Wednesday, October 28, 2015

BIRD’S-EYE VIEW: The Seattle Pacific Falcons control the path to the GNAC Men’s Soccer Championship, sitting three points above second place Simon Fraser with three matches remaining. If the Falcons win their final three matches, they will claim their second straight title.

WEST REGION RANKINGS: The second NCAA Division Regional Rankings were released Oct. 28. These rankings determine which teams will be invited to the NCAA National Tournament in November. Seattle Pacific leads GNAC teams, ranked No. 2 in the West Region. Northwest Nazarene is also in the rankings at No. 8.

CLAN CLIMBING: A back-and-forth season for Simon Fraser, the Clan have jumped back up to second place in the GNAC standings. They are also in the NSCAA Division II West Region Rankings for the first time since Sept. 22, ranking No. 10.

STILL IN THE HUNT: Montana State Billings, Northwest Nazarene and Concordia still have an opportunity to win the GNAC title. The Yellowjackets are in third with 20 points, Northwest Nazarene in fourth with 19 points and Concordia in fifth with 17 points.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSIVE
Fernando Alvarez, Northwest Nazarene
D/F • 6-2 • Junior • San Diego, Calif.

Alvarez went big in the Crusaders’ 7-0 shutout of Saint Martin’s on Thursday, scoring three goals to go along with three assists. His three assists tie for the best single-match performance in Division II this season and his nine points tie him for fourth best in Division II. Also nominated: Adam Jones (Simon Fraser), Thiago Novis (Montana State Billings), Matt Paine (Concordia), Adam Talley (Western Washington).

DEFENSIVE
Cody Guthrie, Concordia
D • 6-1 • Senior • Troutdale, Ore.

Guthrie anchored a Concordia defense that held opponents scoreless for 200 minutes last week. The Cavaliers played No. 9 Seattle Pacific to a 0-0 tie on Thursday and a 1-0 shutout of Saint Martin’s on Saturday. Guthrie played all 200 minutes. Also nominated: Luke Broz (Northwest Nazarene), Cameron Lee (Montana State Billings), Anthony Van DeVendel (Simon Fraser).

AROUND THE GNAC

CONCORDIA

• The Cavaliers continue to hang near the top of the GNAC standings, sitting in fifth place with 17 points and a 4-2-5 record.

• Concordia leads the conference in ties (5) this season. The ties have helped keep them close in the standings, but with only six wins, the Cavaliers are in need of points in the final two weeks.

• The Cavaliers played NCAA West Region No. 2 ranked Seattle Pacific to a scoreless tie on Thursday. They then defeated Saint Martin’s 1-0 on Saturday.

• Matt Paine remains second in the conference in points (24) and goals (9) and is third in assists (6).

• The Cavaliers will play their final three matches at home. Coming up, they host Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday. They trail first place by seven points and second place by four points.

MARY

• The Marauders fell 3-0 twice last week to Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.

• With a 2-9-0 conference record and six points, the Marauders can finish in sixth place at best.

• James Liddiard leads the team with four goals and nine points. Teammate Christoffer Nogueira leads the Marauders with four assists.

• Goalkeeper Ludvig Rhodin is second in the conference in saves per game (4.50).

• The Marauders will be on the road for their final three matches. They face NCAA West Region No. 2 ranked Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS

• The Yellowjackets finished the week 1-1 in two road matches, falling to Simon Fraser 1-0 on Thursday and defeating Western Washington on Saturday.

• With 20 points and a 6-3-2 record, the Yellowjackets are in third place in the conference. They trail second place by one point and first place by four points.

• Ricardo Palomino continues to lead the conference in points (34), goals (16) and game-winning goals (5).

• The Yellowjackets play two matches this week on the road with a chance to gain ground in the conference. They face Saint Martin’s on Thursday in a winnable contest before playing first place Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

• With two wins, the Yellowjackets can pull themselves to within one point of first place.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE

• The Crusaders had to drastically different matches last week, defeating Saint Martin’s 7-0 on Thursday before falling to Seattle Pacific 2-1 on Saturday.

• Fernando Alvarez had a career match against SMU. He had a hat trick and three assists for nine points and factored into each of the team’s first six goals. His three assists tied for the most in a match in Division II and his nine points tied for fourth most.

• After the loss to Seattle Pacific, the Crusaders dropped to fourth place in the conference with 19 points and a 6-4-1 record.

• Northwest Nazarene ranked eighth in the second NCAA Division II West Region Poll. The top-eight teams from the region are invited to the NCAA Championships.

• The Crusaders will be at home for both matches this week, hosting Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S

• The Saints fell twice on the road last week 7-0 against Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and 1-0 against Concordia on Saturday.

• Saint Martin’s enters the week with six points and a 2-9-0 conference record. They are tied with Mary for seventh place and can finish as high as sixth place with three matches remaining.

• Kyle Witzel leads the team with five goals and 10 points. He also paces the team with 36 shots.

• Goalkeeper Nick Rosato is first in the GNAC in saves (74) and saves per game (5.29).

• The Saints play their final two home matches of the season this week. They host Montana State Billings on Thursday and Mary on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC

• With a win and a tie this week, the Falcons inched closer to claiming the GNAC men’s soccer championship. With 24 points and a 7-1-3 conference record, they lead second place Simon Fraser by three points with three matches remaining.

• The Falcons played Concordia to a scoreless draw on the road on Thursday and defeated Northwest Nazarene 2-1 in Nampa, Idaho.

• Seattle Pacific remained at No. 9 in the NSCAA Division II Top-25 Poll and No. 2 in the second NCAA West Region Poll.

• The Falcons have allowed just seven goals in 15 matches this season. Goalkeeper Cody Lang leads the GNAC in goals against average (0.46), save percentage (.873) and shutouts (8).

• Seattle Pacific plays its final three matches at home. They host Mary on Thursday and Montana State Billings on Saturday. With two wins this week and a Simon Fraser loss or tie, the Falcons can clinch their second straight GNAC title. They can also clinch by winning their final three matches.

SIMON FRASER

• Simon Fraser won both matches this week and moved themselves into second place in the conference standings. With 21 points and a 6-2-3 record, the Clan trail first place Seattle Pacific by three points.

• The Clan defeated the hot Montana State Billings Yellowjackets 1-0 on Thursday and took care of Mary on Saturday.

• Simon Fraser reentered the NSCAA Division II West Region Poll for the first time this season since Sept. 22. The Clan is ranked No. 10 in the poll.

• Adam Jones leads the Clan in points (16), goals (6) and assists (4). He also leads the GNAC in shots (60) and ranks fourth in points.

• The Clan play two tough road matches at Concordia on Thursday and at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. They will need to win out on their schedule and receive outside help with a Seattle Pacific loss to win the GNAC Championship.

WESTERN WASHINGTON

• The Vikings picked up a win and a loss last week, defeating Mary 3-0 on Thursday before falling 1-0 to Montana State Billings on Saturday.

• Adam Talley scored a hat trick for the Vikings against Mary, scoring all three goals in the match. His three goals put his season total to six.

• Talley leads the Vikings in points (16) and goals (6). He is third in the GNAC in goals and fifth in points.

• The Vikings are in sixth place in the GNAC with 11 points and a 3-6-2 record. They have potential to move up in the standings, but trail fifth place Concordia by six points.

• Coming up on their schedule, the Vikings will be on the road at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and at Concordia on Saturday.