Wednesday, October 14, 2015

NO CLEAR FAVORITE: The men’s soccer stalemate that entered last week did not become any clearer afterwards. Northwest Nazarene entered as the favorites, but lost both matches, opening the window for the rest of the conference. The top five teams are separated by just four points.

FALCONS BACK ON TOP: Seattle Pacific won two road matches over Montana State Billings and Mary to reclaim first place. They lead NNU by one point in the standings. The Crusaders fell for the first time this season in conference play to Simon Fraser and Western Washington.

CLAN CLIMBING: Simon Fraser continues its midseason push, having not lost in five matches. During this streak, they defeated two ranked opponents in Seattle Pacific and Northwest Nazarene.

TIES BECOMING THE NORM: Ties have been the first-half story, with eight already in conference play. In 2014, there were only four matches that ended in a tie.

SECOND HALF BEGINS: The standings shuffle could continue this week with three matchups that feature two of the top-five teams. Simon Fraser and Seattle Pacific face-off on Thursday, with fourth place Montana State Billings hosting fifth place Concordia on Saturday.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Mori Tsuchiya, Seattle Pacific
M • 5-11 • 165 • Sophomore • Seattle, Wash.

Tsuchiya scored two goals and an assist as the Falcons won a pair of GNAC road matches. He netted the final goal in Thursday’s 3-1 win at Montana State Billings, including a goal 13 seconds after teammate Ian Adams that set a school record for fastest consecutive goals. Tsuchiya also scored a goal and an assist in the Falcons’ 4-0 shutout at Mary. Also nominated: Julio Castillo (Northwest Nazarene), Matt Paine (Concordia), Ricardo Palomino (Montana State Billings), Kurtis Pederson (Western Washington).

DEFENSIVE
Robert Hyams, Simon Fraser
D • 5-10 • Junior • Brentwood, United Kingdom

Hyams played all 200 minutes, leading the Clan to a 2-0 shutout of No. 12 Northwest Nazarene and a 0-0 tie with Concordia. Simon Fraser’s defense allowed the Crusaders just five shots on goal and nine overall in the two matches. Also nominated: Luke Broz (Northwest Nazarene), Tom Lohmann (Montana State Billings), Mitch McCaw (Concordia), Bryson Pavel (Seattle Pacific).

AROUND THE GNAC

CONCORDIA

• The Cavaliers played two oppositely played matches this week and both ended with the same result. Concordia tied Western Washington 3-3 on Thursday and drew 0-0 against Simon Fraser on Saturday.

• At 4-2-4, Concordia has already set a school record for ties in a season. The team’s four ties have come in its last five matches.

• The Cavaliers are in fifth place in the GNAC, but are just four points back of first place.

• Matt Paine is second in the GNAC in points (19) and goals (7) and third in assists (5).

• The Cavaliers carry a six-match unbeaten streak with a 2-0-4 record over that stretch. They will be on the road at Mary on Thursday and at Montana State Billings on Saturday.

MARY

• The Marauders split their weekend of matches, defeating Saint Martin’s 2-0 on Thursday, before falling to No. 18 Seattle Pacific 4-0 on Saturday.

• Mary picked up its second conference win of the season and are in seventh place with six points.

• Ludvig Rhodin is second in the GNAC in saves per game (4.88) and third in total saves (39).

• The Marauders still have a chance to climb into the conference race, hosting Concordia on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS

• The Yellowjackets high-powered offense was shut down by Seattle Pacific in a 3-1 loss on Thursday, but MSUB responded with a 5-1 victory over Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

• Montana State Billings is fourth in the GNAC with 11 points and a 3-2-2 conference record. They are just three points back of first place, but also only three points ahead of sixth place.

• The offense continues to be the team’s strength, with Ricardo Palomino leading the GNAC in points (28), goals (13) and game-winning goals (4). Julian Toenges is fourth in the GNAC in points (13) and second in assists (7).

• The Yellowjackets boast a goal differential of 12, with a league-high 27 goals scored.

• They have two matches this week against top-5 conference teams. They host Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE

• The Crusaders had their toughest week of the season, dropping their first two conference matches. They fell on the road to Simon Fraser 2-0 and 2-1 in overtime at Western Washington.

• With the losses, the Crusaders fell out of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Top-25 Poll, but remain in the West Region Poll at No. 5.

• Despite the losses, NNU only dropped to second place in the conference with 13 points and are just one point behind first-place Seattle Pacific.

• Julio Castillo is third in the GNAC in points (14) and also leads the conference in assist (8). Goalkeeper Ryan Foo is second in the GNAC in goals against average (0.64).

• The Crusaders have a chance to bounce back on the road, facing Montana State Billings on Thursday and Mary on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S

• The Saints fell in two road matches, 2-0 at Mary on Thursday and 5-1 at Montana State Billings on Saturday.

• Saint Martin’s leads the conference in saves (63) with goalkeeper Nick Rosato making a conference-high 56 saves.

• Kyle Witzel leads the team with 27 shots, three goals and six points. Kaleb Strawn has a team-high two assists.

• The Saints host a pair of matches this week, beginning with Western Washington on Thursday. They then host Simon Fraser on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC

• After a tough stretch in which the Falcons defense gave up its only four goals in four matches, including their first loss, the team responded with back-to-back wins to reclaim first place.

• The Falcons defeated the top offense in the GNAC in Montana State Billings on Thursday, winning by a score of 3-1 on the road. They then shut out Mary 4-0 on Saturday.

• After falling in the rankings last week, the Falcons jumped back up to No. 12 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Top-25 Poll.

• Seattle Pacific sits in first place with 14 points and a 4-1-2 record in the GNAC. They are just one point ahead of second place Northwest Nazarene, and four points above fifth place.

• Defense and goalkeeping continues to lead the Falcons this season. Goalkeeper Cody Lang is first in the conference in goals against average (0.37), save percentage (.879) and shutouts (6).

• The Falcons will play one at home and one on the road this week. They host Western Washington on Thursday before visiting Concordia on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER

• Simon Fraser shut out No. 12-ranked Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, handing the Crusaders their first conference loss of the season. They then earned a scoreless draw against Concordia on Saturday.

• The Clan is unbeaten in its past five matches (3-0-2) and has knocked off two nationally ranked opponents in Seattle Pacific and Northwest Nazarene in that stretch.

• SFU goalkeeper Brandon Watson has recorded four straight shutouts during which the Clan has only yielded 15 total shots on goal.

• Freshmen Adam Jones and Mamadi Camara lead the Clan in goal-scoring with four goals each in 10 matches.

• The Clan is in third place in the GNAC with 12 points and a 3-1-3 conference record. They are just two points back of first place Seattle Pacific. They travel to face SPU on Thursday, before facing Saint Martin’s on the road on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON

• The Vikings had their best week of the season, putting themselves back into the conference race. They earned a 3-3 tie against Concordia before defeating No. 12-ranked Northwest Nazarene.

• Western Washington enters the week in sixth place, but just two points back of fifth and six points behind first place with a 2-3-2 conference record.

• Adam Talley leads the team in goals (3) and points (8). He is tied for seventh in the GNAC in total points. Goalkeeper Tyler Visten has helped keep his team in matches, ranking second in total saves (47).

• The Vikings can keep climbing the standings with road contests at Saint Martin’s on Thursday and at No. 12 Seattle Pacific on Saturday.