Governor Booth Gardner signs into law three bills expected to enhance athletic opportunities for women at state four-year universities. Sponsored by Seattle's Ken Jacobsen, legislation would allow schools to waive tuition for some athletes on scholarship and divert the money to expand present women's athletic programs or add new sports for female participants. The program will start in the 1991-92 school year. The new program is expected to channel about $600,000 to close the athletic gender gap at the University of Washington, about $321,000 to Washington State, $131,000 at Western, $110,000 at Central, $93,000 at Eastern and $98 at Evergreen.

Bobby Howe of Bellevue is named the head coach of the U.S. Men's Under-20 Team. Howe, formerly Sounders assistant coach and Washington Youth coaching director, has been assisting the U16 National Team for three years.

Preki punctuates his first four-goal game of the season with the overtime winner as Tacoma beat Kansas City, 5-4. Preki scores his 41st goal of the season 91 seconds into the extra period to stop the Comets' five-game win streak.

Burien's Sandy Carter scores a record-tying four goals in Central Florida's 11-0 rout of Mercer in Macon, Ga. Carter, a junior, ties the Lady Knights single-match scoring record. She had three hat tricks in her first two seasons.

Chance Fry scores twice and Brent Goulet collects a hat trick during an eight-minute span of the second half in FC Seattle Storm's 5-1 victory over Arizona. It's the fourth win in a row (third in league) for Seattle. It's only 1-nil until Fry tallies in the 52nd minute. Then Goulet strikes three times in 7:25 to bring his season total to five in the three games he's played. It's the first Storm hat trick since Bruce Raney in 1985.

The owners whom Alan Hinton helped find to save the Tacoma Stars fire him 11 games into the season after a poor start and open confrontations with star forward Preki. The injury-riddled Stars (4-7) have lost five of seven, but it's Hinton's open criticism of Preki, the MISL MVP, in front of the team that proves his undoing. The board of directors also fire assistant coach Steve Buttle. Hinton had gone 91-76 in regular season, 15-16 in playoffs during two stints at the helm.

Cliff Potter bags a pair of goals in Western Washington's 12th straight win, 2-1 over Evergreen in the NAIA District 1 championship game at Bellingham. In the semifinals on Nov. 1, Tom Venable scored the winner in a 3-2 win over Whitworth.

The indoor season for 169 teams is interrupted when the roof of the Everett Soccer Dome collapses under the weight of a foot of snow. The building, a former rollerskating rink, is unoccupied at the time. Damage is estimated to be $500,000. The five-year-old Soccer Dome is owned by Pepe Fernandez and Walter Schmetzer. Repairs are finished in the summer and play resumes Aug. 1.

Seattle Christian completes an unlikely course to win the state boys' A-B championship. The Warriors, who finished second in the Nisqually League and won only one official game the season before, defeat Bellevue Christian, 2-0, at Highline Stadium in Burien. Erik Anderson and Carlos Dominguez score while Nate Linman posts his 11th shutout.

Goalkeeper Kasey Keller headlines the Western Soccer League's all-star selections by being voted MVP at age 19. Keller, still a sophomore at Portland, edges out Timbers teammate Scott Benedetti after posting eight shutouts in his 10 games and finishing with a GAA of 0.38. Seattle's Chris Henderson also makes the first team. Grant Gibbs, Eddie Henderson and Brent Goulet of the Storm make the second team.

Bothell's Clint Carnell comes off the bench and scores for the West in a 2-0 win over the East. Carnell, who plays at Duke, is joined by fellow Washingtonians Shannan Seelig and Lance Killian.

Kenmore's Paul Holocher assists on Santa Clara's lone goal, and several other Washington players factor in the Broncos' 1-1 overtime draw with Virginia in the NCAA championship game at Piscataway, N.J. Holocher finds Jeff Baicher in the 84th minute to force extra time. After 150 minutes of regulation and overtime in frigid cold, officials it a draw, creating co-champions for only the third time in tournament history. In all, seven players from Washington are on Santa Clara (20-0-3) roster.

FC Seattle Storm reaches a loan agreement with U.S. Soccer for national team captain Ricky Davis. For the past two seasons Davis, 30, has played for the Tacoma Stars. He has 41 appearances and nine goals for Team USA but is recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery.

Brent Goulet caps a three-goal blitz in his debut as FC Seattle Storm beats Arizona, 3-1, to open defense of its Western Soccer League title in Mesa. The Storms trails until Eddie Henderson ties it on the stroke of halftime. Goals by Peter Hattrup and Goulet in the first 5:38 of the second half leave the Condors stunned.

Complying with a court order to increase spending on women's athletics, Washington State University becomes the first women's Division I program in the state. Tryouts will be held in August and the first varsity games will begin shortly thereafter. A club program has existed at WSU since 1977.

Tacoma Stars host Lokomotiv Moscow in the club's first international game before 8,246 and win, 7-3, behind a pair of Peter Ward goals. The exhibition is endorsed by the 1990 Seattle Goodwill Games and dubbed The Peace Cup. Lokomotiv, 0-6 on their tour, finished seventh in the 16-team Soviet Supreme League. The game featured several gestures of East-West harmony, capped by the teams posing arm in arm for a postgame photo. Tacoma grade-schoolers made thousands of paper peace cranes and presented them to both teams, and local fans collected 7,000 items of clothing for Armenian earthquake victims.

A bill that will mean a $2.8 million windfall for women athletes at the state's colleges and universities wins final legislative approval and is sent to Gov. Booth Gardner for signing into law. The measure, HB2020, will allow four-year colleges and universities to set aside for athlete waivers in the amount of 1 percent of each school's tuition, beginning in the 1991-93 biennium. It promises to be a boon for the growth of women's collegiate soccer in Washington.

Sharon McMurtry scores to help the West win its opening match of the Olympic Festival in Edmond, Ok. Jan Smisek's West, which also features Michelle Akers, Shannon Higgins and Tanya Russ, blanks the South, 2-0. Lori Henry, Kit Conner and Jennifer Faccone play for the South, who avenge the loss and win the tournament July 29 by a 3-0 victory. Bonnie Broughton plays for the North.

Chris Henderson returns from international duty to lead FC Seattle Storm to a shootout win over San Diego, snapping the Nomads' eight-game win streak, 1-1 (3-1) at Memorial Stadium. Shaking off any jet lag after arriving home from South Korea earlier in the day, Henderson assists on Chance Fry's third-minute goal. He also converts the clinching shootout attempt in the fifth round.

Tommy Jenkins announces his intention to resign as FC Seattle Storm head coach following the season. Jenkins has coached the Storm for the past three seasons and four altogether. Jenkins, whose son has cystic fibrosis, wants to spend more time with his family.

As expected, Tacoma Stars midfielder Preki is voted the MISL Most Valuable Player after becoming only the third player to win the triple crown. Preki, 25, led the league in goals (51), points (104) and tied for first in assists (53). The gap of 17 points was the largest in four years. He collected 60 out of a possible 70 points in the voting by media members.

Burien's Kennedy, the No. 1-ranked high school team, is upset by Mountlake Terrace in the semifinal round of the girls' AA state tournament. The Hawks start fast. Julie Wheeler and Jenny Goodrich scored first-half goals against a Lancers (19-1-0) defense that had 17 shutouts.

Darin Koob's long-range blast ties it in the second half, but Midwestern State scores twice in the final six minutes to eliminate Western Washington in the group stage of the NAIA national tournament in Las Cruces, N.M. Peter LaBarge's 20th goal of the year puts Western on top in the 14th minute. Koob's 40-yard effort brings matters level in the 74th. Brit Harder gets the Mustangs' winner in the 84th and the verdict is sealed in the 88th. The Vikings had lost, 3-1, to Rockhurst (Mo.) the day before.

After earning her 30th cap earlier in the week, Lori Henry piles on a 10-1 U.S. National team demolition of Liverpool in the Sardinia Cup in Italy. Henry scores the Americans' fifth goal just before halftime. Henry had started the 0-0 draw with Poland on June 21.

A Seattle Times story spotlights a squabble between Co-Rec Soccer League leaders and Washington State Soccer Association officials. Co-Rec is the state's largest adult league with over 2,000 players, with men and women playing on the same teams. In 1987 Co-Rec regulations were altered to make it safer for all, stating that any play that "jeopardizes other players, even when unintentional, is unacceptable." Co-Rec injuries requiring surgery as a result of accidental or intentional trips have dropped from 13 in 369 games in the summer of 1986, to two in 515 games in the fall of 1988. WSSA president Roger Parker maintains all leagues should adhere to FIFA laws, but Co-Rec is not under WSSA jurisdiction.

Western Washington's Peter LaBarge hits a record five goals past Menlo College in the Vikings' 8-0 win. LaBarge, a Woodinville product who spent the past four years as Western's football placekicker, is named MVP of the Redwood Classic in Arcata, Ca.

A fluke deflection results in Whitworth shocking Washington, 3-2, at Husky Stadium. The Pirates (14-1-1) rally from 2-nil down after Eddie Henderson and Dave Berto score. The comeback begins with Paul Markillie's first goal, followed by John Gould's equalizer. An attempted UW clearance bounces off Markillie and into the net for the late winner. The Huskies had won their first six meetings with Whitworth by a goal difference of 29-2, and they had been 22-0-1 at home since 1986.

Shannon Higgins orchestrates yet another championship performance by North Carolina in a 2-0 defeat of Colorado College in the NCAA Division I championship game at Raleigh, N.C. Higgins volleys home from 12 yards in the 71st minute for the game's first goal and her third straight game-winner in an NCAA final. Her corner kick to Kristine Lilly in the 84th seals matters. Higgins completes her career undefeated (89-0-6), tied for the Carolina career mark in assists (51), No. 4 in total points (129) and No. 5 in goals (39).

Bellevue's Kerri Tashiro leads Colorado College to the NCAA championship game with a 2-0 victory over Santa Clara in Raleigh, N.C. Tashiro opens the scoring in the 74th minute, her 16th of the season and CC record 60th career goal. She is named to the all-tournament team.

The United States wins its group at the FIFA Futsal Championships in Arnhem, The Netherlands, with Brent Goulet tacking on the final goal in a 4-1 victory over Italy.

One hundred-fifty days after the program's launch, Washington State plays its inaugural women's game in Pullman. The Cougars, who start five freshmen, get a hat trick from transfer Vicki Day and defeat Whitworth, 4-1, before 200 spectators. Day's historic first goal comes in the 25th minute. The 17-game WSU schedule features only small colleges (non-Division I) and two junior colleges throughout the Northwest.

After staving off elimination with a road win a night earlier, Tacoma is sent out of the MISL playoffs with a 6-2 loss at Wichita. The Wings win the best-of-five series, 3-1. With Preki ailing with groin and back injuries, the Stars had lost the first two games at home, 4-1 and 7-4.

Brent Goulet and Bournemouth cut ties after nearly two years, and the striker from Tacoma agrees to terms with FC Seattle. Goulet played parts of two seasons for the Second Division Cherries and was sent out on loan to Fourth Division Crewe Alexandra for a productive stretch before returning in January. Goulet had joined the Storm on loan in 1987 for a summer tour of Britain, where he was offered a Bournemouth trial.

Brian Gardner produces his second hat trick in as many games in Pacific Lutheran's 4-0 win at Lewis &Clark. Gardner also had three goals three days earlier in a 3-1 verdict at Pacific. By the end of the year, he totals 12 goals and a record 49 for his career. Chris Steffy's shutout against the Pioneers his is record 32nd.

Kasey Keller gets the shutout and Chris Henderson figures in the go-ahead goal as the U.S. upsets East Germany, 2-0, in the group stage of the FIFA Youth World Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. With the Americans up 1-nil, Keller saves a Thomas Rath drive in the 55th minute. In the 87th, Henderson is pulled down in the box, and Steve Snow buries the resulting penalty. The win virtually assures advancement to the knockout round.

Washington returns to the NCAA postseason for the first time in seven years but is still left seeking its first tournament advancement. Portland gets an overtime goal from Rob Baarts for a first-round win, 1-0. The Pilots, who had been without Kasey Keller in goal for a 3-2 loss at UW 10 days earlier, get eight saves from him, including a reflex stop of Bernd Strom. UP falls to UCLA on penalties in the next round.

Tacoma's Brent Goulet scores a goal to help the United States beat Brazil, 5-3, and advance to a semifinal matchup with the host Netherlands in the first-ever FIFA Futsal Championship. It's Goulet's second goal of the tournament. The Netherlands goes on to defeat the U.S., which finishes third. Brazil rebounds to beat Belgium on penalties and Holland, 2-1, in the final.

Everett's Chris Henderson is presented Gatorade Circle National High School Player of the Year at Seattle's Westin Hotel. A senior at Cascade, Henderson has helped the Bruins go 60-4-0 over his past three seasons, winning the state title in 1986. He also plays for the U.S. U20 National Team.

A Chance Fry brace fuels Seattle's must-win, 4-3, victory at Sacramento. Eddie Henderson adds a goal and two assists for the Storm. A loss to the Senators in the penultimate game would have eliminated the defending champs from contention.

On the eve of opening their title defense, FC Seattle Storm add national prep player of the year Chris Henderson, 18, to the roster. Henderson is two months away from graduating from Everett's Cascade High School and will enroll at UCLA later in the summer. He becomes the third big addition, joining Brent Goulet and Ricky Davis, both of the U.S. National Team.

Chris Henderson scores the United States opener in a 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Iraq at the FIFA Youth World Cup in Taif, Saudi Arabia. Henderson volleys home from 15 yards in the 17th minute. Dario Brose eventually nets the second-half winner. Henderson and Kasey Keller are part of the first U.S. team to reach a FIFA semifinal since the 1930 World Cup. Nigeria defeats Team USA, 2-1, in extra time and Brazil takes the consolation final, 2-0.

Shannon Higgins tallies a goal and assist while Amy Allmann gets the shutout in the United States' 6-0 romp past Italy's Sassari in the Sardinia Cup. Team USA proceeds to win the tournament on July 1 with a 5-nil beating of AC Milan.

Seattle Center director Virginia Anderson presents four options to the City Council for refurbishing and maintaining the Center for 25-30 years. The cost estimates range from $40 million to $240 million. Three of the options call for demolition of Memorial Stadium, which is owned by the Seattle School District. If the stadium were torn down, the city would have to build a replacement on another site, which could cost as much as $15 million.

El Salvador blanks England, 2-0, for its third straight Amputee World Cup championship at Shoreline Stadium. England had earlier won the tournament's indoor division, defeating El Salvador, 4-2, at Woodinville Indoor Center. Nine teams entered the fourth annual tournament, including a new entry from Russia.

Mark Kerlin's goal deep into overtime lifts Tacoma over defending champion San Diego to complete a Stars sweep of their first two home dates. Kerlin, who gave Tacoma its first lead, 2-1, in the third quarter, pokes home his own rebound 10:01 into the extra period. One night earlier, the Stars clouted Cleveland, 5-1, behind a Brent Goulet hat trick.

Preki contributes two goals and two assists as the Tacoma Stars clinch an MISL playoff berth by beating the Dallas Sidekicks, 5-2. Preki is coronated as the league scoring champion a day later. He finishes with 51 goals, 53 assists and 104 points. Tacoma scores the game's first four goals, with three in the first three minutes of the third period. The Stars (23-25) earn the No. 4 playoff seed.

Vidar Plaszko notches the go-ahead goal and later adds another goal for Pacific Lutheran in a 3-1 road win over Seattle Pacific at Memorial Stadium. It's the Lutes' first win in the 16-game series, dating back to 1970. SPU, which has made Memorial home since 1976, is playing the majority of its home dates at Redmond High School due to scheduling issues.

Brent Goulet starts and goes the full 90 in the United States’ first win in the final round of World Cup qualifying. Team USA defeats Costa Rica, 1-0, in St. Louis. Goulet will start the first three qualifying matches but loses his place following an ankle injury and U.S. Soccer allows his contract to lapse at year end.

Behind Chance Fry's brace, FC Seattle Storm closes ground on a playoff berth by scoring two second-half goals to beat Northern Division leader San Francisco Bay, 4-2, at Memorial Stadium. Peter Fewing, who set-up Fry's first goal, puts the Storm in front to stay in the 50th minute. Fry's breakaway in the 73rd assures Seattle (9-5) all nine possible points. With two games left to play it trails the Blackhawks by nine points and Portland by eight.

Dave Berto scores four goals, and Washington routs Ohio State, 7-1, at Shoreline Stadium to virtually wrap-up an NCAA tournament berth on the final day of the regular season. It's the Huskies' fourth straight win and seventh in eight. Berto, who scored two goals in a 3-2 home win over No. 7 Portland three days earlier, finishes the regular season with 17 goals.

Three Washington players start, and Chris Henderson, 19, scores the goal that salvages a U.S. National B Team 1-1 draw with host South Korea at the President's Cup in Seoul. Henderson, Mike Gosselin, 20, and Kasey Keller, 19, all start each of the three USMNT matches.

Tacoma Stars open their seventh MISL season with a roster featuring eight players produced by Washington State Youth Soccer Association alumni, with Tacoma's Brent Goulet getting the first goal. Once again, all three Schmetzer brothers (Andy, Brian and Walt) are in the fold, along with Rick Blubaugh, Bill Crook, Dick McCormick and John Hamel. The Stars' expanded, 52-game schedule starts on a sour note, with a 4-3 loss at Wichita, which got its opening goal from ex-Tacoma forward Peter Ward.

Tacoma Stars midfielder David Hoggan sustains fractured neck vertebra in an auto accident on an icy Federal Way road. Hoggan, who scored twice in a road win over Wichita two nights earlier, is ruled out for the season. He is encased in a halo brace for the next three months, leaving his future as a player uncertain.

Michelle Akers is invited to try out for the Orlando Lions men's professional team in the American Soccer League. Akers is also training occasionally with an NFL placekicking coach to gauge her prospects there. She makes a pair of 52-yard field goals. With the Lions, she impresses but is part of the final round of cuts.

Jessie Casbere scores two first-half goals in leading Thomas Jefferson to its first AAA state girls' championship, 3-1 over Sammamish at Renton Stadium. The Totems take the early on a Missy Stowell interception and score. The Raiders respond with strikes less than eight minutes apart. First, Casbere latches onto a through ball to equalize, then gets the go-ahead goal in the 34th minute. Jolene Herring's header from a corner kick is the finishing touch with 11 minutes to go.

Shannon Higgins of Kent is named ACC Player of the Year after leading North Carolina to a perfect record in league and tournament play. She led all players with 18 assists and finished her career as the all-time leader (45).

Behind a pair of goals and two assists from Shannon Higgins, North Carolina cruises to a 9-0 NCAA quarterfinal rout of Hartford in Chapel Hill. It's the sixth straight postseason game in which Higgins has scored.

It's Seattle vs. Portland, and Washingtonians figure in four of the five goals as the Timbers prevail, 3-2, in overtime before 3,875 at Memorial Stadium. Wade Webber puts home Dick McCormick's assist with about a minute left in the second extra period. Woodinville's Trent Schultz accounts for another Portland goal. Bellevue's Bernie James and Mill Creek's Clint Carnell connect for the Storm.

Peter Ward scores on a power-play goal with 2:37 remaining to break a 1-1 tie and lead the Tacoma Stars to a 3-1 victory at Kansas City. It's Tacoma's fourth win in a row and sixth in eight games. Ward has five goals in the last three wins. The Stars are now on track to reach the playoffs.

Lisa Fraser is chosen by Washington State as the first women's varsity head coach. Fraser, 31, formerly an assistant at UC Irvine, has only a few weeks to prepare for tryouts and complete the schedule.

Michelle Akers, a product of Shoreline's Shorecrest High, becomes the first female to win the Hermann Award as the nation's top collegiate player. A four-time All-American, Akers edges Kent's Shannon Higgins for the award. She is the most prolific scorer in Central Florida history, netting 11 goals in her final season and 52 over four years.

Dennis Lapchis tallies in the second half and his backed by Paul Maycock's shutout in Western Washington's 1-0 home win over Evergreen. It clinches the NCSC Cascade crown and promotion to the Olympic Division in 1990. The previous game Western beat Simon Fraser away for the first time, 2-1, to claim the District 1 North. Mark Miller tied it and Tom Venable won it.

Peter LaBarge and Mike Miller score to send Western Washington to its first NAIA national finals with an upset of 16th-ranked Warner Pacific in Portland. LaBarge knocks in a Cliff Potter rebound five minutes before halftime, and Miller intercepts a pass and beats the Knights keeper in the 65th minute. Paul Maycock get shutout with defender Steve Bowmer keeping Warner's top scorer under wraps.

Preki is voted MISL All-Star Game MVP for the second year in a row after scoring twice in the All-Stars' 8-1 rout of host Dallas. Preki jump-starts the game by initiating a fast break that leads to the game's first goal, after just 25 seconds. By the end of the first quarter Preki scores twice for a 3-0 lead. For the first time in the MISL's 10-year history, the league's showcase game sent a single team against top talent from the rest of the clubs.

Olympia's Kasey Keller is voted the Silver Ball or second-best player at the conclusion of the FIFA Youth World Cup. Keller led the U.S. to a fourth-place finish in Saudi Arabia.

Whitworth, No. 7 in NAIA, shocks unbeaten Portland, ranked No. 2 in Division I, earning a 1-1 tie on the road despite finishing a man down. The Pilots fire 37 shots but Rob Wilson makes six saves and the Pirates defense holds until the fourth minute of overtime. Joey Leonetti puts UP ahead on a 15-yard shot. With 2:25 remaining in the second extra period, Britt Badham’s throw finds John Gould for the equalizer past Kasey Keller from 6 yards. Whitworth weathers being whistled for 37 fouls, shown four yellow cards, including a second to David Hendrickx.

Stuart Lee is named head coach of FC Seattle Storm. Lee, 36, has been coaching the Stockport County reserves in England. The Storm also announce that defender Grant Gibbs, 25, has been signed as the team's first full-time player and captain. Gibbs, a graduate of Jefferson High in Federal Way, was 1989 Storm player of the year. Finally, Clive Charles has been elevated to the new position of coaching director after serving as academy director and coach of FCS Cozars.

Ron Lalime saves two penalty kicks in the shootout, lifting Mount Rainier to an unprecedented third consecutive state boys' AA championship, 1-1 (3-1), over Lakeside at Memorial Stadium. Lakeside goes ahead two minutes into the second half when John Streidl intercepts a pass from Lalime and converts. thirty seconds later, Ben Erickson ties it. The Rams had beaten Cascade, the AAA victor, during the regular season.

A hat trick from Kerri Tashiro takes No. 2-ranked Colorado College past Massachusetts, 5-2, in an NCAA quarterfinal game at Colorado Springs. It's the 16th career multi-goal game for Tashiro, who has a fellow Washingtonian, Shelley Separovich, as a teammate.

Sheri Noah's goal in the third overtime period wins a second straight NAIA national championship for Pacific Lutheran, 2-1, over top-ranked Berry College in Due West, S.C. Wendy Johnson, who was named the tournament's most valuable offensive player and overall MVP, put the Lutes ahead on a penalty kick 14:20 into the game. Berry ties it 10 minutes later, and a stalemate ensues. Finally, Noah kicks in a loose ball 4:59 into the sudden-death overtime, at 124:59. The Lutes become the first NAIA repeat champion.

Playing an MISL game before his family and friends for the first time, Daryl Green scores a decisive goal in Wichita's 4-2 win at Tacoma. A Kent native, Green is a late addition to the Wings' travel roster. He earlier starred at both Washington and FC Seattle. The loss comes in the middle of a Stars tailspin, losing five of seven. Before the game, Tacoma shares news that it will explore playing outdoor exhibitions in the summer.

Cascade High School's Chris and Sean Henderson are named to the Parade Magazine High School All-America team. Chris, a senior, is a repeat selection. Dick Henderson, their father, is coach of the Bruins. Older brother Pat Henderson played at San Diego State from 1985-88.

It takes Tacoma just two days to find its new coach. Keith Weller, an assistant at San Diego, is named to succeed the fired Alan Hinton. Weller was Ron Newman's aide when the Sockers won the 1988-89 MISL championship, and he was an assistant at Dallas when the Sidekicks beat the Stars for the 1986-87 crown. Joey Waters will serve as his assistant while continuing to play. Two days later, Tacoma wins Weller's debut, 6-3, over Wichita.

Cascade dominates the entire 80 minutes to win its second AAA boys' championship in three years, 4-0 over Newport at Memorial Stadium. It's the Bruins third knockout of an unbeaten team during the tournament, and the margin ties for the biggest in a boys' state final. Sean Henderson begins the night by scoring after only 40 seconds. Late in the first half Willie Franklin scores the first of his two goals, and Greg Nordby and Franklin tally in the waning minutes. Dick Henderson is in his first year as Cascade coach.

Karin Gilmer converts the decisive shootout penalty kick, propelling Pacific Lutheran into the NAIA championship game to defend its title in Due West, S.C. The Lutes, who dominate Lindenwood in shots (23-6), prevail after 120 minutes of regulation and overtime, 0-0 (4-3).

Tacoma native Brent Goulet has returned home. Goulet, 25, signs with the Tacoma Stars. He last played outdoors for FC Seattle Storm and was among the few Americans to play overseas when he signed with England's Bournemouth. Goulet graduate from Foss High School.

Shannon Higgins, a graduate of Mount Rainier High School in Des Moines, is named the nation's top player. Higgins, a senior who has never lost a game at North Carolina, is the second female winner of the Hermann Trophy. She had been runner-up to Michelle Akers for 1988. Higgins has 14 goals and 15 assists for the Tar Heels this season.

Hanford becomes the first state champion from east of the Cascades, defeating two-time defending champion Mountlake Terrace, 2-0, in the girls' AA-A final at Renton Stadium. Julie Hunter scores both goals less than a minute apart late in the first half. The Falcons, just in their fourth year, get a Hunter header from a Kelly Keve corner kick for their first goal. Fifty seconds later, Hunter pounces on the rebound of a blistering Keve shot.

Bothell's Clint Carnell earns ACC Player of the Week for scoring two goals in Duke's 2-2 tie with No. 1-ranked Virginia. It's Carnell's second such honor in three weeks. Earlier, he scored a goal and three assists in wins over North Carolina and N.C. State.

FC Seattle's late-season surge lasts up to the final minute of the WSL regular season, but the Storm loses, 3-2, at San Francisco Bay. Seattle finishes with the league's fourth-best point total, but only the top two teams from each division qualify for the playoffs. The Blackhawks go up 3-nil after 63 minutes. Peter Hattrup's penalty kick begins the comeback, and Brent Goulet then scores but S.F. Bay holds on to win the North.

NAIA champion Pacific Lutheran will return to nationals to defend the title following a 1-0 replay victory over Willamette for the regional title in Olympia. Laura Dutt gets the winner in the 44th minute on a pass from Shari Rider. The replay comes a day after the two teams finished 2-2 after 170 minutes of regulation and overtime. Dutt scored with 20 seconds left in regulation after Wendy Johnson got the Lutes' first two scores.

Preki's three-week hold out from Tacoma Stars preseason training ends with an agreement on a new deal. The reigning MVP, Preki was demanding the MISL maximum $90,000 while the Stars offered $83,000. The salary is for eight months, allowing Preki to pursue other opportunities during the offseason. The previous season he was paid $78,000 while the club paid $12,000 to his former Portuguese team as part of a buyout. The agreement comes three weeks before Tacoma begins the regular season.