off-Campus team knew they needed to score.

“We called a Mac-Daddy 3, that’s the name of the play. I knew (the ball) should be going to me, I just (have to) streak down the field (and catch it),” explained Wong on how the play was to be executed.

Wong sprinted past the defense and caught the game-tying touchdown pass. After a successful one point conversion, the Off-Campus crew led, 7-6.

Defensive stops came back and forth, but after a missed first down, the Off-Campus team kneeled out the clock to mark their third straight win. Hoisting the trophy high, the crowd cheered and made their way to the bonfire pep rally.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Caity Healy

Opinion: From the Sports Desk

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

“Football is on solid standing at Western… If we get (to add more games to the schedule) with the Lone Star (conference) then we’ll be playing football for the next 50 years at least,” stated Athletic Director Curtis Campbell. His voice gave me no doubt that he held this belief very near and dear, but the facts seemed to point another direction.

Thursday, Oct. 11, I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Campbell about the financial status of Western’s athletics. During the interview it became abundantly clear that Western struggles to compete at a high level athletically due to the inability to fully fund any of the varsity athletics.

“We are the lowest funded school in our conference. We offer the least amount of scholarships in every sport. We are at the bottom of the list,” said Campbell about our ability to offer scholarships.

“In football…you can offer 36 full scholarships. We offer about 15. In baseball you can have nine, and we have three. In track and field you can have 12.7 and we have three. So were the lowest funded school in our conference.”

This inability to fully fund athletics comes at the cost of success.

“The more scholarship dollars you have, the more competitive you are — the teams that are winning in football, and in basketball and in baseball. The teams that are winning are the ones that have the most scholarships to award.”

In Issue 3 of The Western Howl in the article titled, “Opinion: From the Sports Desk” I expressed how football may be on its deathbed due to the monumental cost and microscopic size of the conference. After speaking with Campbell, it became apparent to me that football is not only dying, it’s killing off the sports around it.

“We don’t have the funding…We are the lowest funded school in our conference” Campbell repeated over and over.

The question that kept occuring to me, if Western was struggling so much to fund all the athletic programs, why not condense the amount being offered?

When asked about adding programs, Campbell said, “We’re not funding the varsity sports we currently have… When you fully fund the sports you already have, then you start adding sports. But we’re so far away from that.”

But wouldn’t lowering the amount of programs offered allow the rest of Western’s athletics to thrive?

In 2008, when Western Washington University ended their football program, Eileen Coughlin, vice president for Student Affairs and Academic Support Services said to Tim Booth, Associated Press Sports Writer in his story “WWU Ends Football Program; Ensures Excellence of All Other Sports“, “Ending the football program will allow intercollegiate athletics to meet budget reduction targets, and, most importantly, to protect the quality of the remaining intercollegiate sports,”

Maybe Western Oregon should take a page from Western Washington’s book and protect the sports around football. Because if football stays for 50 years, other sports might not.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Western Men’s Rugby pounces on Seattle University Redhawks

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

After losing a nail biter to Central Oregon Community College on Oct. 7, Western’s Men’s Rugby looked to bounce back against the Seattle University Redhawks. With the sun shining on their backs, the Wolves didn’t waste any time asserting their dominance over Seattle University.

Two minutes into the first period, the Wolves scored off of a breakaway run and made the conversion to quickly bring the score to 7-0. The Redhawks showed they were ready for a fight as they bullied their way down the field, scoring a try and missing the conversion, making the score 7-5. The feverish battle between the teams looked to make for a close match, but Western wasn’t looking for another at home loss.

Tries were scored back and forth until the end of the first period where the score sat 14-10 with the Wolves on top. But for the Wolves, the best was yet to come.

Lighting up the scoreboard, Western found themselves scoring 17 unanswered points throughout the 2nd period. Every large gain by the Redhawks was met with an overwhelming defensive effort and an even more powerful offensive push. Cheered on by hoots and hollers from the crowd, the Wolves rumbled their way to a now lopsided score of 38-10.

In the final quarter the Redhawks showed some signs of life. Outscoring Western 15-14 in the period, the Redhawks hoped to claw their way back into the game. However this effort was no match for the dominant 2nd period. As time ran out, Western finished on top with a score of 52-25.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Western Lacrosse stands tall against the Rippers

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

The freashman heavy Western Lacrosse team took the field on a sunny Oct. 14. The Wolves were pitted against the Rippers, a men’s league team, for their home debut of the fall lacrosse season.

Previously the Wolves split their last four tournament games with two wins and two losses. With this matchm Western hoped to gain experience and add to their winning column.

The first quarter was messy for Western. Unable to win a faceoff, the Wolves quickly fell into a 0-2 hole before finally finding the back of the net. Poor defensive play led to Western falling to a 2-4 score at the end of the first.

“We were playing against an offensive set we hadn’t practiced against. The different look took us a bit to react to,” said senior history major and defenseman Bryce Hinkle.

The Wolves finally found their offensive footing in the second quarter. The senior led offense found the cage six times to capture the lead over the Rippers. Visibly tired, the Rippers offense struggled to hold a possession while the deep bench of the Wolves lead to an offensive run.

Not ready to give up, the Rippers came storming back in the 3rd quarter. After a couple of missed shots and poor goalkeeping from Western, the Rippers buried four shots to bring the game within three points.

It was anyone’s ballgame as the clock began to run in the final quarter of play. Carrying off their momentum from the third, the Rippers fought their way back to bring the game within one. Great defensive efforts were made on both sides of the field as the Rippers battled to retake the lead.

With just a handful of minutes left to play, the Wolves’s offense cemented their lead with a pair of goals. Western lacrosse’s home debut came to a finish with the Wolves on top, 14-11.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Discovering Club Sports

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

Whether students are looking to continue their competitive passion for high level athletics or just wanting to learn something new, a viable option is Western’s Club Sports. Joining a team gives students the ability to compete nationally in competitive team sports. Club Sports are open to student of any skill and experience level — many rosters are full of students who have never played the sport before coming to college.

The teams within Club Sports are split into two types: Tier 1 and Tier 2. The Tier 2 sports are geared more toward practicing and enjoying the sport while the Tier 1 sports are about competition with other schools and competing within a national league. Below, I’ve listed the Club Sports currently offered at Western.

 

Tier 1:

Dance Team

Joining the Dance Team allows male and female students the chance to perform in front of the school at home football and basketball games.

Contact the club president Olivia Ashmanskas at oashmanskas14@wou.edu

Men’s Rugby

Playing for the Men’s Rugby Team gives male students the ability to compete against other schools in this full-contact sport.

Contact the club president Chris Davis at cwdavis@wou.edu

Women’s Rugby

Being the only full-contact female club sport, the Women’s Rugby Team is a way for female students to compete in an aggressive sport.

Contact the club president Ciara Brady at cbrady16@wou.edu

Men’s Soccer

The Men’s Soccer team is for male students who want to participate in a higher level of soccer.

Contact the club president Nash Idler at nidler14@wou.edu

Men’s Lacrosse

Being a full contact sport, the Lacrosse Team is another option for male students looking to get involved in hard hitting and fast paced competition.

Contact the club president Justin Morales at jmorales17@wou.edu

Rock Climbing

Whether a student wants to learn how to climb or compete against other schools, the Rock Climbing Club gives the option of a relaxed or competitive experience.

Contact the club president Kayla Baker at kmbaker15@wou.edu

 

Tier 2:

Women’s Soccer

Competing against other schools all around the west coast, the Women’s Soccer Team is for female students looking to play soccer at a high level.

Contact the club president Haylie Shinsato at hshinsato14@wou.edu

Disc Golf

Brand new this school year, the Disc Golf Club is a way for students to learn about and compete in the sport.

Contact the club president Lucas Castanon at lcastanon15@wou.edu

Martial Arts

No matter what the skill level, the Martial Arts Club grants students the chance to show off their martial art skills with others.

Contact the club president Alex Buschauer at abuschauer14@wou.edu

Running Club

Running with the Running Club gives students the chance to participate in team practices on many different courses and trails as well as the chance to join in on some competitive events.

Contact the club president Sean Martinez at smartinez17@wou.edu

Tennis Club

The Tennis Club gives students the opportunity to hone in their tennis skills against different students in a relaxed or competitive environment.

Contact the club president Jacob Bering at jbering16@wou.edu

Wrestling Club

Meeting several times a week, the Wrestling Club gives students the opportunity to spar with their fellow students to help grow their wrestling skills.

Contact the club president Todd Sjullie at tsjullie17@wou.edu

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Wolves’s Men’s Rugby lose close match against COCC Bobcats

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

Clouds covered the sky and rain began to fall as Western Men’s Rugby took the field to battle against the Central Oregon Community College Bobcats. A week prior, Western Rugby took on Oregon State University and pulled off an upset beating them 31-29. Hoping to continue their season in the winning column, the Wolves matched up against the Bobcats.

The first 20 minutes saw offensive domination by the Wolves with the ball only crossing back over midfield once. However, despite the offensive pressure, Western was only able to score one try, missing the conversion.

Shortly after their try the Wolves’ defense fell back on their heels. The Bobcats scored and were able to complete their conversion to take a 7-5 lead with close to 15 minutes left on the clock in the half. After a few defensive stops by Western, the Bobcats once against found themselves on the board with another try. After missing the conversion the Wolves were down 12-5 going into the half.

Western needed to make some adjustments at halftime in order to stall the offensive momentum of the Bobcats.

“We made some substitutions because some guys were a little fatigued,” said senior criminal justice major Chris Davis. “But overall it was more so just getting back to the basics… settling back down and getting back to what we do well: running our offense.”

Shortly after the half Western started to battle back, bringing the score to 10-12. However both defenses were relentless as no points were scored either way for the majority of the second half.

As the clock came down to just a few minutes left, the Wolves pulled ahead 15-12. Unfortunately for Western, this lead was short lived as the Bobcats scored a try and conversion to retake the lead. With just a few minutes on the clock Western was unable to recover the lead, finishing the game 15-19 with the Bobcats on top.

Despite the loss, Western still kept their heads high.

“It was encouraging because this team was the conference champion last year and we matched up pretty well,” said Davis. “I think that going forward for the rest of the season, only a two point loss to a really good team like this can be pretty encouraging”

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

Opinion: From the Sports Desk

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

The football program has been a part of Western Oregon University since 1923. However, the end might be in sight.

Western belongs to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and competes at the NCAA DII level for football. Along with Western there are four other schools: Central Washington, Simon Fraser, Azusa Pacific and Humboldt State that complete the conference.

As of July 17, Humboldt State announced that the 2018 season will mark the final season for football at their school. Due to this loss in the conference, I believe that the GNAC might be seeing its final days, leading to an eventual death of Western football.

After losing Humboldt State, the GNAC will only have four members. For a comparison, the average NCAA DI conference hosts about 12 teams, meaning the GNAC size is far below average. Due to this, Western is forced to play every team in the conference twice in order to field a full season of games.

With Humboldt State no longer on the schedule, Western will be forced to travel approximately 1,000 miles at the closest to play another opponent. This is due to NCAA DII football being very sparse on the western half of the United States with only five teams west of Colorado. The added travel will lead to student athletes being away from classes for a longer period of time as well as an increased cost — something that Western Oregon, per the fiscal year 2019 working budget, already budgets $85,630 for.

If Western wants to continue to field a football program, the answer might lie in moving up a competition level to NCAA FCS (DI-AA). The FCS level hosts far more teams much closer for Western to travel to. However, in order to join, Western would have to pass a multitude of obstacles, something that the school would need to investigate if they wanted to keep a program.

Regardless of which route Western wants to take in regards to a football program, action needs to be taken. The GNAC is already a tiny conference in comparison to the rest of collegiate football conferences and with the loss of Humboldt State, Western’s options are dwindling. Traveling hundreds of miles for games will only increase the budget making the funding side of the program increasingly more difficult. If the school doesn’t act soon, I believe there will no longer be a team to watch.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Wolves’ scoreboard

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

Date Sport Opponent Score

Varsity
10/6 Football @ Texas A&M Kingsville W 13-7
Women’s Soccer vs. Simon Fraser University L 1-3
Volleyball vs. Western Washington University L 0-3
Cross Country Conference Crossover @ Lewis University Men place 9th
10/9 Women’s Soccer vs. Saint Martin’s University W 1-0

Club Sports
10/6 Men’s Soccer vs. Willamette University L 0-7
Lacrosse vs. University of Portland W 7-5
Lacrosse vs. Humboldt State University W 6-2
Lacrosse vs. Montana State University L 3-10
10/7 Men’s Rugby vs. Central Oregon Community College L 15-19
Men’s Soccer @ Central Oregon Community College W 5-2
Lacrosse vs. University of Montana L 2-9

Western Women’s Soccer secedes to Simon Fraser Clan

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

Saturday, Oct. 6, the Wolves looked to turn their season around and climb the rankings within the GNAC with their match against the Simon Fraser Clan. After losing two in a row to top ranked opponents in conference play, the Wolves had a lot of work ahead of them. If Western was able to pull off a win against Simon Fraser, they stood a chance to move up in the rankings within the conference. But the Clan had other plans.

It was a tight game for the entire first half. The Clan’s defense got the better of Western’s offense, holding them to only two shots and no points.

Western’s defense didn’t stand as tall as they gave up eight shots. However, due to effective goalkeeping by junior criminal justice major Alex Qualls, the Wolves kept the game scoreless going into the second half.

The second half did not go the way the Wolves had hoped as they gave up two unanswered points to the Clan. Western started to mount a comeback by scoring a goal to bring the game within one. The goal came off the foot of first-year communications major Hannah Cabral with the assist coming from sophomore early education major Alyssa Tomasini. Cabral’s goal marked the first of her collegiate career and the assist was Tomasini’s third of the season.

The Wolves’s comeback came to a screeching halt when the Clan scored their third goal off the foot of a Western defender. This would be the final point of the game as Western’s offense stood no match for the Clan defense. The Wolves finished the game in a 1-3 loss.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

A league of change

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

IMLeagues has taken over the Western Oregon Intramural and Club Sports scene. After becoming a large part of the school in the previous school year, the scheduling and managing website now controls all aspects of Intramural and Club Sports. If students wish to join or play any sports this year, it’s important for them to familiarize themselves with the site.

Intramural and club sports are very popular activities among the student body at Western. With the integration of IMLeagues, participation in these have never been easier.

“You don’t have to go to 12 different places to be able to see if you can join this club, or that club, ‘can I play intramurals?’ It just lays it out for you.” said Andy Main, Assistant Director of Campus Recreation Intramural and Club Sports.

“Once you’re in, (for) any club that you’re interested in joining you can see: ‘does it fit with my schedule?’” added junior early education major Brianna Jones, who is also the Club Sports Supervisor. “It’s easy to access and see their practice schedule and their game schedule.”

IMLeagues allows students the ability to plan out their game schedules to make the experience as easy and enjoyable as possible.

Visiting IMLeagues gives the user access to many more features used by both Intramural and Club Sports.

“Once you’re in, it’s a very intuitive program. It lays it all out for you, makes it easy to invite friends. It’s easy to join a team, it’s easy to find your schedule… Once you get the quote unquote difficult part out of the way, which is creating the initial account, it makes participation and organizing your life around intramural activities a lot easier,” added Main. Everything a student athlete might need, no matter what level of competition they are playing at, is laid out on the site. Overall, the experience within the app makes playing Intramural just about the sport and gets rid of the headache around running a team.

Joining IMLeagues is the first and biggest step a student can take to get involved with Campus Recreation. Students can join by visiting IMLeagues.com/wou.

 

Contact the author at llarsen13@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of IMLeagues.com

Defensive domination

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

The Wolves’ looked to extend their winning streak to two as they took on the Simon Fraser Clan at McArthur field on Sept. 20 for the first home game with school in session. Coming into this game, Western had been on the losing end for the majority of the season. The Wolves’ had yet to be in the winning column at home having lost the first three games of the year. On the road, the Wolves’s season had taken a turn for the better as they picked up the win against Humboldt State in the week leading into their game against the Clan.

Saturday’s game was over fairly quickly as Western jumped to a 54-6 lead at halftime. Western’s defense was nothing short of exceptional as the Wolves’ forced an astonishing 10 turnovers. Seven of these turnovers were interceptions which is a single game Western football record and tied the Great Northwest Athletic Conference record. Three of the turnovers resulted in touchdowns for Western.

The special teams took some inspiration from the defense as they scored some points of their own. With seven extra points, a field goal, a blocked a punt returned for six points and a blocked extra point returned for two points, the defense and special teams scored the vast majority of points.

This record-breaking effort was met with a dysfunctional Western offense. The offense of Western found the endzone the same number of times as their defense, totaling three touchdowns. However these scores came at a cost as they turned over the ball five times, one of which resulted in a Clan touchdown. While this game will go down as a 54-13 victory for Western, it was anything but for the struggling Western offense.

 

Contact the author at llarsen13@mail.wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Paul F. Davis

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