‘Yote Notes –
Sept. 3, 2002
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Mike Safford Jr.
– Sports Info. Director
msafford@albertson.edu
'Yote
Notes - September 3, 2002
GENERAL ATHLETICS NEWS:
COYOTE OPEN COMING UP: The
2002 version of the Coyote Open, one of the biggest golf tournaments in the
area, is set for September 27 at River Bend Golf Course. For more
information on how to play or sponsor this year’s tournament, contact Athletic
Marketing Director Dave Hahn at (208) 459-5835.
FLORENCE MOVED, SIMONTACCHI SENT DOWN: A pair
of moves involving former Albertson College players were in the news last week,
as both Branden Florence and Jason Simontacchi packed their bags
and headed to new teams. Florence, who hit .303 with 11 homers and 63 RBI
in 109 games with the Hagerstown Suns in the San Francisco Giants organization,
was moved to San Jose of the California League for the remainder of the
season. In two games with the SJ Giants, Florence is 3-for-8 at the dish
with a homer and five RBI. The news wasn't as good for Simontacchi,
June's National League Pitcher of the Month. The St. Louis Cardinals sent
the right-hander to AAA Memphis as a strategic move when they activated pitcher
Woody Williams. According to manager Tony LaRussa, Simonatacchi will
remain at Memphis for the remainder of the PCL season, before rejoining the big
club for the stretch run. The 1996 Coyote hurler has a combined 14-6
record between the big leagues and the minors this season.
MEN’S SOCCER: (1-0) Coyotes stop Mount Vernon
Nazarene, get two weeks to prepare for Westminster Tourney
LAST WEEK: Defeated Mount Vernon Nazarene,
2-1.
COMING UP: Idle this week, next at
Westminster Tournament, Sept. 14-15.
‘YOTES GET BIG FIRST WIN: In
recent years, there has not been many non-conference opponents the caliber of
Mount Vernon Nazarene coming to square off with the Coyotes in Caldwell. That being said, last Thursday’s 2-1 victory
over the Cougars established Albertson as worthy of its No. 16 national
ranking, along with a statement that the ‘Yotes are ready to play. The two teams each had chances in the first
half, but could not convert. Things
changed in the second half, as Shane Carmody (Boise, Idaho /
Timberline HS) lofted a long ball down the left touch-line, where Jason
Southward (Hailey, Idaho / Wood River HS) beat two defenders to give
the ‘Yotes a 1-0 lead. Less than seven
minutes later, Southward was fouled in the box, and senior Coe Michaelson (East
Wenatchee, Wash. / Northwest Nazarene) converted the penalty kick for the
two goal advantage. The Cougars did not
quit, however, scoring a goal with five minutes left. However, senior keeper Jake Steele (Salt Lake City,
Utah / Viewmont HS) stopped a pair of late shot attempts to perserve the
victory.
YOUNG DEFENSE SHINES: Head
coach John Calpin was very pleased with the play of his young defense in
picking up his 160th career win. “The
defense played very well. We were well
organized and did a nice job winning balls.”
Sophomore Brad Brooks (Meridian, Idaho / Meridian HS),
along with freshmen John Mitchell (Boise, Idaho / Boise State), Tyler
Seaman (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS), and Carmody saw the bulk of
the action during the game.
THE BIG BRUTE: With two bodies marking
All-American Coe Michaelson, Jason Southward was able to operate within some
free space on Thursday. However, if
need be, the sophomore will be able to create space on his own. “Big Jay put on 15 pounds of pure muscle
during the summer, and did not lose a step,” said Calpin on his striker. “When he reported for camp, I had to take a
second look to make sure it was the same young man we had last year.”
TOUGH AS NAILS: Fatigue was a factor for
the Coyotes last week, as temperatures hovered around 90 degrees during the
game. Although some players appeared to
be struggling in the final minutes, Jake Steele was not one of them. With three minutes left, the Cougars had a
2-on-1 opportunity inside the Coyote box, but the senior punched a shot attempt
out. The visitors also had a corner
kick in the final ten seconds, but Steele again got to the far post for a
deflection as the final horn sounded.
A WEEK OFF: Albertson will have 15 days
between games, as the next action is not until Sept. 14, when the Coyotes meet
No. 25 Alliant International at the Westminster Tournament. During the time off, the seven true freshmen
on the team will have their freshmen orientation and the rest will begin
classes.
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: All
seven Cascade Conference teams were in action over the weekend, with some
interesting results. Northwest had the
toughest luck, losing overtime decisions to both Whitworth and Capilano. Evergreen split a pair of games at its own
tournament, while Western Baptist defeated Pacific Lutheran and tied Trinity
Western. Cascade was blistered by Simon
Fraser, and Concordia ran its win streak to three with a 3-2 victory over
Willamette.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE COYOTES: For
game stories, statistics, and information regarding the Albertson men’s soccer
program, head to the official site of Coyote soccer: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/menssoccer.htm
<http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/menssoccer.htm>.
WOMEN’S SOCCER: (1-2) Lady ‘Yotes notch first shutout since 2000, start conference
season on Friday
LAST WEEK: Lost to Pacific Lutheran, 2-0;
defeated Eastern Oregon, 3-0; lost to Northwest Nazarene, 5-0.
COMING UP: at Warner Pacific, Friday, 4
p.m.
LADY ‘YOTES POST FIRST WIN: In what
could be coined as a dominating performance, the Albertson women’s soccer team held
Eastern Oregon to just one shot in a 3-0 victory Saturday morning at the Arthur
D. Ortman Invitational. The Lady ‘Yotes
took 28 shots on the Mountaineers, with transfer Alyssa Latham (Walla
Walla, Wash. / Walla Walla CC) getting the squad on the board in the 15th
minute with a low drive that snuck through the Eastern keeper. Latham also figured in on the Coyotes other
two goals as well - giving senior Becky Robertson (Othello, Wash. /
Columbia Basin CC) a perfect cross in front of the goal in the 40th minute,
and another cross in front to Alana Hansen (Boise, Idaho / Borah HS) in
the 50th minute.
DEFENSE SPECTACULAR: Anchored
by senior Kristi Dalsoglio (Boise, Idaho / Meridian HS), the Lady
‘Yote defense recorded a trio of firsts on Saturday. The win was the first for new head coach Aisha Reed. It was also the first career shutout for
keeper Danielle Dorsch (Boise, Idaho / Capital HS), who aside
from a few free kicks, was left unchallenged.
But most importantly, the shutout was the first for the Albertson team
since a 1-0 defeat of Southern Oregon during the 2000 season, a span of 20
games.
PLU EKES OUT WIN: Opening
day for the Coyotes ended on a down note, as Pacific Lutheran let two first
half goals hold up in a 2-0 victory on Friday.
The Lutes scored a breakaway goal two minutes into the affair, and an
insurance goal with thirty seconds left in the first half for the win. Albertson, however, did outshoot PLU, 14-7,
and held possession in the attacking zone for much of the game, but could not
find the net.
RIVAL CONTINUES DOMINANCE ON LADY ‘YOTES: The
Canyon County clash in women's soccer continues to be one-sided. Fueled by a Lacey Rasmussen hat trick,
Northwest Nazarene rolled to a 5-0 shutout of Albertson to win the Arthur D.
Ortman Invitational on Monday. With the
win, the Crusaders extended their win streak against the Coyotes to nine games,
dating back to the 1997 season. The
shutout was also the fourth-in-a-row within the series. NNU had multiple
scoring chances early, but were thwarted by Albertson keeper Danielle
Dorsch. However, Aubrey Metzer headed a
high ball to Rasmussen in the box, where she found the net in the 30th
minute. Rasmussen added another goal
seven minutes later with a pretty move through two defenders to make it 2-0. The Lady 'Yotes had their best chance just
before halftime, when a Alyssa Latham cross was headed on goal by Chelsey
Stevens (Bend, Ore. / BYU-Idaho), but the Crusader defense recorded
a team save by kicking the would-be goal away.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM MEMBERS: Albertson
had three players named to the Arthur D. Ortman Invitational All-Tournament
Team. Becky Robertson was one of three
forwards honors, while Alyssa Latham and Kristi Dalsoglio were honored as one
of the four midfielder and defenders selected by the coaches and media.
TRANSFERS SHINE IN EARLY GOING: The two
newcomers to the Coyote program gave Albertson fans a taste of what might be
ahead for the squad. Alyssa Latham
controlled the pace on the outside flank in each contests, while Katie Rupert
(Boise, Idaho / North Idaho CC) was a force in the midfield winning
balls.
NUMBER CHANGES: Note that there has been
a jersey switch within the Lady ‘Yotes team.
Brittany Cross (Washougal, Wash. / Washougal HS) will now
wear No. 22, while Nicole Voorhees (Portland, Ore. / Caitlin Gabel
HS), who had worn that number, has switched to No. 5.
CASCADE CONFERENCE OPENER ON FRIDAY: The
six-game season-opening road trip continues on Friday with the Coyotes
first-ever meeting with Warner Pacific in Portland. The Knights (0-2) are a first-year program
searching for its first win and first goal scored. Last weekend, WPC opened play with a 9-0 loss at Western Baptist,
followed by a 7-0 whitewashing at the hands of Pacific. Holly Tillett and Trina Hodo are the scoring
threats for Glenn Rogers’ squad.
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: Believe
it or not, Albertson finds itself as one of only two teams with a crooked
number in the victory column following the first full week of action. Besides Western Baptist’s win over Warner
Pacific, no other Cascade Conference team (besides the Lady ‘Yotes) recorded a
victory last week. Both Evergreen,
Concordia, Eastern Oregon, and Warner Pacific lost a pair of games, while
Cascade was swamped by Simon Fraser.
And things weren’t all rosy for Western Baptist, as the Warriors lost a
6-5 overtime thriller with Carroll.
This week, the CCC slate begins with a quartet of games, as both
Concordia and Evergreen travel to Cascade, and the Coyotes and Eastern Oregon
travel to Warner Pacific.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE LADY ‘YOTES: For
game stories, statistics, and information regarding the Albertson women’s
soccer program, head to the official site of Lady ‘Yote soccer: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmenssoccer.htm
<http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmenssoccer.htm>.
VOLLEYBALL: (1-3) Lady ‘Yotes go 1-3 in San
Diego, head to Spokane for Whitworth Invitational
LAST WEEK: Seaside Invitational, San
Diego, Calif. - lost to No. 14 Olivet Nazarene, 3-2; lost to No. 22 Madonna,
3-0; defeated No. 20 Missouri Baptist, 3-2; lost to No. 4 Point Loma Nazarene,
3-0.
COMING UP: at Whitworth Invitational,
Spokane, Wash. - Friday vs. Pacific Lutheran, 2 p.m.; vs. Lewis-Clark State, 6
p.m.; Saturday vs. Redlands, 9 a.m.; vs. Montana-Western, 3 p.m.
TOUGH POOL, EVEN TOUGHER RESULTS: The look
on the face of head coach Liz Mendiola said it all when she returned
to the Boise Airport on Sunday said it all - a frustrated smile. Her Lady ‘Yotes, seeded in a five-team pool
with four nationally ranked teams, finished the Seaside Invitational hosted by
Point Loma Nazarene, 1-3, good enough for a tie for eighth-place. Although it was a good experience for the
team against tough competition, a seeding in the other side of the bracket may
have better dividends. “We competed
very well against probably the four best teams in the tournament,” Mendiola
said. “If believe our record would have
been much different if we would have been seeded in the opposite side of the
bracket.”
FRIDAY’S RESULTS: Opening
the season against the No. 14 team in the nation was tough enough, losing a
five-set heartbreaker was another. The
see-saw match finally went the way of Olivet Nazarene, winning 15-10 in the
decisive final set. Kristyn Price (Bellevue,
Idaho / Wood River HS) began a banner weekend with a 24 kill, 16 dig
performance. Jessie Lassen (Buhl,
Idaho / Filer HS) recorded 13 kills and seven block assists in the
loss. Game two on the day saw the Lady
‘Yotes drop a match to No. 22 Madonna of Michigan in three games. Price led the way again with 16 kills.
SATURDAY’S RESULTS: The
‘Yotes picked up their first win of the young season early on Saturday,
overcoming a two-set deficit to stop No. 20 Missouri Baptist in five. Price had 30 kills, while sophomore Lindsey
Ward (Murtaugh, Idaho / Murtaugh HS) had a career high 12
kills. Setter Amanda Basañez (Elko,
Nev. / College of Southern Idaho) recorded 52 assists and ten digs. The nightcap had the Coyotes falling to No.
4 ranked Point Loma Nazarene in straight sets.
The tired Albertson team recorded just 30 kills as a team during the
match.
PRICE NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: For her
efforts in the Seaside Invitational, Kristyn Price was named to the
All-Tournament team. Over the weekend,
Price recorded 79 kills and 51 digs in the Coyotes four matches. Even more impressive was the fact that the
senior recorded a .420 attack percentage.
THE LIBERO MAKES ITS FIRST SHOWING: Over
the weekend, Amber Igoe (Blackfoot, Idaho / Firth HS) became the
first Albertson “libero,” a new position adopted by the NCAA and NAIA. Without the ability to attack or serve, Igoe
was a true defensive specialist, recording 38 digs in the four matches.
BAILEY RETURNS TO THE NET: It had
been nearly four years since blocker Kristen Bailey (Fountain Green,
Utah / Fountain Green HS) had played in a competitive volleyball game. After a great basketball season last year
for the Coyotes, the junior had her first experience at the net this weekend -
27 total kills and 11 total blocks.
INJURY REPORT: Prior to the trip to San
Diego, the Coyotes travel agent had a tough time keeping names on the airplane
tickets. First it was senior Katy
Tipton (Ontario, Ore. / Ontario HS), who stayed at home nursing the
still undiagnosed back injury. Now add
redshirt freshman Jaime Russell (Grangeville, Idaho / Grangeville HS)
to the casualty list. Russell
sprained knee ligaments in practice last Wednesday. Both players are question marks for this weekend’s play.
OFF TO SPOKANE: The road for the
Coyotes does not get easier this weekend, as the team heads north by bus to
Spokane, Wash. and the Whitworth College Invitational. Friday’s opening match with Pacific
Lutheran pits an NAIA squad against an up-and-coming NCAA Division III
team. The Lutes (17-7 in 2001) have
become a force to be reckoned with in the Northwest Conference under head coach
Kevin Aoki. They are led by sophomore
hitter Julie Locke and setter Jenne Heu-Weller. It is the first meeting between the schools since 1996. Later that day, Albertson will try to
finally master Lewis-Clark State.
The Warriors (3-1) have never lost to the Lady ‘Yotes in six previous
meetings, the last in 1999. LCSC took
3-of-4 matches at last weekend’s Concordia Invitational, including an upset of
No. 8 ranked Concordia. Saturday’s
action starts with another Division III school in Redlands. Bulldogs (13-7 in 2001) head coach Becky
Schmidt has done a nice job in rebuilding the program over the past few
years. It is the first-ever meeting
between the schools. The Coyotes stay
at the tournament ends with a 3 p.m. meeting against Montana-Western. The Bulldogs (0-5) began the season at the
tough Sunbird Invitational at Fresno Pacific, and dropped a four-set Frontier
Conference match with Montana Tech. UMW
holds a 5-2 all-time advantage against Albertson, including a win in the
Blocktoberfest championship game last year.
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: Last
weekend saw some interesting play throughout the conference. Leading the list is the Northwest College
squad, which took 3-of-4 matches at the Lewis & Clark/Cascade Tournament -
including a victory over a tough Willamette team. At the same tourney, Cascade split four matches the
T-Birds first action since the 2000 season.
Across town, Western Baptist went 2-1, while Concordia went
1-2 at the Concordia Invitational, with the Warriors upsetting Lewis-Clark
State. Oregon Tech had a nice
run through Northern California, winning 4-of-5 matches, while Evergreen
struggled in Hawaii, placing seventh at the Hawaii-Hilo Tournament. Conference play opens this weekend, with OIT
and Southern Oregon headed north to play Warner Pacific and
Cascade, while Concordia heads up to play the Seattle schools. While the Coyotes are in Spokane, Western
Baptist will play in the Cal-State Monterey Bay tournament, and Eastern
Oregon opens its season Tuesday night at Whitman.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE LADY ‘YOTES: For
game stories, statistics, and information regarding the Albertson volleyball
program, head to the official site of Lady ‘Yote volleyball: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/vball.htm
<http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/vball.htm>.
CASCADE CONFERENCE HOTLINE: For
up-to-date scores from the Cascade Conference, call the Cascade Conference
Hotline at (208) 459-5135.
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