‘Yote Notes – Sept. 23, 2004

Mike Safford Jr. – Sports Info. Director

msafford@collegeofidaho.edu

 

 

 

 

 

COYOTE OPEN: 

The 20th Annual Coyote Open golf tournament to benefit the Coyote Athletic Association and Albertson College Athletics will take place September 24 at River Bend Golf Course.  The shotgun start will take place at 12:30 p.m. with a barbeque (which Coyote fans are welcome to attend) and silent auction (which includes a suite to a Idaho Steelheads game, limited edition prints, prime rib from ConAgra Foods, tickets to the Hawaii-Boise State football game, golf at BanBury Golf Club, and a family season pass to Bogus Basin) to follow after the event.  Currently, 30 teams for the five-man scramble are signed up, with room for more players cost at $90 per player.  The 'Yotes would like to thank the 113 sponsors of the tournament - with the sponsors getting recognition on a sign above the concession stand at all home athletic events.  All proceeds go to fund athletic scholarships and provide post-season travel to Coyote teams.  For more information, contact Dave Hahn at (208) 459-5835.

BASEBALL:

The 2004 Albertson College baseball Alumni Game will take place on Saturday afternoon at Simplot Stadium.  Festivities begin at noon with a home run derby, followed by the game with the 'Yotes.  To get more information on the game, contact head coach Shawn Humberger at 459-5861.

GOLF:

The Albertson men's and women's golf team compete against Northwest Nazarene in a dual match at River Bend Golf Course on Thursday afternoon.  The men's team will be paced by junior Travis Gibbens, while the women will be led by Sarah Gallant.

VOLLEYBALL (6-6, 4-3 CCC): ‘Yotes complete Oregon circuit with 1-2 mark, meet Northwest Nazarene next week

 

LAST WEEK: at No. 11 Southern Oregon (L 3-1), at Oregon Tech (L 3-2), vs. Eastern Oregon (W 3-0

 

COMING UP: vs. Northwest Nazarene, Tuesday, 7 p.m.

 

‘YOTES CONTINUE TO DOMINATE EASTERN: Albertson got exactly what they wanted on Wednesday night, a solid defensive performance and a victory – as the Lady ‘Yotes took out Eastern Oregon 30-20, 30-24, 33-31 in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.  The victory for the Coyotes was their 18th win in a row over the Mountaineers and helped ease the pain of a road sweep at the hands of Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech.  Ashlea Thornton (Glendora, Calif. / Cal Baptist) led the way with 17 kills and 11 digs, while Kahli Mann (Nampa, Idaho / Skyview HS) recorded 24 digs and Charity Gaston (Harrisonburg, Va. / James Madison Univ.) had 23 digs.

 

20-GAMES IN A ROW: How impressive is the 18-straight victories for the Lady ‘Yotes over Eastern Oregon?  Considering that each of the last six wins have been 3-0 blankings of the Mountaineers makes it that much more gaudy.  In fact, the last time that Eastern won a game against Albertson was during Blocktoberfest 2001 – a match the Coyotes won in four games, thanks to 27 Kristyn Price kills.  The ‘Yotes have won a total of 20 consecutive games over the Mounties – including Wednesday’s win.

 

WHEN DID EASTERN BEAT ALBERTSON?: One would have to go back to October 8, 1996 to see Eastern Oregon defeat the Lady ‘Yotes.  That night, despite 17 kills and 19 digs from Jenny Calderwood and 60 Keri Farrington assists, the Mountaineers claimed a 16-14, 15-7, 10-15, 16-14 win in the Activities Center.  According to the Coyote volleyball records (dating back to 1995) – Albertson has not lost to Eastern in La Grande during that period.

 

SOUTHERN DOWNS LADY ‘YOTES: Southern Oregon kept firm control of a second-consecutive Cascade Conference title by winning their 17th-straight league match with a 3-1 win over Albertson last Friday night.  The Coyotes were their own worst enemy in the match, recording 33 attack errors and 11 service errors in the four games.  Freshman Katie Hogue (Sparks, Nev. / Reed HS) had a nice evening, registering 12 kills and five blocks.  Libero Kahli Mann recorded her fourth 20-plus dig night with a 25 bump effort – just one away from her career-best.

 

FIVE-GAME MATCH GOES WAY OF TECHSTERS: Last Saturday, Oregon Tech outlasted the Lady ‘Yotes in a five-game marathon, taking Game 5 of the match, 15-11.  Fran Hartman (Lakeview, Ore. / Lakeview HS) had 16 kills, with Katie Hogue spiking home 15 balls and seven blocks.  The highlight of the match was a 37-minute Game 4 which saw 20 lead changes, eventually won by Albertson, 31-29.  Attack and service errors again hurt the ‘Yotes chances – as Albertson recorded 39 attack errors and 14 serves that went wide.

 

REGIONAL AND NATIONAL RANKINGS: The third regular-season regional and NAIA national rankings were released on Tuesday, with the Coyotes holding pat at No. 5 in the NAIA Region I.  Southern Oregon leads the regional rankings and is ranked No. 11 in the nation, with Carroll College sitting No. 2 in the region and No. 17 in the NAIA.  Rounding out the top-five in the regional rankings are Northwest, Oregon Tech, and the ‘Yotes, followed by Montana Tech, Concordia, Western Baptist, Rocky Mountain, and Montana State-Northern. 

 

RECORDS MADE TO BE BROKEN: A group of Coyotes look to continue their move up the career record book at Albertson College.  Kahli Mann, who currently is on pace to break the digs per game record – has moved into fifth-place all-time in aces with 98.  Also in the top-five all-time is setter Erin Cherrington (Granby, Colo. / Middle Park HS), who with 44 assists against Eastern now has 1,232 for her career, fifth-most in school history.  Next on the list for the sophomore is Ana Amaral with 1,433 sets.  Poised to move into the all-time top-ten is Mann in digs (currently 590), Cherrington in service aces (69 career aces), Fran Hartman in blocks (146 career blocks), and Jenn Luchini (Cataldo, Idaho / Kellogg HS) in aces (72 career aces).

 

CONFERENCE NUMBERS: As a team, the Lady ‘Yotes rank second in the Cascade Conference in kills per game (14.00) and third in both assists per game (12.80) and blocks per game (1.93).  Individually, Katie Hogue leads the loop in blocks per game (1.18), while Erin Cherrington is second in the CCC in assists per game (11.64).  Kahli Mann rounds out the top-five group, ranking third in digs per game (4.93) and fourth in aces (25).

 

RIVALRY CONTINUES TUESDAY: Albertson returns to the court on Tuesday night in a pre-Homecoming match with Homecoming flavor, as rival Northwest Nazarene makes the ten-minute drive to Caldwell.  The Crusaders (7-3) are playing well, having come off a weekend sweep of Alaska-Anchorage and Alaska-Fairbanks.  Lindsay Miller (4.3 k/g, 3.2 d/g) has been the go-to player for NNU, while setter Aubrey Harrington (11.32 a/g) has been a solid passer.  The Crusaders have lost the past three meetings with Albertson, but holds a commanding 25-13 series edge, dating back to 1994.

 

MORE INFORMATION: Updated information and statistics on the 2004 volleyball team can be found on the Albertson volleyball official website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/vball.htm.  Up-to-date Cascade Conference standings can be found online at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/vball/stats/standings.htm.

 

MEN’S SOCCER (2-2, 0-2 CCC): ‘Yotes drop pair in rain, face must-win weekend tilts in Portland

 

LAST WEEK: at Warner Pacific (L 3-2), at Western Baptist (L 3-2 OT)

 

COMING UP: at Cascade, Friday, 4 p.m. (PDT); at Concordia, Saturday, Noon (PDT)

 

ALL THAT WAS MISSING WAS THE ARK: It seemed as if it would rain for 40 days and 40 nights and that the Albertson men’s soccer team was going to have to build an ark.  Last week’s road trip to the Willamette Valley wasn’t so much a pair of soccer matches – it was a case of fortitude, as a late summer deluge drenched Oregon soccer pitches, turning them into lakes of water and mud.  The result was more water polo than soccer, as the Coyotes dropped a pair of 3-2 decisions to regionally ranked opponents Warner Pacific and Western Baptist, plunging the squad into the basement of the Cascade Conference.

 

WARNER ENDS LONG STREAK AGAINST COYOTES: It was Nov. 2, 1990 – nearly 14 years ago, that the Albertson College men’s soccer had lost a match to  Warner Pacific in the NAIA District II semifinals.  Current head coach Brian Smith was a freshman on the club that afternoon, and was present on Friday when the Knights used tough field conditions at Portland Adventist High School to end a nine-match losing streak to the ‘Yotes, 3-2.  Ryan Delo scored two second half goals, giving WPC leads of 2-0 and 3-1, improving their mark to 1-0-1 in league play.

 

DELGADO FINDS THE NET: Smith has to be pleased with the play of freshman Michael Delgado (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS), who scored his first collegiate goal off a lob into the box from senior Ryan Abo (Boise, Idaho / Timberline HS).    The youngster came off the bench in the first three outings of the season, but earned his first start last Saturday at Western Baptist.

 

NO DAKA, YET A WIN: For some reason, Western Baptist has had the Coyotes number over the past three years, having won four of the previous five meetings.  The Warriors, playing Albertson without Patrick Daka (106 goals, 48 assists in four years at WB) for the first time since 1999, continued their dominance of the ‘Yotes, earning a 3-2 overtime win.  Caleb Louvier flicked home the game winner in the ninth-minute of overtime for the Warriors, despite Albertson holding a 25-17 shot advantage.

 

11-VS-10 EQUALS TWO GOALS: Giving up a man advantage is not the way to win a soccer game – but Albertson tried their darnedest to prove the theory wrong.  An early second half red card to striker Jason Southward (Hailey, Idaho / Wood River HS) put the ‘Yotes in a 11-vs-10 hole, but quickly tied the score on a Ryan Abo goal off a Western mistake in their zone.  The Warriors would quickly take the lead again, but not before Michael Delgado redirected an Abo shot in the 89th minute to send the game into overtime.

 

NOT MUCH OVERTIME AS OF LATE: The overtime tilt at Western was the first extra time match for the ‘Yotes since Oct. 1, 2002, when Albertson defeated Northwest Nazarene, 1-0.  The loss ended a three-match win streak in overtime, as the team had not lost game longer than 90 minutes since a 3-2 decision to Cascade Sept. 29, 2001.

 

SPEAKING OF ROAD SWEEPS: A weekend sweep of the Coyotes has been a daunting task for opponents since the 2000 season.  In fact, Albertson had not lost consecutive road games since Sept. 29-30 of 2000, when they losing games at Concordia and Cascade.  The ‘Yotes hadn’t lost back-to-back conference games since the 2001 season.

 

COYOTES DROP OUT OF NATIONAL POLL: With their two losses, Albertson dropped from No. 2 to No. 5 in this week’s NAIA Region I poll – consequently losing all votes in the NAIA Top-25 poll.  Simon Fraser (No. 18 nationally) remains atop the region, followed by Concordia, Warner Pacific, Western Baptist, and the ‘Yotes.

 

CONFERENCE STATS: Unlike past seasons, the Coyotes are not dominating the Cascade Conference statistical report.  Albertson leads the loop in just two team categories – fouls per game and yellow cards per game.  Individually, Jason Southward leads the league in game winning goals and Ryan Abo leads the CCC in assists per game.

 

COULD A PLAYOFF BERTH HINGE ON THIS WEEKEND?: How important is this weekend’s trip to Portland?  The fact is an Albertson loss could put a huge damper on a playoff spot – with only the top two teams from the Cascade Conference guaranteed a regional bid.  The ‘Yotes hope to change their luck on Friday, with an afternoon match with Cascade.  The Thunderbirds (0-4-1, 0-3 CCC) are in their second-consecutive rebuilding year and in the midst of a 22-match winless streak.  After having head coach Branislav Belsegic lose his work visa prior to the season and unable to return as coach, former coach Peter Barrett has stepped in to run the club.  The T-Birds have yet to score a goal in five matches this season, but managed a scoreless draw with Willamette.  It is the 24th meeting between the teams, with Albertson holding a 19-4 advantage.  The crucial game of the weekend is Saturday at No. 29 ranked Concordia, where the Cavs (5-3-1, 3-0) are the lone unbeaten, untied team in the league.  Dan Birkey, now the longest tenured coach in the CCC, has a solid club – hoping to avenge a pair of playoff losses to Albertson in 2003.  Luis Garcia (five goals, three assists) is the top scorer on the team, but its midfielder Joe Beytebiere (four goals, one assist) that is the most dangerous.  Keeper Jeremy Wells (1.22 GAA) has been solid in the net this year.  It is the 33rd meeting between Albertson and Concordia, with the Coyotes holding a slim 17-14-1 advantage in the series.

 

MORE INFORMATION: Updated information and statistics on the 2004 men’s soccer team can be found on Albertson men’s soccer official website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/menssoccer.htm.  Up-to-date Cascade Conference standings can be found online at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/msoccer/stats/standings.htm.

 

WOMEN’S SOCCER (0-7, 0-3 CCC): Lady ‘Yotes will try to end record-tying skid on Friday at Evergreen

 

LAST WEEK: at Southern Oregon (L 7-1), at Oregon Tech (L 2-0)

 

COMING UP: at Evergreen, Friday, 2 p.m. (PDT); at No. 3 Concordia, Saturday, 3 p.m. (PDT)

 

TRYING TO AVOID A DUBIOUS RECORD: Two records hang in the balance this week as the Albertson women’s soccer team ends a season opening nine-game road trip – with both records being ones that would like to be forgotten.  With a pair of losses last weekend at Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech, the Lady ‘Yotes have tied a school record with ten consecutive losses (dating back to a 1-1 tie at Warner Pacific in 2003).  The 1997 club lost their final two matches of the season, then the 1998 squad set a record with eight-straight losses to start the year – combining for a ten-game losing streak.  The 1998 record is also in jeopardy – unless Albertson can find a way to notch a road victory.

 

GREAT EFFORT AT OREGON TECH: If the match at Oregon Tech on Saturday afternoon was any indication, the Lady ‘Yotes are improving with every game.  Albertson gave up a pair of late first-half goals and lost the game, 2-0 – but strides were made.  According to coach Aisha Reed, the group marked very well in the second half, with the attack missing two opportunities from inside the 18 that could have changed the complexion of the match.

 

BACK IN GOAL: One change Albertson made over the weekend was to send junior Danielle Dorsch (Boise, Idaho / Capital HS) from the striker position to the net.  Dorsch, who started all 35 matches over the last two years in goal, returned between the pipes, and allowed three goals in 123 minutes, notching 12 saves.

 

TOUGH MARKING DAY AT SOUTHERN: According to the coaching staff, a glaring sign in the 7-1 loss at Southern Oregon was the defense.  “We forgot how to mark the offensive threats,” said Reed, after Lisa Howard set a Raiders school record with four assists and a goal.  Albertson was able to avoid the shutout, putting together a nice combination for a second half goal.  Freshman Leah Roach (Boise, Idaho / Timberline HS) passed a through-ball to freshman Katie Ball (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS), who stung the back of the net for her first collegiate score.

 

CONFERENCE STATS: The Cascade Conference numbers continue to align themselves with the sluggish start for the Coyotes.  As a team, Albertson ranks eighth in the nine team league in four categories (shots attempted, goals per game, goals allowed, goals against average) and seventh in four categories (points per game, assists, assists per game, corner kicks).  The team is first in total saves, second in saves per game, and fifth in fouls.  The only player listed in the top-ten in CCC statistics is keeper Candice Frank (Sandy, Utah / Rocky Mountain College), who leads the league with 63 saves in six matches played.

 

ENDING THE NEVER-ENDING TRIP: The road trip for the Albertson women’s soccer team that seems to go on (and on, and on, and on…) will finally come to a close this weekend.  But before it does, the Lady ‘Yotes have a pair of crucial Cascade Conference matches, beginning Friday at Evergreen.  The Geoducks (0-7-1, 0-2 CCC), a playoff team two of the last three season, have a new coach in Erik Gibson-Snyder – but have had some of the same problem Albertson has had – an inability to score goals.  Evergreen has scored just four goals in eight matches this season (with games against the likes of Simon Fraser, Trinity Western, Central Washington, Carroll, Rocky Mountain, and Concordia), two of them coming from striker Kaylen Kelley.  Keeper Carly Stewart (1.89 GAA) is solid in the net for the Clams, who split a pair of games with Albertson last season.  It is the 18th meeting between the teams, with Evergreen holding an 11-6 advantage.  The road gets even tougher on Saturday, as the Coyotes meet Concordia, the No. 3 ranked team in the NAIA.  The Cavaliers (6-0-1, 3-0) advanced to the semifinals of the NAIA National Tournament last season and have only a tie with Linfield as a blemish to their record.  Grant Landy’s ladies have won 13-straight over Albertson and have a 14-2-4 all-time edge in the series.  The 2004 group is led by striker Jennifer Hughes (seven goals, five assists), along with keeper Leia Mansfield (0.61 GAA) – who played in the shadows of All-America Shelley Butcher last year.
 

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: The Albertson soccer teams would like to thank the sponsors who will make the upcoming 2004 media guide a success – Carmody Real Estate, Sport Shoppe, Fairview Service Center TuneTech, Idaho Power, Domino’s Pizza, Intermountain Community Bank, Meridian Dental, Acapulco Mexican Restaurant, Tolsma Auto Body, Family Vision, Performance Chevrolet, Bodybuilding.com, and GlenCo Construction.

 

MORE INFORMATION: Updated information and statistics on the 2004 women’s soccer team can be found on Albertson women’s soccer official website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmenssoccer.htm.  Up-to-date Cascade Conference standings can be found online at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wsoccer/stats/standings.htm.

 

 

- ALBERTSON -