Walla Walla Still Unable to Beat Evergreen
October 5, 2003
OLYMPIA, Wash. - Being an three time All-Conference player can be tough road to live up too, especially when you relocate to another team your senior year. Ask Chris Langford (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley H.S.), who was the star forward for Cascade College his first three years before joining the Geoducks in 2003.
As the middle forward in Evergreen's potent offense, Langford is closely watch. Watched so closely that even the league leading twenty-two goals that junior transfer Joe Gjertsen (Tacoma, Wash./Wilson H.S.) has scored does not prevented Langford from being doubled teamed every time he touches the ball. So you can imagine how tough it has been for Langford to score this year.
Well, today's 9-2 victory over visiting Walla Walla (5-4 overall) was Langford's breakout game. His game high ten shots produced three goals, a Hat Trick (3 or more goals). His first Hat Trick came against Northwest on Sept. 23, with two of the goals coming off penalty kicks.
Langford's goal total for the game easily could have been higher, as three of his shots careened off the post. Having hit at least one goal post in virtually every game this season, his teammates are beginning to think that the post is Langford's favorite part of the goal.
As Evergreen (3-2-1 CCC, 6-5-1 Overall) heads into the second half of the Cascade Conference season, having a second and third scorer is crucial is they are to return to the post season for the second consecutive year.
It is almost a given that Gjertsen will score at least one or more goals each game, having scored twenty-two times in the first fourteen games. But if the Geoducks are to beat Concordia, Warner Pacific and Western Baptist on the road they have to be more than a one-dimensional offense.
Nathan Ford's (Steilacoom, Wash./Steilacoom H.S.) two goals and three assists, the second time this season he has had triple assists in a game, will keep his name in opponents Scouting Reports as a serious scoring threat. Fifth on the Cascade Conference Scoring list, Ford has been the conference Assist leader since virtually the open day of the 2003 season.
Luke Arthur (Eatonville, Wash./Eatonville H.S.) also found the back of the net today, turning one of Langford's post shots into his fourth goal of the season. Having been moved up to midfield wing, Arthur is able to use his foot speed more on the offensive end, as seen by the season high seven shots he took today.
The goal that I have not mentioned yet, Evergreen's fourth goal of the game, was produced by Kyle Andrews (Mukilteo, Wash./Kumiak H.S.). Actually, it started with junior Ryan Schechert (Poulsbo, Wash./North Kitsap H.S.) at midfield, who passed the ball to James McDonnel (Tacoma, Wash./Wilson H.S.) on the left wing, who then sent a crossing pass to Andrews in the middle, who redirected the ball into the goal. The three player effort that produced the goal became Andrews' first goal of the season, as well as Schechert and McDonnel's first assist of the season.
Evergreen's longest road trip of the season, a three-game affair, begins Thursday (Oct. 9). The Geoducks will travel to Portland, Ore., with every intention of taking back the victory Warner Pacific got on Sept. 20 in Olympia, Wash.