Basin alumnae earn NWAC title

PASCO — Two Basin high school alumnae were a part of Columbia Basin College’s 2023 Northwest Athletic Conference Soccer Championship-winning team last November, with Othello aluma Janelly Verduzco and Moses Lake alumna Joelee Green-Cerrillo both winning NWAC titles.

Verduzco, a sophomore midfielder with the Hawks, led CBC with 11 goals during the 2023 season, also assisting on a team-high six passes while starting 18 of CBC’s 20 games. Green-Cerrillo, a freshman midfielder, saw action in 13 games, scoring two goals and recording two assists. 

The Hawks stood unbeaten at 11-0-2 through their first 13 games last season, with the two ties coming on the road against Spokane and North Idaho. CBC’s first and only loss of the year was at home against Spokane, a 4-1 loss on Oct. 14.

CBC won its final three games of the regular season, earning a No. 2 seed out of the NWAC East in the NWAC Soccer Championships; the Hawks won their first three games of the tournament, defeating Pierce 2-0 in the regional playoff, Chemeketa 2-1 in the quarterfinals and Lower Columbia 1-0 in the Final Four to reach the NWAC championship game.

In between CBC and an NWAC title was Spokane, which had beaten the Hawks on their home field less than a month prior. Spokane took a 1-0 less than 10 minutes into the title game, and held CBC scoreless for nearly 80 minutes before Verduzco tied the game with a goal in the 87th minute. Tied at one in overtime, CBC sophomore defender Violet Duran gave the Hawks the win with a goal in the 95th minute.

CBC finished the 2023 season with a 17-1-3 record.