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Area teams stay near top

Jason Shoot Correspondent

This part of the country is developing into quite the hub for women’s soccer.

Washington State (Pac-10) and Gonzaga (West Coast) are both in third place in their conferences. Whitworth rests three points out of first place in the Northwest Conference. Community Colleges of Spokane improved to 11-3-1 overall after defeating Olympic College.

WSU (7-4-3 overall) didn’t allow a goal during a road trip to Oregon State and Oregon, picking up a victory and a tie. The Cougars are 2-0-1 in the Pac-10 – trailing UCLA and Oregon – and remain the only Pac-10 club not to give up a goal to a conference foe.

Goalkeeper Brynn Bemis has posted four shutouts and allowed only five goals in eight starts this season, a goals-against average ranking second in the Pac-10.

Gonzaga

The Bulldogs have climbed within one point of fourth-ranked Portland and Pepperdine in the WCC. Gonzaga (8-6-1, 2-1-0) went on a week-long shutout binge by blanking San Francisco and Saint Mary’s.

Zags goalkeeper Jessie Thalman earned both shutouts, boosting her season-long tally to five. A freshman, Thalman has posted consecutive shutouts twice this season.

She’ll be pressed again this week, though, when Gonzaga faces San Diego and No. 3 Santa Clara. The Santa Clara match will be the Zags’ third opponent in the last three weeks ranked in the top five.

Whitworth

In the highly competitive NWC, Whitworth has remained in striking distance of first-place Willamette. The Pirates (9-2-2, 7-2-1) have plenty of company, though.

Willamette has garnered 25 conference points, narrowly surpassing Puget Sound (23), Whitworth (22) and Pacific Lutheran (22). The Pirates may have let their best opportunity slip away on Saturday in a 1-0 loss at Willamette.

Greta Thibodeau is third in the conference with six goals scored, and second with five assists.

CCS

The Sasquatch are 11-1-1 in conference play and accomplished almost everything they could to catch undefeated Walla Walla in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges standings. But even if CCS defeats Walla Walla (16-0-0, 13-0-0) on Saturday, the Sasquatch likely are looking at a respectable second-place finish in the East Division. Only three games remain in the conference schedule.