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POSTED: Friday, Nov. 13, 2009

COLLEGE SOCCER: WCC looks forward to home field advantage to start postseason

The Whatcom Community College soccer teams have done their best to set themselves up for postseason success.

Both the men and women are set to kick off playoff action with second-round games set for Saturday, Nov. 14.

The best part? Both games will take place on the Orcas' home turf.

That's not by accident. The WCC men finished atop the North standings with a 6-2-5 record, good enough for a first-round bye. They'll take on Spokane Community College at 2 p.m. with a new residence amid the NWAACC rankings, debuting this week at No. 8.

And those five ties could have just as easily been wins, too, WCC coach Josh Turpen said. Better play in about 25 minutes during those draws, the coach said, and, "we might be looking at a nine-win season."

Spokane defeated Pierce on Wednesday, Nov. 11, to advance to play the Orcas.

"Spokane's a tough team. We're hoping we can come out and have a solid 90 minutes and make it back to the final four," Turpen said.

The women, ranked No. 6 in the NWAACC poll, enjoyed similar success during the regular season, going 9-3-1 to finish first in the North standings and securing a first round bye.

That's all despite losing a couple of key players during the season to knee injuries. Malia Grajeda was hurt during the preseason and Nina Rhea, an all-star last year and team leader, was injured midway through the season.

"They've battled through," Turpen said. "I've been pretty pleased with how they've played."

Bianca Canaday has certainly helped pick up the slack, accounting for nine goals and three assists while the WCC defense has allowed just eight goals scored all year.

"She's playing great," Turpin said of Canaday. "She's real physical."

The women are set to host Columbia Basin, which boasts the services of the league's top scorer, on Saturday, Nov. 14, at noon.

"Our strength comes from working together and getting everyone involved," Turpen said. "If we can stay working together, I like our chances."

Nino Tursic has found the net a team-high 14 times for the WCC men along with two assists. He's tied for second in the NWAACC and could easily have many more goals, Turpen said.

The freshman forward tends to score in spurts.

"When he's on, he's very dangerous," Turpen said. "When he's off, we struggle to score goals."

The goal for the WCC men is to put together a consistent, 90-minute effort against Spokane. The comforts of home could certainly help both teams, especially since Turpen will be able to coach both teams on Saturday.

Last postseason, the men and women played at separate locations on the same day, meaning an assistant coach had to take a team while Turpen had the other.

"Both are home games so that's a huge advantage for us," Turpen said.