Mount Hood

Trick or treating may be over, but the hat tricks aren’t: Women’s Club Soccer bring home a “W” and a shutout to up their standing in league

Max Carmona | Freelancer

As the Women’s Club Soccer team stepped onto the field, all cold and unwanted air was gone. The sun welcomed the team and their smiles welcomed the spectators. The Wolves warmed up with excitement and laughs while the University of Portland Vikings were nowhere to be found.

About 20 minutes before the game started, the Vikings showed up — unorganized, confused and with only a total of eleven players, enough for the field but no subs. The Wolves brought a squad of 19 giving them eight subs.

The start of the half can always tip either way, no matter how prepared or stacked a team may be. The Wolves’ defense held their line and barely allowed for any attack from the Vikings, while Portland’s defense was challenged minute by minute. Multiple opportunities were created by an assortment of Wolves returners including Hannah Greene, Kawehi Taniguchi, Chase Tokita, Haley Willmott,  and Gha Ming NG. 

After countless attacks and attempts on goals, it was surprising that the score did not reflect this. The Wolves disconnected at times, never knowing who was going for the ball first, not talking or communicating when necessary and players hiding from the ball rather than opening up to receive a pass. But, they continued strong plays on their attacking half. 

An injury was sustained on the field for the Vikings. Portland had no subs to cover this player, leaving them down one ‘man,’ and giving Western an advantage.

Quickly after this injury, a shot was kicked and kissed the back of the net by Taniguchi, making the score 1-0. This sent a ripple effect through the Western team, making everyone crave more goals.

The energy was heightened and the Wolves weren’t done; Sarah Texter, a returner, carried the ball up from defense and was able to find the goal — no one could stop her drive and determination — making the score 2-0, Wolves.

The first half came to a close and Western was able to come off the field feeling excited and confident. 

The sun dropped and coolness waved across the field, but the smiles were still there.

Second half started with a new lineup amongst the Wolves, getting fresh players on the field. Even having the new substitutes on the field, the intensity remained and the starters from first half had nothing but cheers and support for their fellow teammates. 

The ball continued to remain on the Wolves’ offensive half, giving the Wolves’ defense many opportunities to push up and get in the attack to try for more goals. By having the forwards stay high, and the midfielders on the attack with the forwards, this opened the playing field up for Texter to take the ball to goal again — and make her second goal of the game, Wolves 3 and the Vikings 0. A hat trick was on the rise.

Moments later, Kaylee Leong, a new player for the Wolves, scored the fourth goal of the game — feat for Leong, and an advantage for Western.

More subs were brought into the game giving the Wolves more ammunition and more chances for scoring. Multiple corner kick chances were given to Western, giving Greene the ball to set up her teammates.

And then, the hat trick moment came. Texter was given the ball again and took it all the way to the goal, scoring for the Wolves. And that she did, making her third goal and the final goal of the game to put the Wolves five goals ahead. The cheers were endless and the big smile across Texter’s face made for a sweet victory. 

The Wolves finished the game strong; they had won their first game, no more tying. A new month, a whole new team. Nov. 2 was a day to propel the Women’s Soccer Club forward.

The next home game for the Wolves will be on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 4:30 p.m. on the turf field against the Oregon State Beavers.

 

Contact the author at mcarmona18@wou.edu

Photo by Tobi Greene

Pedal to the metal, the Wolves shutout the Banshees in home opener of Women’s Rugby

Hannah Greene | Sports Editor

Excited vibes mixed with the morning chill as Women’s Rugby got ready to take on Eastern Washington University — the Banshees. 

The beginning of the game started with a slow energy but picked up within an instant after Claire Rickis, a first year, of the Wolves snagged the first try of the game. Minutes later, the Wolves score another try thanks to Donna Samuelu, a sophomore, who completed a long-field run and beat the entire Banshee defense making the score 10-0.

“Who wants this ball?” 

“I do!” exclaimed the Wolves at kickoff. 

Wolves’ defense swarmed around all the attackers of the Banshees, not allowing for any movement.

The Sir of the match took many opportunities throughout to coach both teams in proper technique of tackles, rules and gameplay — creating a positive, supportive and safe playing field.

Moments later a third try was almost completed, but called back due to a double move — meaning the ball is moved twice once the player was down — which gave the Banshees a penalty. This didn’t stop the Wolves. 

With seven minutes remaining on the clock, Nelly Blancas — a senior and the president of the Women’s Rugby team — passed the ball to teammate Emilia Ricci, a first year, who scored, making the Wolves up 15-0. 

Not even two minutes later, the Banshees let their guard down, and D-Dré Wright was there to take advantage of it, scoring the fourth try of the game and ending the half with a 20-0 lead.

The whistle blew for the half to end and the Wolves came off with nothing but momentum and confidence. Western’s coach talked strategy and changed the lineup to start the second half with two new faces for the Wolves. 

Two more point-getters from the Wolves were Lexi Osborn, a senior and her fourth year on the team, and Carmen Deol, a senior and second year returner.

Within the first three minutes, Wright scores her second try, jumping the score to 25-0. Not even a recovery break is taken and the Banshees face Wright again, only to fail and let her score her third try of the game. The Wolves, now up 30-0, were not letting their foot off the gas, even the slightest.

Twenty minutes left in the game and an injury on the field calls for a stop in the clock and a player down for the Banshees. 

Wright was on fire, with only four minutes left she scored her fourth and final try of the match making the score 45-0 in favor of the Wolves. 

Western Oregon Women’s Rugby ends on a high of a great win leaving Eastern Washington with a hard loss to tow home. “I’m so proud of everyone” and “we feel pretty confident for the season,” said Nelly Blancas after the incredible win in their first home game last Saturday, Oct. 26.

“Men” of the Match, which is the term used for MVP, were given to D-Dré Wright and Clair Rickis — for their undying legs to outrun the Banshee defense repeatedly and the skills they brought to the home opener.

The Wolves next home game will be during Winter term.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photos by Hannah Greene

Battle the appetites: Western Oregon Men’s Rugby take on Oregon Institute of Technology

Hannah Greene | Sports Editor

Walking up to the field, on Oct. 26, any viewer would have felt pumped and ready to battle — the Western Oregon Men’s Rugby team was ready to take on Oregon Institute of Technology. 

Within the first five minutes, the Owls scored their first try, shocking the entire Wolves’ defense. Many onlookers first impression of what was ahead was not good. But, a quarter of the way through the first half, the Wolves answered the Owls’ point with their very own Anu Kanoho, a junior, who intercepted the ball while on defense. Following the try, Braedon Etagonde, a sophomore,  kicked the extra two points — making the score 7-5.

Two minutes were remaining in the first half when Gabriel Wai, a junior, scored the second try, ending the half seven points ahead, a true battle to come back.

Western wasn’t done yet; coming into the second half they wanted more. And ten minutes later Eltagonde of the Wolves scored the third try, making the score 17-5.

The Wolves defense put up a strong fight, but not enough to keep the Owls out of their endzone — Owls added five more points to the board making the score 17-10 with the Wolves ahead and still united.

OIT gave high pressure close to Western’s endline, calling for a scrum and causing the ball to be passed back to Kanoho who then punted it forward and away to get the attack out of their half.

A perfect pass from Eltagonde to Robert Cummings, (RC) a transfer to Western, gave the Wolves a lot of yards on the counterattack. The Wolves kept up solid sportsmanship amongst themselves and the opponent, while the Owls continued to put each other down and talk back. 

The battle raged on and the ball was carried back and forth between both teams, never finding either end zone, which led to a “pushy” fight between the Wolves and Owls.

Minutes later, the Sir blew the whistle and concluded the game.

Western brought home another win, leaving the scoreboard 17-10 and their record jumping to a 4-0. The Man of the Match was given to Anu Kanoho for his defensive skills throughout the game and willingness to leave everything on the field to help propel the Wolves forward.

The Men’s Rugby team have a Semifinal game on Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. on the home turf. Come out and support these men and be prepared to see some gnarly tackles and excellent runs.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photos by Hannah Greene

Herstorical figures of Oregon and cancer surviving athletes of the world

Hannah Greene | Sports Editor

October marks the month of breast cancer awareness, a perfect time to recognize womxn athletes who have achieved great feats and continue to pave the way for upcoming generations. Below are athletes from our very own state, as well as recognized womxn who have fought cancer battles and come back better than ever.

 

Liz Brenner, a five-sport athlete from the University of Oregon, broke multiple roofs for womxn. While at the University of Oregon Brenner competed in; volleyball, basketball, softball, and multiple events in track and field. Brenner shows true power and strength — what it takes to be a veracious athlete. Brenner is a true heroine for young womxn and men across the state of Oregon and beyond. 

Shoni Schimmel, a WNBA All-Star, who’s now a free agent and college coach. A first round draft pick out of college and a top model to people everywhere — especially to Native American girl basketball players — Schimmel is my next pick. Schimmel continues to push womxn sports forward whether through coaching or through bringing recognition to Native Americans. She was raised on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation here in Oregon. 

Karen Newman, a world-class athlete in her 50’s, has battled cancer twice. Newman has been competing and beating womxn half her age — all after having, fighting and surviving breast cancer. After being diagnosed, she had many different meetings with doctors until she found one that would allow her to continue training while going through chemotherapy. She proved that no one ever has to stop chasing their dreams — a truly inspiring woman.

Novlene Williams-Mills, a track athlete from Jamaica who fought breast cancer and continues to promote body positivity. Williams-Mills is a three-time bronze medalist who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012 and made a comeback in 2013, winning the 400 metres qualifying for the World Championships in Moscow. Novlene Williams-Mills is a womxn that shows cancer isn’t the end.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of goducks.com

Photo courtesy of iaaf.org

Photo courtesy of Ghetty Images

Photo courtesy of thekarennewman.com

Power Puff keeps tradition alive with Off-Campus victory

Caity Healy | Managing Editor

In 1978, one of the first recorded Powder Puff games — now referred to as the Power Puff game — made its way to Oregon College of Education. Off-campus, dressed in all black, took on On-Campus, sporting lighter colors. In an intense match — with the male cheerleaders hyping up the spectators — the Off-Campus team took the win 22-0. Flash forward to 2019, and the scoreboard looked pretty similar.

Although this is being referred to as the 40-year anniversary, the game actually goes back at least 41 years. 41 years of On-Campus versus Off-Campus with a very obvious trend — the win typically goes to Off-Campus. 2019 was no exception. 

The cold weather and rain couldn’t put a stop to the energy of the two teams on Oct. 18. As the black-shirted Off-Campus went head-to-head against the pink-shirted On-Campus, it was clear that the ones in black wouldn’t hold back. Immediately, player D-Dre Wright caught a pass and ran the ball all the way into the end-zone without being touched by a single player. The Off-Campus team took the first touchdown of the game just 20 seconds into the competition. In 2018, when On-Campus narrowly lost to Off-Campus with a tight score of 7-6, D-Dre Wright was one of the On-Campus MVPs. 

After the first touchdown, the play continued to be one-sided with On-Campus constantly on defense. Score after score, the game went into halftime with Off-Campus up 19-0.

The teams huddled at the half to figure out adjustments needed for the second half. After a lengthy break, the teams made their way back and the play began again. Similar to the first half, Off-Campus was on offense for most of the remainder of the game. However, On-Campus was able to hold them off, preventing them from scoring again in the entire half. But, On-Campus wasn’t able to find the endzone either, leaving the final score 19-0 in favor of Off-Campus. In the common theme of Power Puff competition, Off-Campus was once again victorious.

Senior Mikaela Wong, a fourth-time Off-Campus player and fourth-time winner, shared how the win felt for her and her team.

“You’d think I’d get used to it by now but it’s the same level of excitement every year,” Wong said. Wong went on to explain how the team was able to secure the win more easily this year, rather than the narrow win in 2018. 

“We really just settled in and had three really simple plays and kept running those over and over again. Last year, the plays were more complicated,” Wong explained. Player Rachel Koljesky added that, “everyone was definitely open with communication if they didn’t know or if they weren’t comfortable with their position so we could change it.” 

To close out, Koljesky explained, in brief words, how the team felt after securing the win: “Oh, fantastic. Four-peat, let’s go.” 

 

Contact the author at chealy16@wou.edu

Photos by Caity Healy

Western Football defeated in Homecoming nail-biter versus Central

Caity Healy | Managing Editor

Packed stands and a mix of sun, rain and wind made for a day of intense competition as Western Oregon prepared to take on Central Washington University for their annual Homecoming game. Taking place on Oct. 19, fans of all ages watched in anticipation with high hopes for the Wolves, who were riding the high of a four-game win streak. Prior to this game, the last time Western played Central was Sept. 28, where it ended in a 36-26 win in favor of the Wolves. 

The sound of the marching band and the cheers of the audience could be heard all around Monmouth right from the start; just 18 seconds in, quarterback Ty Currie found wide-receiver Jarren Ford with a 75-yard catch-and-run that gave the Wolves their first score of the game. With 14:42 left on the clock, Western was up 7-0. 

The energy kept up throughout the first quarter, as nearly three minutes later, the Wolves found themselves in the end zone again. Spirits were high and Wolves were up 14-0. But right before the end of the quarter, Central Washington answered back and found themselves on the board 14-7.

The competition was intense as the game continued with a back-and-forth momentum that led the two teams to the half with a score of 28-21. Coming out of the half, the game continued in this trend; the Wolves would score and the Wildcats would answer immediately. With just 58 seconds left on the clock in the fourth quarter, Western’s defense struggled to put a stop to Central, who brought the score to a tie 35-35. The Wolves and the Wildcats went into overtime — the first time Western had gone into overtime since Sept. 23, 2017, and the first time since 2012 for Central.

The Wildcats were quick to score in OT, pulling ahead of the Wolves for the first time in the game 42-35. The Wolves weren’t ready to give up and answered back with a touchdown, putting the scoreboard 42-41, with the Wolves behind by just a single point. Following the touchdown, the Wolves decided to go for the win and missed the conversion, ending the game in favor of the Wildcats 42-41.

While the Homecoming loss was heartbreaking for the fans, it was still a lively game with Western finishing with a 497 total yards and Central with 503. The Wolves play again Oct. 26 at home against MSU Texas. Kickoff is 1:05 p.m.

 

Contact the author at chealy16@wou.edu

Photos by Caity Healy

Dance and Cheer Teams deliver a halftime to remember

Caity Healy | Managing Editor

With the scoreboard showing the Wolves on top, the spirit was high on Oct. 19 as the Homecoming game went into the halftime break. Following the announcement of the Homecoming court, the energy from the bleachers was kicked up a notch as the Dance Team took to the track for their annual Homecoming performance. 

The sound of silence consumed the crowd as the Dance Team got into formation, partnering with the Cheer Team. With the dancers donned in Western red and black, the music began and the performers started their routine to “Lose Control” by Missy Elliott. It was clear that the dancers were showing the spirit of the Wolves through their high energy. 

“I think the homecoming performance had a lot more energy than the first performance we had,” said senior dancer Jenn Romadka, a public policy and administration major. “With twice the amount of people on the track, it was just a lot of fun to know that both teams were kind of rocking out.”

But on top of the energy felt by the dancers, the high spirits of the crowd were palpable as well.

“I think everyone in the stands always gets more excited during Homecoming, too, so I felt a lot more energy coming from the back of the stands than I have in the past,” Romadka added.

This year, rather than performing alone, the Dance Team decided to work with the Cheer Team. However, the cheerleaders were added to the routine a bit late — Romadka explained that they learned “over half the song the Thursday before the performance,” and the performance was on Friday. As for the Dance Team, they practiced their routine for two weeks before the performance, and practiced together with the Cheer Team just twice before the performance in order to get the spacing down.

For those wanting to see more of what the Dance Team has in store, they perform at home football and basketball games, so they can be watched next on Saturday, Oct. 26 at MacArthur Stadium for the football game versus MSU Texas. For those wanting to learn more or are interested in joining, they can contact Kayley Kildea at kakildea17@wou.edu.

Romadka closed by saying she would, “encourage anyone to join if they want to, the whole experience is just really supportive and about continuous growth, rather than how much dance experience you have when you try out.”

 

Contact the author at chealy16@wou.edu

Photos by Caity Healy

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