Tuesday, October 4, 2016

PORTLAND -- Simon Fraser’s convincing 5-1 victory over Concordia saw the Clan improve to No. 2 in the nation in the NSCAA Coaches Poll with a perfect overall record of 8-0-0.

That equals the team’s best start to a season since 2011 when the team started 16-0-0. The Clan also started 2013 with a record of 8-0-0 before its first loss. The No. 2 ranking is the best in Simon Fraser history since being ranking No. 2 in 2014.

The Clan has two tough conference tests this week, traveling to Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and then to Montana State Billings on Saturday. If SFU wins both matches this week, it will tie the GNAC record for longest winning streak with 16 consecutive wins set by Seattle in 2005. Since then, Simon Fraser has twice tied the record (2010 and 2011) but no team has won the 17th.

While the rest of the GNAC has been inseparable, Simon Fraser has stayed above the fray, earning the maximum of nine points in three conference games. No other team has more than five points, since five of the nine conference matches in 2016 that didn’t feature Simon Fraser resulted in ties after two overtime periods.

Because of the abundance of draws in the first two weeks of conference play, little separates second-place Montana State Billings from seventh-place Concordia, which was in second place just two weeks ago.

On Saturday, the only two unbeaten teams left in the conference will go head-to-head when Simon Fraser travels to Montana State Billings. The Yellowjackets are a perfect 4-0 at home this year, while Simon Fraser is 5-0 on the road.

Seattle Pacific dropped its conference opener to Simon Fraser and since then has tied each of its last three opponents. The Falcons will be the first that will wrap up the first half of conference, hosting Western Washington and Concordia.

Saint Martin’s earned a tie with Montana State Billings last week after Northwest Nazarene needed a golden goal to beat the Saints. This week, Saint Martin’s will play at Concordia on Thursday before taking Saturday off.

Western Washington was the only winner on Saturday and the Vikings will look to build on that win at Seattle Pacific and Northwest Nazarene this week.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSE
Riley Pang, Simon Fraser
F • 6-3 • Freshman • Richmond, B.C.

Pang scored two goals and added an assist in the Clan’s 5-1 win over Concordia on Thursday. He scored his two goals on just three shots on goal.

Also Nominated: Kaleb Strawn (Saint Martin’s), Julien Dragomir (Montana State Billings), Anthony Dean (Western Washington), Matt Paine (Concordia), Alex Mitrovic (Northwest Nazarene).

DEFENSE
Jeffrey Collings, Seattle Pacific
D • 5-9 • Senior • Seattle, Wash.

Collings played all 220 minutes in a pair of ties against Montana State Billings and Northwest Nazarene as the Falcons allowed just one goal against 26 shots. Collings was responsible for a save in the 108th minute against the Crusaders.

Also Nominated: McKray Kohn (Saint Martin’s), Joe Scott (Montana State Billings), Colton Ronk (Western Washington), Magnus Kristensen (Simon Fraser), Jason Hines (Concordia), Ryan Foo (Northwest Nazarene).

GNAC MILESTONE TRACKER

Cody Lang (SPU) - On Saturday, Lang broke the all-time GNAC record for career shutouts with his 28th career shutout in a 0-0 draw with Northwest Nazarene. The senior also tied the record for shutouts in conference matches equalling Brandon Watson’s 19. In the tie with Northwest Nazarene, Lang had 10 saves to reach 202 career saves. He is the 10th player in GNAC history to reach the 200 mark in career saves.

Brandon Watson (SFU) - Watson recorded his 25th career shutout earlier this year, surpassing Zach Johnson of Seattle Pacific (2009-12) for third most shutouts in conference history. Watson is now just three shutouts away from the all-time conference record, but the player who holds the record is also in his senior season. On Thursday, Watson has a chance to become the first player in conference to reach 20 shutouts in conference matches.

Ricardo Palomino (MSUB) - The 2015 Newcomer of the Year had limited playing time early in the season, but is now the Yellowjackets’ leading scorer. He now ranks 27th all-time in goals scored with 19. He also ranks 41st in total points scored with 43. He also has one game-winning goal this year, making him the 38th player in conference history to score six game-winners in their career.

Ryan Dhillon (SFU) - Dhillon has assisted five goals this season, which is tied for most in the conference this year. Dhillon now has 19 career assists, needing just one more to crack the top 10 all-time in the GNAC for career assists. He also has 21 goals and 61 points in his career which rank 24th and 18th all-time in the GNAC respectively.

Ryan Foo (NNU) - Foo has recorded 54 saves already this season for 194 career saves. That is second among active goalkeepers and is 13th all-time in conference history. He also ranks 14th in saves per match this year in all of NCAA Division II. Foo needs six more saves to become the 11th goalkeeper in GNAC history to record 200 career saves.

Matt Paine (CU) - After missing the first two games, Paine has had a fantastic season, scoring a goal in every game he has played. He now has 10 career multi-point matches becoming the 10th player to have double-digit multi-point matches. He has 17 career goals and 43 career points, which rank 34th and 41st respectively, in the GNAC all-time leaders.

Simon Fraser - The Clan has opened the season with eight consecutive wins, scoring a total of 21 goals. The Clan has won all of its last 14 matches, scored a goal in all of its last 15 and scored multiple goals in each of the last 12 games. Simon Fraser needs two more victories to tie the conference recorded for longest winning streak. Following the win against Concordia, the Clan has a 14-match home unbeaten streak, which is three away from the conference record.

AROUND THE GNAC

CONCORDIA
• The Cavaliers dropped both matches on the road this week. After losing 5-1 to Simon Fraser, Concordia lost to Western Washington on a golden goal in the second overtime.
• Matt Paine has scored six goals in six matches this season, scoring at least once in five of the matches. Four of his goals have tied matches, including his goal against Western Washington, which sent the match into overtime. Paine has two multi-point matches this year giving him 10 in his career, which is the best among active players.
• Concordia had 10 saves in both matches this week, reaching double digit saves for a third time this season. Only one other team has had done so once.
• The Cavaliers will host Saint Martin’s on Thursday and then travel on Saturday to Seattle Pacific. Concordia defeated Saint Martin’s both times last year, while tying eventual conference champion Seattle Pacific in both matches in 2015.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings tied both matches this week against Seattle Pacific and Saint Martin’s to remain unbeaten in conference play this year with one win in four matches.
• Since dropping the first two matches of the season, the Yellowjackets have gone unbeaten in eight matches, including a five-match winning streak.
• The Yellowjackets outscored opponents 16-0 during the five-match winning streak.
• The streak of five shutout victories tied the longest in program history, which was originally set in 2007. During that streak, the Yellowjackets outscored opponents 14-0.
• The Yellowjackets will not play on Thursday, but will return to action on Saturday to host undefeated Simon Fraser in a battle of the lone unbeaten programs in the conference.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene played overtime in both matches. The Crusaders beat Saint Martin’s and tied Seattle Pacific.
• Alex Mitrovic scored the golden goal in first 15 seconds of overtime to beat Saint Martin’s.
• The Crusaders lead the conference in assists with 18.
• NNU will host Simon Fraser and Western Washington this week.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s went to overtime in both games, losing to NNU in the first minute of overtime and tying Montana State Billings on Saturday.
• Kyle Witzel scored two goals and assisted another this week. He has four goals and two assists this season and leads the conference in shots with 32.
• Griffin Small averages fives saves per match, which ranks 34th in the nation.
• Saint Martin’s will play at Concordia on Thursday and take Saturday off.
• The Saints are still looking for their first road victory of 2016.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• The Falcons played to draws in both matches this week.
• Seattle Pacific enterred the week fifth in the conference in goals against average, but with the return of senior defender Jeffrey Collins, the Falcons allowed only one goal in 220 minutes.
• Stephen MacDonald leads the conference in goals with seven this year. He now has a total of 22 career goals, which ranks 21st in conference history.
• The Falcons improved their home unbeaten streak in conference matches to 24 with the two ties.
• Cody Lang broke the all-time conference record for career shutouts with 28.

SIMON FRASER
• The Clan improved its 2016 season start to 8-0 with a 5-1 victory on Terry Fox Field against Concordia.
• Since shutting out his first three opponents, Brandon Watson has allowed exactly one goal in each of the last five victories. Watson hasn’t allowed multiple goals in 14 consecutive matches and each match has resulted in wins.
• Simon Fraser remained No. 1 in the West Region and  moved up to No. 2 in the nation in the latest NSCAA Division II Coaches Poll.
• The Clan has scored a goal in each of the last 15 matches and is now on a 14-match winning streak, which is the longest active streak in the conference. The GNAC record for longest winning streak is 16.
• The Clan has scored at least two goals in each of its last 12 matches and hasn’t allowed multiple goals once during the 14-match winning streak.
• SFU has not been beaten at home in 14 matches, which is just three away from tying the conference record, which Simon Fraser set two years ago.
• Mamadi Camara has scored seven of the team’s 21 goals this season, while Adam Jones has scored four and GNAC Offensive Player of the Week Riley Pang has scored three.
• The Clan has taken nearly twice as manys shots as its opponents, 121-51.
• This week, the Clan goes to Northwest Nazarene and MSU Billings.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington won its only match this week with a golden goal by Anthony Dean in the 105th minute for a 2-1 victory over Concordia.
• The Vikings are one of 40 teams in the nation with a goals against average of under one.
• Dean leads the Vikings offense with four goals and two assists for a total of 10 points, which ranks seventh in the conference.
• Among players in the conference with at least 20 saves, Tyler Visten has the best save percentage at .759.
• The Vikings 19.25 shots per match leads the conference and ranks fifth in the nation, but the team has just 1.62 goals per match, which is the second lowest in the conference.
• Western Washington will play on Tuesday at Interbay Stadium against Seattle Pacific before traveling East to face Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.