Pirates win NWC, earn NCAA berth

They left it late, but better late than never.

Niko Varlamos scored with just over a minute remaining to give the Whitworth men’s soccer team a dramatic 2-1 win over Puget Sound on Whitworth Soccer Field, clinching a second consecutive Northwest Conference title and ensuring the Pirates a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.

The Loggers (9-2-3, 8-2-2), have given up five goals this season, four to the sixth-ranked Pirates, and Whitworth (15-1-1, 12-0-1) is the only team to beat UPS this season.

Puget Sound struck first, Andrew Hewitt taking advantage of a misplayed backpass and lobbing the ball over Whitworth goalkeeper Scott Barnam in the 42nd minute.

But the Pirates got back on level terms in the 53rd minute when Skye Henderson converted a Matt Friesen pass to tie the game at 1.

The game-winner was set up in the 89th minute when Jon Carlson intercepted a clearing attempt by a Loggers defender and sent to ball to an open Varlamos to win it.

•Tannen Wells scored from the right side of the box in the 82nd minute as San Diego rallied for a 2-1 win over Gonzaga in West Coast Conference action in San Diego.

Gonzaga (4-7-4, 2-4-2) opened the scoring in the 38th minute. Foday Kabba, a 16-year-old freshman scored his first collegiate goal, banging a shot in off the left post.

But San Diego (8-4-3, 4-3-1) got back on even terms in the 62nd minute when Dustin Guerrero beat Gonzaga keeper Dade Smith before Wells scored to give the Toreros the victory.

•Kamani Hill scored in the 61st minute as No. 9 UCLA earned its fifth straight shutout, a 1-0 victory over Washington in Pac-10 action in Los Angeles.

Hill scored when his shot deflected off the right upright and in. It was one of just three second-half shots for the Bruins (10-3-2, 5-1-1).

Goalkeeper Chris Eylander made a season-high nine saves for the Huskies (9-5-2, 3-4-2).

Women’s soccer

Goalie Ashley Haugen made three saves as No. 20 Gonzaga earned its fifth straight shutout, tying Saint Mary’s 0-0 in West Coast Conference action in Moraga, Calif.

The Bulldogs (11-2-4, 2-1-3) have not lost nor allowed a goal since falling in Portland 2-0 on Oct. 9.

Gonzaga managed to get off seven shots, but couldn’t beat Galicia Artuso, who made three saves for the Gaels (8-7-3, 2-2-2).

•Alix Rustrum scored her fourth goal of the season two minutes into the first overtime period as Washington State finally broke through to beat Oregon in Pac-10 action in Pullman.

The Cougars (10-7-2, 3-4-1) outshot the Ducks (9-7-1, 1-6-0) 16-4 but were unable to beat Oregon goalie Jessie Chatfield until Rustrum converted Shaye Harrel’s pass into the game-winner.

WSU goalie Katie Hultin made three saves to earn the shutout, including a lunging save in the 75th minute off an Oregon penalty kick to preserve the tie.

•Puget Sound scored twice early then held on as the ninth-ranked Loggers beat Whitworth 2-0 in Northwest Conference action at Whitworth Soccer Field.

Adrienne Folsom scored in the eighth minute and Fiona Gornick added another in the 13th for UPS.

Whitworth (7-7-3, 6-6-2) outshot UPS (14-1-1, 13-0-1) 11-6, but couldn’t get anything past goalie Erin Williams, who made seven saves en route to her 14th shutout of the year.

•Stacey Mescher scored in the 12th minute as Oregon State held on for a 1-0 win over Washington in Pac-10 action in Seattle.

Melissa Onstad made six saves to earn the shut out for the Beavers (10-6-1, 3-3-1), who were outshot by the Huskies 20-4.

The loss was the ninth 1-0 setback of the season for Washington (0-16-3, 0-8-0).

•Utah State scored a goal in each half, both off corner kicks, as the Aggies knocked off Idaho 2-0 in Western Athletic Conference action in Logan, Utah.

The loss, the final game of Idaho’s season, dropped the Vandals to 3-16 overall, 1-6 in the WAC.

Abby Hunt in the 35th minute and Liz Masson in the 73rd recorded the goals for Utah State (7-8-4, 4-2-1).

Football

Rob Smith will resign as coach at Western Washington at the end of the season, the school announced Sunday night.

The 48-year-old Smith has a 109-61-1 record in 17 seasons at the Division II school.

Smith informed his assistants of his decision Saturday following a 31-28 loss to Central Washington, a game in which the Vikings squandered a 21-point halftime lead. He told his players during a meeting Sunday night.

“It’s something that I’ve been thinking about for quite some time,” Smith said in a statement. “I feel like a change is in order both for me and the program.”

Smith said he made up his mind to submit his resignation last week.

“I’ve found myself not enjoying the wins as much as I should and the losses still hit at the core,” he said.

The Vikings are 4-5 this season, including 3-2 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

Smith arrived at Western as an assistant coach in 1987 and became the school’s head coach in 1989.

The Vikings end their season against Western Oregon Saturday.

Junior hockey

J.C. Thomas, Ryno Linder, Andrew Vega and Evan Witt all scored as the Spokane Braves tied the Nelson Leafs 4-4 in Kootenay International Junior Hockey League action at Planet Ice.

Goalie Jason Greenwell made 40 saves for the Braves, who are tied with Nelson for first place.