Wednesday, September 11, 2019

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSE
Nicholas Denley, Concordia
M • 5-7 • Sophomore • McMinnville, Ore.

Denley had a goal and an assist to lead Concordia to a pair of victories in the Cavaliers opening weekend. Against Adams State in the season opener, Denley provided the assist on the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory. Two days later against Regis, he scored the game-winning goal in the 83rd minute to help the Cavs come from behind to defeat the Rangers 3-1.

Also Nominated: Drew Farnsworth (Western Washington), Sebastian Navarro (Saint Martin’s), William Raphael (Simon Fraser).

DEFENSIVE

Jessy Martin, Montana State Billings
GK • 5-11 • Freshman • Chateauroux, France

Martin made 11 saves on 12 shots on goal to help Montana State Billings tie No. 2 Cal Poly Pomona in the SFU Showdown. Against Cal State San Bernardino, Martin only allowed one goal and made five saves on six shots on goal.

Also Nominated: Camron Miller (Western Washington), Jose Marquez (Saint Martin’s), Liam Kiger (Concordia).

AROUND THE GNAC

CONCORDIA

• Concordia is coming off a hot start after finishing 2-0 at home during the opening week of the season.

• The Cavaliers are the only team remaining in the GNAC without a loss.

• Sophomore midfielder Nicholas Denley had a goal and an assist to lead the Cavs to the pair of victories. Denley provided the assist on the game-winning goal against Adams State, and scored the game-winning goal in the 83rd minute against Regis to help the Cavs come from behind to win 3-1. He was named GNAC Offensive Player of the Week.

• Concordia rotated goalkeepers. Mathias Ericksen recorded five saves on five shots on goal against Adams State. In Game 2, Kenneth Symmes recorded three saves on four shots on goal.

• Concordia will have two road matches in California this week. The Cavs will face off with Chico State at 7 p.m. on Thursday, then go head-to-head with Sonoma State at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS

• Montana State Billings finished the week with a 0-1-1 record, but showed promising bright spots the SFU Showdown. Most impressive was the Yellowjackets’ defense.

• The Yellowjackets held now No. 14 Cal State San Bernardino to just one goal in the 1-0 loss.

• Jessy Martin was named the Defensive Player of the Week after recording 11 saves on 12 shots on goal in the Yellowjackets’ 1-1 tie of then No. 2 Cal Poly Pomona in what was a weekend to forget for the Broncos in Burnaby.

• Montana State Billings will stay at home this week to host the Rimrock Classic in Billings. The Yellowjackets will play Humboldt State at 3 p.m. on Friday then South Dakota Mines at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE

• Northwest Nazarene took a 4-0 loss at Cal State LA on Thursday but turned things around to top Biola 3-2 on the Eagles’ home field on Saturday.

• In the win against Biola, the Nighthawks came back from a 2-0 deficit and scored three goals within 18 minutes to stun the Eagles. Garrison Lee scored the game-winning goal in the 87th minute.

• The Northwest Nazarene offense came alive in Game 2 with 12 shots and six shots on goal. Lorenzo Valentini and Aoci Watambela scored the other two goals for the Nighthawks.

• Goalkeeper Alex Nadermann recorded eight saves on 10 shots on goal against Biola to keep Northwest Nazarene within striking distance.

• Up next for the Nighthawks is a home game against Colorado Mesa at noon on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN'S

• Saint Martin’s is 1-0-1 to start the 2019 season.

• The Saints traded blows with Regis in a Thursday-afternoon thriller that ended in a tie after 2 OT. Jose Marquez and Sebastian Navarroeach scored a goal in the match.

• The Saints offense took care of business against Adams State in a 5-0 win over the Grizzlies. The Saints scored three goals in a seven-minute span in the second period.

• Navarro recorded two assists, five shots and one shot on goal in the 5-0 victory over Adams State. Brandon Madsen had a goal and an assist in the win. The Saints tallied a total of 25 shots with 11 shots on goal during the contest.

• Hunter Askland and Gunnar Morehead shared playing time in the net. Both goalkeepers recorded a save in the match.

• Saint Martin’s shot more than any other team in the GNAC with 16.50 shots and 3.50 goals per game. After the first week of the season, the Saints have the top scoring offense in the GNAC.

• Saint Martin’s will host Pacific (Ore.) and Cal State Dominguez Hills this week. The Saints are scheduled to play the Boxers at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. The Saints will play the Toros at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC

• Seattle Pacific’s lone game against Sonoma State last week ended in a tie in 2 OT. The Falcons’ record stands at 0-0-1 after one week of play.

• Seattle Pacific’s second game of the season was suspended due to weather conditions in the Seattle area. The status of a rescheduling of the match is still pending.

• Mario Vukic opened the scoring for the Falcons with a 16-yarder to open the second period.

• Seattle Pacific tallied 16 shots, eight of which were on goal.

• Goalkeeper Lars Helleren picked up 10 saves in the contest on 27 shots and 11 shots on goal by the Seawolves.

• Up next for the Falcons is a 5:30 p.m. match at Colorado Mines.

SIMON FRASER

• Simon Fraser entered the season as unanimous favorites to defend the GNAC title. The Clan opened the season at No. 13 in the United Soccer Coaches Division II Preseason Poll.

• The Clan saw its last two seasons come to an end by losses to Cal Poly Pomona, but in 2019, the Clan plans to change that.

• Simon Fraser opened its season with a 3-1 victory over then No. 2 Cal Poly Pomona in the final game of Day 1 of the SFU Showdown in Burnaby. Matteo Polisi and William Raphael scored goals within two minutes of each other in the first period.

• Raphael recorded a goal and an assist in just 45 minutes of playing time off the bench.

• Simon Fraser’s record stands at 1-1-0. The Clan enters the second week of the season at No. 23 on the national poll.

• The Clan will face Cal State Dominguez Hills at 1 p.m. on Thursday in Lacey, Washington.

WESTERN WASHINGTON

• Western Washington is 1-1-0 on the season with a 2-1 loss to Chico State and a 2-0 win over Sonoma State last week.

• The Western Washington defense kept the Vikings in the game in the loss to Chico State, only allowing six shots and three shots on goal. Goalkeeper Brandon Wolter also recorded a save in the match.

• In the 2-0 win over Sonoma State, Drew Farnsworth proved to be an efficient scorer with two goals on two shots. The Vikings tallied 12 shots and six shots on goal against the Seawolves.

• Farnsworth is tied for first place in points in the GNAC with four points after scoring his two goals last week.

• The Vikings will be tested this week as they head to Canyon, Texas to play No. 6 West Texas A&M at 7 p.m. on Friday.