Bears soccer win breaks Tiger’s GSL streak

Central Valley’s boys high school soccer team ended Lewis and Clark’s 37-match Greater Spokane League winning streak on a day when all four Valley teams opened the season victorious.

The Bears (2-0 overall) beat the Tigers 1-0 on a brisk Wednesday evening, with Jay Vela scoring the match’s only goal with five minutes remaining.

Vela, a junior forward, was CV’s scoring leader with 10 goals last year when the Bears finished third in league and just missed a state berth, losing 3-2 to LC in district.

He also scored twice during a nonleague 8-0 win over Deer Park.

CV and Mt. Spokane were teams considered most likely to challenge the Tigers and Ferris for a GSL title in a league where as many as nine teams on any given day could beat each other.

East Valley, University and West Valley also opened the season victorious. The Knights bested North Central 7-0 in a matchup of new 3A teams.

Seven different players scored, including sophomore forward Cole Abramson, who had two assists.

U-Hi topped Gonzaga Prep 3-1, Keith Realing with a pair of assists. He also had a goal and assist in the Titans’ 6-0 nonleague victory over Southridge.

West Valley defeated Rogers 4-1. Junior forward Neil Bachman had a pair of goals.

The teams return to action on Monday for the first of three GSL dates prior to spring break, with the Knights at Ferris, and the Titans hosting LC in a couple of important tests.

Bears test league favorites

Last spring young Central Valley stunned Shadle Park to qualify for the eastern regional softball tournament.

The two teams squared off Thursday as the Greater Spokane League began in earnest, the Bears hosting a team considered one of this year’s league favorites.

And until the fifth inning, CV gave the Highlanders all they could handle before losing 6-2.

Shadle had scored in the first inning on an outfield miscue, but the Bears strung together their three hits, by Katee Nauert, Mickinzie Alden and Whitney McDaniel in the fourth for a 2-1 lead.

The visitors scored three times in the fifth, another hit getting through an outfielders legs for one of those runs and they tacked on a pair of runs in the seventh to escape.

East Valley managed just three hits and committed 15 errors in 11-1 and 9-0 losses to Gonzaga Prep and Mead.

Both teams are ranked among the league’s best, Mead last year’s district champion and a state qualifier. Sophomore Tiffany Bittner had EV’s hit against the Panthers.

Cassie Schreiber, who doubled, and Brianne Petrie had hits against Prep.

The Knights also had four errors in a non-league win over West Valley, but had 10 hits, three by Lleah DuBrock and two each by Petrie and Jamie Stewart in the 15-7 triumph.

Jessica Gudgel, Gabi Lobello and Krystal McCarthy had two hits each for WV.

The Eagles and University began their league seasons on Friday. Defending league champion and state seventh-place finishing U-Hi hosted Mead in the day’s feature.

Teams have three games next week before taking off spring break.