‘Yote Notes – Sept. 26, 2006

Mike Safford Jr. – Sports Info. Director

msafford@collegeofidaho.edu

ATHLETIC NEWS: Coyote Open a Success

165 GOLFERS, 115 SPONSORS MAKE OPEN A SUCCESS: The Albertson College of Idaho athletic department and the Coyote Athletic Association would like to thank the countless golfers, sponsors, and volunteers which made this year’s Coyote Open at Falcon Crest a success. Congratulations to the winning teams who battled the windy conditions (complete results and unclaimed raffle prizes can be found here www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/caa/2006Open.htm) to help the department raise funds crucial to the success of ACI athletic teams.

SEASON TICKETS SET TO GO ON SALE: 2006-07 basketball season tickets are set to go on sale October 7, with the Yotes first game scheduled for November 2 at the Idaho against Northwest Nazarene.

BASEBALL ALUMNI GAME SET FOR SUNDAY: The annual ACI baseball alumni game is scheduled for this Sunday at Simplot Stadium at 1 p.m. A home-run derby will precede the two seven inning games between the Varsity and Alumni.

VOLLEYBALL (13-2, 7-0 CCC): No. 13 Coyotes place second at Best of the Best Challenge

COMING UP: at Evergreen State, Friday, 7 p.m. (PDT); at Northwest, Saturday, 7 p.m. (PDT)

LAST WEEK: vs. Eastern Oregon (W 3-0); at Best of the Best Challenge, Fort Wayne, Ind. – vs. Saint Francis (Ind.) (W 3-1), vs. No. 20 Lindenwood (Mo.) (W 3-2), vs. No. 10 Cedarville (Ohio) (W 3-0), vs. No. 7 Columbia (Mo.) (L 3-1)

NATIONAL RANKING: The Albertson College of Idaho volleyball team was ranked No. 13 in the third NAIA volleyball poll of the regular-season, released September 20 by the national office in Olathe, Kan. The Yotes jumped one spot from the previous week, equaling the highest ranking in program history. Six others – No. 1 National American (S.D.), No. 7 Columbia (Mo.), No. 10 Cedarville (Ohio), No. 20 Lindenwood (Mo.), No. 22 Westminster (Utah), and Southern Oregon, were among the ACI opponents this season in the Top-25 and others receiving votes. 

PREVIOUS RANKINGS: The Coyotes have been ranked in the Top-25 on nine occasions in program history – the second (No. 24) and third (No. 19) polls of the 1997 season, the preseason (No. 15) and first poll (No. 19) of the 2001 season, the final poll during the 2005 season (No. 24), the 2006 preseason poll (No. 16), and the past three rankings.

YOTES MAINTAIN PERCH ATOP REGIONAL RANKINGS: With a perfect 7-0 start to the Cascade Conference season and a 13-2 overall record, the Yotes remain atop the NAIA Region I weekly Top-10 poll. ACI is followed by Westminster, Southern Oregon, Great Falls, and Carroll. Rounding out the top-ten are Rocky Mountain, Oregon Tech, Warner Pacific, Northwest, and Montana Tech. The regional poll is released each Monday, with the NAIA poll released each Wednesday afternoon.

TEN RANKED TEAMS, LADY YOTES PLACE SECOND: When head coach Liz Mendiola began feverishly fundraising for a trip to Indiana, she knew it was going to be an uphill climb – financially and athletically. Well the Yotes quieted any of the skeptics – placing second at the Best of the Best Challenge, featuring ten nationally-ranked NAIA teams. ACI defeated host St. Francis, No. 20 Lindenwood, previously undefeated and No. 10 Cedarville, before losing to No. 7 ranked and 2005 national runner-up Columbia – a team with seven foreign players.

CHERRINGTON NAMED TO ALL-TOURNEY TEAM: Despite the second-place finish, the Lady Yotes had just one player named to the All-Tournament team – setter Erin Cherrington (Granby, Colo. / Middle Park HS). The senior had 212 assists, 48 digs, and 14 blocks in the tournament – to go along with nine aces, helping ACI to the 3-1 mark.

MENDIOLA BREAKS WINS RECORD: With the Lady Yotes victory over Cedarville (Ohio) on Saturday, ACI volleyball coach Liz Mendiola became the all-time winningest volleyball coach in program history. The win was the 114th victory in the tenure of the sixth-year head coach, moving her past Derek Soderblom into the top spot.  The win was sweet, as the No. 13 ranked Coyotes defeated a top-ten opponent. While at ACI, Mendiola has posted a 114-54 record (.679 win percentage) - six-straight Cascade Conference tournament appearances, three NAIA Region I tournament appearances, along with a trip to the 2005 NAIA Championships.

THE DAY THAT NEVER ENDED: Prior to their opening match Friday morning against St. Francis, the Lady Yotes had one of the more difficult days imaginable – narrowly avoiding a catastrophe. When the team arrived at the Boise Airport at 5 a.m. on Thursday, they found their supposed E-tickets were supposed to be paper tickets – and were not able to proceed through security. What was a 7 a.m. departure ended up being a 2 p.m. departure, followed by another lengthy delay in Denver. By the time the team arrived in Indianapolis and made the three-hour drive to Fort Wayne, it was nearly 3 a.m. on Friday (or seven hours prior to their first match).

POOL PLAY RECAPS: Playing on adrenaline, the Coyotes defeated host St. Francis 30-21, 30-19, 21-30, 30-22 at 10 a.m. (EDT) in the morning.  "Katie Hogue was awesome," said head coach Liz Mendiola.  “We did not play well in Game 3, but we held our composure and took Game 4." Kathryn Ely (La Grande,Ore. / La Grande HS) had 18 kills, with Katie Hogue (Sparks, Nev. / Reed HS) adding 16 kills and eight blocks. Later in the day, the Yotes defeated No. 22 ranked Lindenwood (Mo.) 30-22, 30-24, 29-31, 20-30, 15-11 - to win their Pool. "We passed well and played outstanding defense throughout," said Mendiola.  Ely led four hitters in double figures with 19 kills, with Erin Cherrington 63 assists and 21 digs, Catherine Everist (Portland, Ore. / Chicago State U.) racking up 31 digs, and Katie Hogue spiking eleven balls, along with a career-high ten blocks.

DAY TWO RESULTS: In the morning match, the No. 13 ranked Lady Yotes ended a Cedarville 19-game win streak to start the season, 30-17, 30-19, and 33-31.  "We played extremely well," said head coach Liz Mendiola.  "I thought we passed well and played outstanding defense.  The final point of the match seemed to be the longest point of the year - but we were able to close it out." Kathryn Ely had 13 kills, with Katie Zillner (Emmett, Idaho / Emmett HS) recording nine kills. Catherine Everist led the way with 28 digs, while Erin Cherrington had 42 assists. In the title game, the Coyotes fell to the No. 7 ranked Cougars, whose line-up boasts players from Kenya, China, and Brazil, 33-31, 24-30, 30-25, 30-28.  ACI had a chance to win Game 1, taking a 29-28 edge on a Zillner kill, but could not close it out.  In Game 4, the Yotes fell behind 22-15, but closed to 28-28 on a tandem block, but could not get over the hump.  "We played very well," said Mendiola.  "However, we made a couple of mistakes in inopportune times, which hurt our chances.  Columbia is a very good team."  Katie Hogue led the way with 16 kills and five blocks, while five players recorded double-figure digs.

YOTES EXTEND STREAK TO 23 OVER EASTERN: Kathryn Ely led three ACI players in double-figures with 15 kills, as the Coyotes defeated Eastern Oregon 30-12, 30-19, 30-19 last Tuesday – their 23rd-straight win over the Mountaineers. The Yotes jumped out to a 7-0 lead in Game 1, thanks to a trio of kills from Katie Hogue, and were never threatened.  Game 2 was different, as Eastern (3-9, 2-5) rallied from four down to tie the match for the only time tonight at 11-11.  However, ACI got two kills each from Kristin Henning (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS) and Anne Parker (Pocatello, Idaho / Century HS), as part of a 7-0 push to take control of the set.  Game 3 saw Sarah Buhler (Middleton, Idaho / Middleton HS) spike four balls in four attempts, to keep the Coyotes record at home perfect. Hogue had a big night, recording 11 kills in 15 attacks, without an error, to go along with four aces, five digs, and five blocks.  Parker had ten kills and three blocks, and Tiffany Sower (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) added four kills, three aces, and a team-high 14 digs.  Erin Cherrington led the way with 45 assists in the win.

BEST START EVER: The 13-2 start by the Lady Yotes is the best in program history, dating back to the 1982 season. In recent years, the 1997 and 2005 teams opened the season with 7-3 marks, while the 2005 squad opened with a 12-3 record. The best 20-game start to a season is 16-4, set last year.

NEW WIN STREAK RECORD: Despite having their streak snapped Saturday by Columbia, the Lady Yotes have now registered a five-game or more winning streak in each of the last eight seasons. Starting with a victory over Dixie State in August, ACI ran off 11 consecutive wins – breaking the old record of nine, shared by the 2003 and 2004 teams.

YOTES LEAD NAIA IN ASSIST CATEGORIES: As a team, ACI leads the entire NAIA in assists per game (14.08), while setter Erin Cherrington leads all NAIA players in the same category (12.88). The Yotes also rank No. 4 in the nation in kills per game (14.94), No. 6 in blocks per game (3.15), and No. 14 in hitting percentage (.245). Individually, Katie Hogue ranks seventh in the NAIA in blocks per game (1.55) and is No. 14 in hitting percentage (.377), Catherine Everist ranks No. 11 in the NAIA in digs per game (6.25), with Kristin Henning sitting No. 12 in the nation in blocks per game (1.32).

RECORD BOOK: As the season progresses, it is inevitable that the ACI record books will be rewritten. Currently, four players are already among the all-time top-ten. Katie Hogue ranks No. 4 all-time with 334 blocks (21 behind third-place) and No. 8 with 778 kills (seven behind seventh-place). Erin Cherrington is third all-time with 4,222 assists (332 from first-place), is No. 4 with 166 aces (two behind third-place, is No. 9 with 931 digs (69 from 1,000 in her career), and No. 10 in games played. Also on the list are Tiffany Sower, who is fifth all-time with 115 aces, and Anne Parker, who is eighth in blocks with 227.

WASHINGTON, HERE WE COME: ACI will put their perfect 7-0 Cascade Conference record on the line this week, traveling to the Puget Sound region to meet Evergreen State and Northwest. Friday, the Yotes hook up with the Geoducks (3-12, 2-5 CCC), a squad that has played a difficult non-conference schedule, but has only three wins on the year. Emily Peterson (2.44 k/g, 3.36 d/g) leads the Greeners, who have knocked off Puget Sound Christian, Corban, and Cascade this year. ACI has won four straight matches over Evergreen and holds an 8-2 all-time series lead. Saturday, it’s a rematch from last season’s CCC and Region I tournament (where ACI took both matches) – but it isn’t the same Eagles (7-4, 4-3) team. Gone is coach Shaun Kupferberg – who took Freshman of the Year Sara Bendorf with him to Jacksonville University (where she’s the reigning Atlantic Sun player of the week), with All-CCC setter Allison Simmons transferring to the University of Washington. New coach Mary Cotton has a pair of returners in Kara VanZanten (3.22 k/g, 3.38 d/g) and Gina Lubanovici (2.51 k/g, 0.69 b/g) who have played outstanding – however, the team has lost 3-of-4, including both home matches. ACI holds a 17-5 all-time series edge.

MORE INFORMATION: Updated information and statistics on the 2006 volleyball team can be found on ACI 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.

WOMEN’S SOCCER (4-5-1, 3-0-1 CCC): Lady Yotes sweep Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech, head to Corban and Warner alone in second-place

COMING UP: at Corban, Friday, 4 p.m. (PDT); at Warner Pacific, Saturday, 1 p.m. (PDT)

LAST WEEK: vs. Southern Oregon (W 2-0), vs. Oregon Tech (W 1-0)

NAIA REGION I WEEKLY POLL: With a 4-5-1 overall record, the Lady Yotes were just outside the NAIA Region I weekly top-five poll. Leading the way was Concordia, followed by Carroll, and Simon Fraser. Rounding out the top-five is Rocky Mountain and Eastern Oregon – Eastern earning a spot in the poll for the first time in school history. In the national poll, Concordia is ranked fifth, Carroll ninth, and SFU No. 15. The NAIA releases the regional poll every Monday, with the national poll released on Wednesday afternoon.

IT LOOKS BETTER FROM THE TOP: Two full weeks into the Cascade Conference season and the ACI women’s soccer team sits alone in second-place, just two points behind Concordia for the top spot. What is amazing is that the four wins by the Coyotes this season have already tied or surpassed the win total for ten of the previous 17 years of competition.

REMENISCENT OF LAST YEAR: The schedule makers must have liked the Yotes, as for the second-straight season, Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech made the long trip to Caldwell. What is unique is that the results of both games were identical to a year ago – with ACI defeating Southern 2-0 and OIT 1-0. The Purple and Gold have had the Raiders and Owls number in Idaho – recording a commanding 10-2 all-time mark against their counterparts from the Beaver State (however, ACI is 0-6-2 in games at SOU and OIT).

YOTES NOTCH WIN OVER SOUTHERN: Working hard all afternoon to combat a physical Southern Oregon squad, the Lady Yotes notched single goals in each half to earn a 2-0 victory over the Raiders, Friday afternoon at Symms Field. After Southern failed on a pair of near-misses early, the Coyotes did not, as sophomore Allie Dufault (Irvine, Calif. / University HS) took a feed from Leah Roach (Boise, Idaho / Timberline HS) after a nice ball from Jessie Harris (Boise, Idaho / Walla Walla CC) and blasted it into the upper corner for the lead. The trio would strike again late in the match, with Roach tossing a bounding throw-in, which Dufault flicked to Harris in the box – where the junior knocked it home to complete the scoring. ACI got the victory despite SOU’s 13-10 shot advantage.

SAUNDERS SENDS ACI INTO WIN COLUMN: It took nearly the entire game, but it was the result the Yotes wanted. Sophomore Jayne Saunders (Emmett, Idaho / Emmett HS) scored the game-winning goal with less than four minutes remaining, as ACI topped Oregon Tech, 1-0, Saturday afternoon at Symms Field. The Lady Yotes dominated play in the second half, holding an 11-1 shot advantage, but it was Saunders, who took a sweet cross inside the 18 from Leah Roach – after a nice long ball up the left side from Kat Becker (Salt Lake City, Utah / Judge Memorial HS), and ripped the winner into the middle of the net. ACI did have to withstand six OIT corner kicks and a pair of first half near-misses by the Owls to grab the win.

HUGHES HAS NICE WEEKEND: For most of the season, the ACI net has been shared – however, Sadie Hughes (Courtenay, B.C. / GP Vanier HS) may have won the job for good with an outstanding performance. With Amy Rhoades (Eagle, Idaho / Dixie State Coll.) out after having surgery to fix a broken nose, the freshman stopped all 11 shots on goal to record her first two collegiate shutouts. What was more impressive, however, was the way Hughes handled ball distribution and corner kicks – something ACI has struggled with in the past, thanks in part to help from backs Laura Fink (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS), Emily Dickerson (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS), Katie Ball (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS), and Jessie Harris, with the Yotes goals against average dipping to 1.55, fourth-best in the CCC.

COYOTES INJURY REPORT GETTING BETTER: ACI got two of their injured players back last weekend, as Kat Becker returned after missing the Northwest-Evergreen State trip with a knee injury, and Allison Rupert (Boise, Idaho / Capital HS) returned Saturday after injuring her ankle in the Evergreen State game. The Yotes are optimistic on getting midfielder Martine Troy (Ogden, Utah / Judge Memorial HS) back this week after sustaining a knee injury at Western Oregon on Sept. 9. Still on the mend is keeper Sadie Hughes (nose) and Brittney Hulin (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) (knee).

CONFERENCE STATS: As a team, the Lady Yotes rank in the Cascade Conference top-five in nine different categories – No. 2 in shots (147) and shots per game (14.7), No. 3 in shutouts (3), No. 4 in assists (10), assists per game (1.0), goals allowed (16), and goals against average (1.55), and No. 5 in points (32), points per game (3.2), and assists per game (1.0). ACI also leads the league in attendance, averaging 207 fans per game. Individually, six different players are among the league’s top ten. Allie Dufault leads the way, ranking in six different categories – No. 6 in shots (25), shots per game (2.5), and goals (4), No. 7 in points (10) and points per game (1.0), and is No. 8 in goals per game (0.4). Jayne Saunders is found in three different categories – No. 2 in game-winning goal (2), No. 9 in goals (3), and No. 10 in goals per game (0.33). Both Mandy Greif (Payette, Idaho / Payette HS) and Leah Roach are found in two categories apiece – Greif fifth in both shots (27) and shots per game (2.7), with Roach fourth in assists (4) and fifth in assists per game (0.4). Rounding out the group are the ACI keepers – as Sadie Hughes ranks fifth with her 1.44 GAA and Amy Rhoades sixth with her 1.72 GAA.

CAN THE LADY YOTES FINALLY UPEND CORBAN?: Friday, the Lady Yotes head to Salem, Ore. – trying to get a big monkey off their back, as the meet Corban. Since Warriors (3-7, 1-1 CCC) head coach Marty Ziesemer took over the program in 1996, his teams have posted a 17-0 mark against ACI – including a 3-0 win over the Yotes in Caldwell last season. To defeat Corban, the Coyotes must stop Megan Waunch (3 goals, 5 assists), who had the game-winning goal in the win last season. It is the 23rd meeting all-time between teams, with the Warriors holding a 17-5 edge.

AT THE WARNER PACK: Saturday, ACI will head to Portland Christian High for a meeting with winless Warner Pacific. The Knights (0-8, 0-2 CCC) have struggled all season, scoring just two goals in their eight matches – while allowing 39. They are coming off a tough swing through Montana, where WP dropped an 8-0 decision at Carroll and a 5-0 decision at Great Falls – and battling through a stretch where their lone goalkeeper – Janette Sears (4.62 GAA) has been injured. ACI defeated the Knights in Caldwell, 5-2, with the all-time series knotted up at 2-2-1 – but the Yotes are 0-1-1 all-time in Portland

NEW PLAYOFF SCENARIO: With the Cascade Conference eliminating divisions and double round-robin play, a new playoff format will also debut this season. The top-six teams during the nine-game conference schedule will qualify for the CCC Tournament – with the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds earning quarterfinal byes. The regular-season champion, along with the CCC Tournament champion will receive automatic bids to the NAIA Region I Tournament.

MORE INFORMATION: Updated information and statistics on the 2006 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.

MEN’S SOCCER (3-4-1, 1-1 CCC): Yotes split CCC games at home, head to Willamette Valley for a pair

COMING UP: at Warner Pacific, Friday, 4 p.m. (PDT); at Corban, Saturday, 2 p.m. (PDT)

LAST WEEK: vs. Evergreen State (L 2-0), vs. Northwest (W 5-2)

REGIONAL RANKINGS: The fourth NAIA Region I weekly top-five poll of the season saw parity in the Northwest soccer scene. For the first time this season, the Yotes cracked the top-five, earning the No. 5 spot in the polling. Concordia continues to lead the pack, followed by Westminster – which has lost six of their last eight matches. Northwest cracks the poll for the first time in the No. 3 spot, followed by Evergreen State, and the Coyotes. Strangely absent from the group is Simon Fraser, who sits a 2-5-3 this season. Concordia is currently ranked No. 25 in the NAIA, with Fresno Pacific, who met ACI earlier in the month, ranked No. 15.

CONFERENCE RACE UP FOR GRABS: Following the opening of the Cascade Conference season last week, the league ripe for the taking by any of the seven CCC teams. Only Concordia was able to make it through the week unscathed, as each of the six other squads all won a game, and lost a game. The top-two teams during regular-season competition earn an automatic berth to the NAIA Region I tournament in November.

FOUL-FEST ENDS WITH EVERGREEN WIN: In a match which saw 51 fouls and seven cards, a pair of Evergreen State goals early in the second half was the difference, as the Geoducks topped ACI, 2-0, at a windy Symms Field on Friday. Less than two minutes into the second half, Eduardo Milan crossed a ball into the box, where James Pratt flicked it home for the Greeners.  Six minutes later, Matt Curry sent a cross through traffic to the far post, where Sean Grisham slapped it home.  It was the only two shots the Geoducks would have in the half. The Coyotes dominated play, holding a 25-8 shot advantage, including 15-2 in the second half. ACI had their best chance to score in the waning seconds, as Geoduck keeper Nick Tasche was issued a red card.  However, a penalty kick was snuffed out by Justin Kobbe to end the contest.

MOST BY AN ACI OPPONENT: Since the CCC began tracking fouls in 2001, the 34 fouls committed by Evergreen on Friday established a new high-water mark for an ACI opponent – and the 51 fouls also equaled the most combined fouls in a Coyote soccer game. The mark by the Geoducks also set a new record for fouls in a CCC game – eclipsing the 31 fouls both the Yotes and Corban had against Warner Pacific during the 2004 season.

BIG WIN FOR YOTES: Mitch White (Boise, Idaho / Gonzaga U.) scored the first ACI hat trick in four seasons, with his second half penalty kick giving the hosts the lead for good, as the Coyotes knocked off, 5-2, at Symms Field on Saturday – ending a three-game home losing skid. The Coyotes jumped out early, as White headed home a Mauricio Both (Cacheoira de Sul, Brazil / Nampa HS) free kick just five minutes into the match.  The senior added his second goal in the 21st minute, blasting a long 35-yard shot into the top-right corner of the net. Northwest would not quit, as the Eagles held a 13-8 shot advantage in the first half and knotted the game up before the break.  Leading scorer Amos Freiheit rapped home a rebound off a Trevor Uhler shot in the 23rd minute, with Uhler recording a diving header off a long Everette Adams cross in the 40th minute to tie the score. ACI would score three goals in an 11 minute stretch of the second half to put the game away.  In the 51st minute, Jeff Vander Pol pulled White down in the box, withe the senior slotting home the PK to give ACI the 3-2 lead.  Five minutes later, Cameron Johnson (Boise, Idaho / Treasure Valley CC) slotted home a ball of an Alex Penrod (Las Vegas, Nev. / Cimarron-Memorial HS) cross, with freshman Colt Gilliland (Pleasant View, Utah / St. Joseph HS) capping the scoring in the 62nd minute with a blast off a Penrod feed.

MORE ON THE HAT TRICK: The hat trick by Mitch White was the first in his collegiate career – spanning 51 games (including his time at Gonzaga). It also was the first hat trick by an ACI player since 2003 – when Joe Chandler tallied three goals in a 6-2 victory over Corban in the Cascade Conference tournament.

HASN’T HAPPENED OFTEN LATELY: Scoring five goals in a match for the Coyotes has been a rare occurrence lately, as Saturday’s total was the first time ACI had put a five-spot on the board since 2004 (5-0 and 7-0 wins over Cascade). The school record for five-or-more goal games in a season is six – shared by the 2000 and 2003 teams.

WORDS FROM THE COACH: “The key winning a game is to put the round thing into the rectangular thing,” said head coach Brian Smith. “On Friday, the goal was as big as a shoe-box, while Saturday, it was as big as an ocean. That is what is so special about this game. I was very pleased with the way that we played in the second half on Saturday – considering we are playing back-to-back games against fresh opponents.”

CASCADE CONFERENCE NUMBERS: Four different Coyotes are among the leaders in the Cascade Conference weekly statistical summary. Mitch White leads the league in shots (38) and shots per game (4.75), while ranking second in goals scored (6), third in goals per game (0.75), fourth in total points (13), and sixth in points per game (1.62). Alex Penrod is second in assists (3) and sixth in assists per game (0.38), with Mauricio Both and Tyler Seaman (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS) each tied for ninth in assists (2).

OFF TO MEET THE PAC: The Yotes head out on the first of three Cascade Conference road trips this Fall, meeting Warner Pacific on Friday in Portland (game to be held at Portland Adventist High School). The Knights (2-3, 1-2 CCC) are a very young team – but are coming off a tough 6-0 loss at Concordia. Head coach Bernie Fagan has a solid crop of freshmen whom he is relying on, but it is a pair of returners – Chris Price (4 goals) and Scott Corwin (3 assists) that have done the most damage. ACI swept the season series with WP last year and holds a 12-8-2 all-time series edge.

TRYING TO TURN THE TIDE VS. CORBAN: If there is one CCC team that head coach Brian Smith has struggled with during his time with the Yotes, it is Saturday’s opponent, Corban. The Warriors (3-4-1, 1-2) have won three of the last four meetings, including both 2005 encounters (by a combined 9-1 margin). First-year head coach Dave Irby has a veteran club – led by All-CCC players Caleb Louvier (6 goals, 1 assist) and Scott Marshall (2 goals, 2 assists). It is the rubber-game of a 35 game series, as ACI and Corban have each won 17 matches without a draw.

MORE INFORMATION: Updated information and statistics on the 2006 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.

CROSS COUNTRY: Coyotes set to run in Willamette Invitational

COMING UP: at Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational, Saturday, Salem, Ore. - Men at 9:30 a.m., Women at 10:10 a.m.

LAST WEEK: Idle

COYOTE MEN MOVE UP TO NO. 18 IN NAIA: Despite struggling in Pocatello during their last meet, the ACI men's cross country team jumped from No. 20 to No. 18 in the latest NAIA Top-25 poll, released last Wedenesday by the national office in Olathe, Kan.  The Coyotes, who braved rain, wind, cold temperatures, and illness at Idaho State, maintained their spot in the regular-season poll for the tenth-consecutive week.  Four other NAIA Region I schools are in the poll - No. 5 Concordia, No. 9 Lewis-Clark State (whom the Yotes defeated at the Hampton Inn Fall Harrier Classic), No. 15 Simon Fraser, and No. 23 British Columbia.

BIGGEST MEET IN THE WEST: All of the top teams in the West should be on hand this weekend at Bush Pasture Park in Salem for the Willamette Invitational - tabbed as the Biggest Small College Race West of the Mississippi.  Last year 528 competitors took part in the Cardinal races (NCAA Division II, III, NAIA), while nearly that number competed in the Gold races (NCAA Division I and JC's).  The course is typically one of the faster courses in the region - as every Coyote men's runner and half of the women's runners posted their fastest 2005 time at the Invite.

WHO WILL THE YOTES FACE: Nearly every Cascade Conference school (with the exception of Northwest), nearly every NAIA Region I school (with the exception of British Columbia and Simon Fraser), all Northwest Conference schools, along with five Great Northwest Athletic Conference schools (Central Washington, Alaska-Anchorage, Seattle, Northwest Nazarene, and St. Martin's) will all compete at the race.  From this group alone, there will be 26 teams competing in the event.

NEXT WEEK: The Yotes will have an opportunity to see the course the NAIA Reigon I meet will be run on, as Eastern Oregon will host a preview meet in La Grande.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the ACI cross country team, including runner profiles and top times, head to the official website of the Yotes, www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/xc.htm.