As the NCAA regular-season schedule concludes and teams gear up for conference tournaments and final games ahead of the NCAA Tournament draw on Monday, several Timbers Academy alumni continue to make strides in their first collegiate seasons.
Timbers Academy alum Anthony Macchione (above) netted the final goal in the 81st minute for Akron in a 4-0 win over Buffalo on Nov. 8. The goal, Macchione’s second of his freshman campaign, helped the Zips capture their 10th consecutive Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC) regular-season title and the top seed to the MAC tournament – which Akron will host. Midfielder Jesse Garcia-Aguilar made his 18th appearances for Akron in the match. The Timbers Academy alum has registered one goal and one assist this season as a freshman. The Zips play host to Western Michigan on Friday in the MAC Tournament semifinals. Should Akron reach the MAC Championship, it will face either Bowling Green or No. 2 seed West Virginia on Sunday.
Stanford freshman Foster Langsdorf featured off the bench in Stanford’s 2-0 win over Washington on Nov. 7 and again in a 2-1 victory over Oregon State on Nov. 9. The former Timbers U-18s forward has appeared in 11-straight matches for the Cardinal. No. 3 Stanford faces No. 13 Cal on Sunday in their final regular-season match with the Pac-12 Conference title on the line. The Pac-12 doesn’t play a postseason tournament, so if Stanford wins on Sunday, it will claim the title. Losses from No. 6 UCLA and Washington would also give the Cardinal the title, but should Stanford fall to Cal, then UCLA could take the title with a win. If UCLA ties and Stanford loses then the pair would reign as co-champions.
In their inaugural men’s soccer season, Utah Valley University and freshman goalkeeper Collin Partee clinched a berth in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament with a 3-1 win over Bakersfield on Nov. 7. Partee, who ranks first in the WAC and 12th nationally in save percentage (.833), posted a 7-5-2 record with two shutouts in the regular season. Utah Valley takes on Bakersfield in the opening round of the WAC Tournament on Thursday. The winner will face No. 2 seed Seattle University on Friday. The championship match and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament is on the line on Sunday.
Gonzaga took a win and a loss from their weekend matchups with freshman Ben White earning his eighth-straight start for the Zags. Following a 2-0 loss to St. Mary’s on Nov. 7, White and Gonzaga posted a shutout in a 1-0 overtime win against Pacific on Nov. 9. Currently sitting in sixth place in the West Coast Conference, the Zags have an opportunity to move up the conference standings against Portland on Saturday in their final regular-season match.
Former Timbers Academy players Spencer Kleweno and Rolando Velazquez each made substitute appearances for Oregon State in a 4-3 win over Cal on Nov. 7. For Kleweno, a sophomore, it was his 10th appearance of the season. Velazquez made his fourth appearance. The freshman has netted one goal and three assists this season. Oregon State ends its regular-season schedule with a match against Washington on Sunday
