Sports – Page 65 – The Western Howl

By: Paul Davis

Freelancer

The Western soccer team lost their seventh game, against Saint Martin’s University on Thursday Oct. 10, 3-4.

The first half was a slugfest. Neither team dominated the other. In the 12th minute, star player Taylor Higa, scored the only goal of the half with an unassisted shot to the lower left corner of the goal, a shot that the goalie had no chance of reaching.

The second half of the game, however, was a stunner. In the fourth minute of the second half SMU forward, Hannah Frakes, scored a header off of a corner kick to equalize the game.
Then a high scoring back-and-forth began. In the 67th minute, the Wolves scored another goal thanks again to Taylor Higa. Six minutes later SMU struck back and equalized the game again.

Both teams scored another goal in the last 10 minutes of the game; Western in the 81st minute and SMU in the 88th. But sadly, 49 seconds into extra-time SMU forward, Kelli Bannerman, ended the game by scoring a goal by kicking the ball over Western’s goalkeeper’s head to end the game with a loss for our ladies.

Contact the author at paul.davis1255@gmail.com

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Wolves go north

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

A long road trip saw Wolves volleyball take on Universities of Alaska at Anchorage and Fairbanks. Top ten-ranked Anchorage beat the Wolves, but they returned to Monmouth with a win after besting Fairbanks 3-1.

The Wolves put up some solid plays against Anchorage, out digging them 44-41. Senior Christie Colasurdo led on defense, racking up 19 of the digs. But these 44 digs were the result of a game played on the defense. Anchorage was all around too tough and with the win they advanced to a 17-1 record on the season.

The match against Fairbanks opened with a loss in the close first set, 22-25. The Wolves then rattled off a dominant performance the rest of the match and took three sets in a row.

“Our mentality really changed,” Colasurdo said after the game. “We decided we wanted to dictate the game and control what happened to our side and we did just that. We came out much more aggressive and started playing to win, and it worked.”

Alisha Bettinson posted yet another double-double on the season in the game against Fairbanks, racking up 15 kills and 12 digs. Colasurdo had 21 digs, and Sydney Blankinship put up 12 kills and a block. The team hit .267 on the day.

Wolves volleyball came back from Alaska with a 6-9 record, 3-5 in-conference. Your next chance to see them at home is Oct. 20 against St. Martin’s, who the Wolves beat earlier this year. The night will be a pink out, so wear pink for breast cancer awareness.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

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Strong showing at Charles Bowles

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

Western cross country ran well at the Charles Bowles Invitational hosted by Willamette University in Salem. The men’s team finished fifth in scoring and the women’s team finished ninth.

Sophomore Dustin Nading finished in eighth place out of the 168 runners in the men’s race to help lead the team to its top five finish. Junior Kennedy Rufener came in sixteenth among the women, out of 189 runners.

The invitational hosted schools across NCAA Divisions I, II and III. The men’s team finished top among Division II schools.

Western Oregon hosts the next cross country meet on Oct. 7, in the second of the year’s two Ash Creek Invitationals. Wolves runner David Ribich won the first go-round, and both men’s and women’s team finished second overall.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

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Welcome to October

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

Time’s relentless march now blows us into the cold days of autumn. Days that grow short as the nights grow cold. The leaves turn and the harvest comes in and frost thickens on fields laid bare. The fun of summer becomes as distant as the spring that preceded it.

We are now in the best month of the year for sports.

The story of the football season has begun to be told but every team still has a say in its destiny. Quarterbacks scramble like the black cats that dance along cemetery fences. Anything is still possible.

Baseball now gets very serious. The playoffs are upon us, and the end of the month will crown the World Series champion. For one month, America watches its national pastime. For one month, everyone cares about baseball.

Basketball and hockey enter the time of fresh beginnings. Fans recite contradicting prophecies in every town and city across the country, saying “This is our year.” Ultimately, the year only belongs to one team. But for the NHL and the NBA, this month belongs to all.

For rodeo fans, the PBR World Finals comes in November. Bull riders on the cusp fight to qualify for Vegas. The million-dollar, gold buckle payday is just beyond the wicked grin of the jack o’lantern.

Wolves howl and bats screech. Witches cackle and farmers buck hay. Students study and the ghosts rattle chains.

Welcome to October. Let’s play ball.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

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Hard times on the road

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

Soccer was dismantled twice on the road as Central Washington took a 1-4 advantage and Simon Fraser won 0-6. The two game journey north saw first-year midfielder Kaili Brundage score the first goal of her Western career, while first-year keeper Caitlin Kastelic saved a combined 26 shots.

The Wolves were completely swarmed in their visit to CWU, having only three shots on goal and giving up a penalty that lead to CWU’s first goal.

Playing Simon Fraser in Canada found some more space for the Wolves, who pressured the keeper with four shots on goal in the first nine minutes of the second half. By that time, Western was already trailing 0-4. The Wolves were left unable to find the back of the net and unable to close the gap. Despite allowing 6 goals, Kastelic turned in the most noteworthy performance as she made 19 saves.

The Wolves close out their long road trip this week, against St. Martin’s.

Saturday, Oct. 9, Central Washington comes to Monmouth. Wolves soccer is currently undefeated at home. The match kicks off at noon.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

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Volleyball goes down fighting

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

Wolves volleyball suffered two losses at home, including a nail-biting five sets against ranked Western Washington.

The Thursday match was against Simon Fraser, who came into the game with an 11-2 record. Wolves quickly shocked the visitors and surged to a 25-14 set. Simon Fraser regrouped and won the next three sets. Each set was competitive, as the Wolfpack lost by margins of 22-25, 19-25, 19-25.

Western Washington came into the game favored but Wolves put up a strong effort to force five sets. After losing a rough first set 13-25 the Wolves rallied. Momentum swung between sets, and within sets as well as the teams gained and lost leads on each other.

The Wolves faced five potential match points at the end of the fifth set before falling, 15-11.

Alisha Bettinson had a double-double, with 20 kills and 16 digs. Christie Colasudro had 22 digs as well. Colasudro was also the defensive star of the Simon Fraser game, putting up 29 digs, one of four Wolves to get double digit digs in the game. Bettinson also put up 16 while Makenna Bahrens had 11 digs and Libbie Hoene 10.

Volleyball goes on the road for the next two weeks but will be back on Oct. 20 to host St. Martin’s. The Wolves defeated St. Martin’s in their first matchup earlier this year.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

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Wolves beat themselves

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

Wolves football got trounced 2-31 at home on Oct. 1 at the hands of Azusa Pacific University. The Wolves had more yards, more first downs and a greater time of possession but couldn’t finish against a tough APU team. Penalties and missed opportunities stacked up to keep Western from threatening in the game.

Quarterback Philip Fenumiai passed for 307 yards and rushed for another 72, emerging as the rushing leader of the game. He also took five sacks and threw two interceptions.

The game began with a promising start. APU came into the game ranked and undefeated, but were held scoreless through the first quarter. Rushes by Fenumiai and running back Malik Braxton, as well as pass completions to Keoni Piceno and Paul Revis, marched the Wolves down the field. In the opening drive, a 20-yard rush from Braxton and a 25-yard pass to Piceno were among the plays that put the Wolves into the red zone.

However, penalties pushed the Wolves back. Holding and false start calls put the Wolves out of range for kicker Jacob Bannister, whose kick went wide of the goalposts.

A forced fumble by linebacker Tafatolu Tafai, recovered by the Wolves on their own goalline, stopped APU’s first score threat and gave the ball back to the Wolves offense to start the second quarter.

Three and outs ended the half for the Wolves while the defense held APU to 10 points. The game was still in hand as the Wolves received to start the second half. A false start penalty added five yards to Bannister’s kick attempt, which went wide left.

APU piled on 14 points in a minute with a rushing touchdown and a pick six and began to pull away. The Wolves were then able to strike into the red zone before a sack, a tripping penalty and a false start lead to another long field goal try, this one missing from 42 yards.

Defensive back Austin Spencer and lineman George Swartzlander split a tackle for a safety in the fourth quarter to get the Wolves’ only points.

With the loss, the Wolves fall to 2-3 on the season. They host Simon Fraser for a chance to break .500 on Oct. 9. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Western Oregon University’s Land Acknowledgement
Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR is located within the traditional homelands of the Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (Kalapuya etc. Treaty), Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are a part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.

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Extra time thriller

Wolves go north

Strong showing at Charles Bowles

Welcome to October

Hard times on the road

Volleyball goes down fighting

Wolves beat themselves

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