Wednesday, November 14, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. – Dominating the selections to the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-West Region Women's Soccer Team, a total of 11 Great Northwest Athletic Conference players received first or second team honors to cap the 2018 season.

Regular-season champion Western Washington led the league with four selections, two on each team. Seniors Gabriela Pelogi and Taylor Hallquist were selected to the first team, while sophomore Grace Eversaul and junior Emily Nelson represent the Vikings on the second team.

Concordia, winners of the 2018 GNAC Championships title, is represented on the first team by seniors Kasey Ames and Gabrielle Ewing. Junior Kyra Radcliffe also receieved recognition from the committee, earning a spot on the second team after a standout 2018 campaign.

Simon Fraser and Seattle Pacific rounded out the selections with a pair of representatives from each school. The Clan placed a pair upperclassmen on the first team list in Emma Pringle and GNAC Player of the Year Jenna-lee Baxter. Baxter was as explosive as anyone in the conference this season, recording 11 goals and 10 assists.

Falcons defender Julia DeVere was her club's represenative on the first team after a year that netted her the conference's Defensive Player of the Year award. Teammate Sophia Chilzuk also earned a nod from the committee, making the second team from her forward position.

Leading her team in her final season in Bellingham, Pelogi ranks third in the GNAC in goals per match (0.53) and is tied for first in game-winning goals with five. The forward was also a First Team All-GNAC selection for a third consecutive season. Joining Pelogi as a First Team All-West Region selection is Hallquist. The senior defender has tallied 12 points while appearing in 19 matches this season.

Ames provided a strong balance at the center of the pitch for Concordia and was rewarded with a nod from the committee. The senior built on a solid 2017 campaign and started in all 20 matches in 2018. She helped lead her team to a second-place finish in a year that featured just two losses.

Rounding out the Cavaliers' representatives on the first team is Ewing, who did a little bit of everything in her senior season. The midfielder finished the year as the team leader in goals (8) while tying for first in points (22).

For a third consecutive year, Pringle lands All-West Region honors after yet another impressive campaign. The junior finished the season tied for first on the Clan in goals (11) and started all 16 matches. She was joined by Baxter, making an appearance on the first team for a second straight season. Baxter was the club's other leading goal-scorer while also tallying 10 assists.

Putting a lid on the conference's first team selections is DeVere. In her final season in Seattle, she spearheaded SPU's defensive dominance throughout much of the 2018 campaign. The team finished third in the conference in goals allowed (15), goals against average (0.81) and shutouts (8).

No. 3 seed Western Washington will take on No. 1 UC San Diego this Friday in the third round of the 2018 NCAA Division II Championships. This will be the third consecutive meeting in the West Regional final between the two clubs.

The seven GNAC first-team members will now be forwarded to the national ballot, which will be announced Wednesday, Nov. 28.