Thursday, September 20, 2018

SENSATIONAL SOPHOMORE: He may be in just his second year in Burnaby, but Simon Fraser forward Connor Glennon is making quite the impact.

The sophomore is the reigning United Soccer Coaches Division II Player of the Week after recording four goals and two assists in a pair of victories away from home last week. In addition to the national honor, Glennon was also named as the GNAC's Offensive Player of the Week.     

CONFERENCE PLAY BEGINS: Six matches are on tap throughout the GNAC this week as all seven teams play their conference openers.

The slate is headlined by No. 3 Simon Fraser's first home match of the season. The Clan will host Montana State Billings on Thursday night with a 7 p.m. kickoff.

Elsewhere in the league, the GNAC's other representative in the United Soccer Coaches West Region rankings lifts the lid on conference play as No. 8 Western Washington travels to Saint Martin's on Thursday afternoon. The Vikings will then return home two days later to Montana State Billings on Saturday night.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSE
Connor Glennon(Simon Fraser, F, 5-10, Sophomore, Vernon, B.C.)

Glennon scored four goals and had two assists as the Clan won a pair of road matches last week. He accounted six points in a 5-0 shoutout of Mary, then added two more goals in a 6-0 win against Oklahoma Baptist.

Also Nominated: Kieran McMinn (Concordia), Dana Kowachek (Montana State Billings), Sebastian Navarro (Saint Martin's), Alden Massey (Seattle Pacific), Georg Cholewa (Western Washington).

DEFENSE
Jeremiah Lee(Western Washington, D, 6-4, Junior, Marysville, Wash.)

Lee helped anchor a Western Washington defense in a split of a pair of home matches. He scored the game-winning goal in Saturday’s 1-0 shutout of Hawaii Pacific while also playing a key role in keeping HPU off the scoreboard despite playing a man down for 78 minutes.

Also Nominated: Brandon McCurtain (Concordia), Samuele Folla (Montana State Billings), Luciano Trasolini (Simon Fraser).

AROUND THE GNAC

CONCORDIA
• Concordia went 1-0-1 in the third week of the season, taking down Holy Names (3-0) before drawing with Dominican (2-2) in a pair of matches played in San Rafael, Calif.
• The Cavaliers sit at 2-2-1 on the season, with both of their victories coming in shutout fashion.  
• In the team’s lone win of the week, forward Kieran McMinn scored the first two goals of the match en route to a big 3-0 victory over the Hawks.
• Concordia returns to the pitch for a single match this week. The team will play host to Seattle Pacific on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. 

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings picked up a pair of victories away from home last week, topping Oklahoma Baptist (2-1) and Mary (1-0).
• Three different players, midfielders Ignacio Crespo, Christian Thode and Dana Kowachek, tallied goals for the Yellowjackets. Kowacheck’s three goals through seven matches leads the team.
• Freshman Dalton Mauzay made his first start in goal against the Marauders, keeping a clean sheet and recording three saves while earning the victory. Senior Ludvig Rhodin has also shined in goal this season, making 31 saves while allowing just nine goals.  
• Montana State Billings stays on the road this week, opening GNAC play with a pair of matches against the conference’s two representatives in the United Soccer Coaches West Region rankings. It will face Simon Fraser on Thursday night before traveling to Western Washington for a 7 p.m. kickoff on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene is still searching for its first victory of the season after recording a pair of one-goal defeats last week.
• The Nighthawks were level with both Biola and Point Loma late in the matches, but an 89th minute goal against the Eagle and a 102nd minute strike against the Sea Lions doomed NNU.
• The club will get their lone reprieve this week in a stretch that features six of seven matches away from NNU Field.
• The break from the road comes with their first conference match of the season as Seattle Pacific will pay a visit to Nampa on Thursday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. 

SAINT MARTIN'S
• Saint Martin’s finished its third week of play with a 1-1 record.
• The lone victory came on Thursday in Lacey, where the Saints dominated Hawaii Hilo for a 4-1 victory. Four different players netted goals in that one, while goalkeeper Griffin Small logged over 75 minutes in goal and was credited with the win.
• Small was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week in week one and has continued to put up impressive numbers. The senior’s 28 saves leads the GNAC and has him ranked inside the top-30 nationally.
• The Saints will stay at home this week for a pair of matches to lift the lid on their GNAC slate. First up is a date with Western Washington on Thursday afternoon, then No. 3 Simon Fraser comes calling for a 3 p.m. kickoff on Saturday. 

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific swept its two-match visit from Hawaii Pacific and Hawaii Hilo last week.
• The highlight came in Saturday’s 5-0 shutout of the Vulcans. Freshman Alden Massey completed a hat trick in the match’s first 43 minutes as his team cruised to victory.                
• Massey’s three-goal performance was the program’s first since Stephen MacDonald accomplished the trick against Metro State back in 2016.
• The Falcons hit the road now, traveling to Northwest Nazarene on Thursday before facing Concordia in Portland on Saturday afternoon.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser sits on top of the table and is ranked No. 3 nationally after finishing week three with another perfect 2-0 record. The team also tops the United Soccer Coaches West Region rankings and now sits at 6-0-0 on the season.
• The Clan stayed on the road and took down both Mary (N.D.) and Oklahoma Baptist for easy victories last week.
• The club outscored its opponents by a tally of 11-0, which makes for a total of 14-0 in its last three matches. Goalkeeper Luciano Trasolini recorded all 180 minutes in goal, recording five saves en route to improving his record to 6-0 on the year.
• Forward Connor Glennon was named the United Soccer Coaches Division II Player of the Week and GNAC Offensive Player of the Week. The sophomore tallied four goals and two assists in the two victories and is now second on the team in goals (5) behind forward Matteo Polisi (6).  
• Simon Fraser will look to stay hot in the first week of GNAC action as it returns to Burnaby for its home opener. The club will face Montana State Billings on Thursday prior to a road match with Saint Martin’s on Saturday afternoon.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington split a pair of 1-0 matches in its final two non-conference matches of the season.
• The victory came on Saturday against Hawaii Pacific as defender Jeremiah Lee used his head and scored the game-winning goal in the match’s 85th minute. Midfielder Georg Cholewa was credited with the assist after putting the ball into the center box off a corner kick.
• Lee’s performance earned him GNAC Defensive Player of the Week honors. The Marysville, Washington product not only provided the team’s game-winning goal but also anchored a defense that kept the Sharks off the scoreboard despite playing a man down for 78 minutes.
• In the latest edition of the United Soccer Coaches West Region rankings, the Vikings come in at No. 8. Simon Fraser (No. 1) is the GNAC’s other representative.
• Western Washington will hit the road for its first GNAC competition of the season, facing Saint Martin’s in Lacey on Thursday afternoon. The team then returns home for its conference home opener on Saturday, a 7 p.m. kickoff against Montana State Billings.