Thursday, September 13, 2018

CLAN KEEP CLIMBING: No home field advantage? No problem, at least for Simon Fraser men's soccer. 

The Clan are now up to No. 3 in the United Soccer Coaches Division II Coaches Poll after posting a pair of road victories in week two. They now sit at a perfect 4-0-0 on the season, with every game having been played away from the friendly confines of Terry Fox Field.

NON-CONFERENCE PLAY DRAWS TO CLOSE: 12 matches are on tap throughout the GNAC this week, the final non-conference contests that will be played this month as league play begins in earnest next week.

Simon Fraser will stay on the road, facing Mary (N.D.) and Oklahoma Baptist in Bismarck, N.D. over the weekend. The conference's other nationally-ranked side, No. 24 Western Washington, puts a lid on its non-conference slate Saturday night in Bellingham, Wash. against Hawaii Pacific.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSE
Georg Cholewa(Western Washington, M, 5-11, Sophomore, Leipzig, Germany)

Cholewa tallied both of Western Washington’s goals, including the game-winner in the 79th minute, in a 2-1 victory at Point Loma. He had four shots in the match, three of which were on goal.

Also Nominated: Ricardo Palomino (Montana State Billings), Brandon Madsen (Saint Martin’s), Mamadi Camara (Simon Fraser)

DEFENSE
Ludvig Rhodin(Montana State Billings, GK, 5-10, Senior, Hoganas, Sweden)

Rhodin finished with eight saves as the Yellowjackets went 1-0-1 at their own Rimrock Classic, earning All-Tournament Team honors. He was part of a MSUB offense allowed just two shots, making a save on one, in Friday’s 6-0 shutout of Colorado Christian. Rhodin then made seven saves as MSUB tied Sonoma State on Sunday, 1-1.

Also Nominated: Michael North (Simon Fraser), Jeremiah Lee (Western Washington)

AROUND THE GNAC

CONCORDIA
• Concordia went 0-2 in the second week of the season, dropping away matches to Chico State (2-0) and Humboldt State (3-0).
• The Cavaliers sit at 1-2 on the season, the victory coming in shutout fashion against Mary (N.D.) last month.  
• Goalkeeper Grant Alcorn logged all 90 minutes in goal in that one, making one save to go along with his clean sheet victory.
• Concordia returns to the pitch for two more matches this week. The team will be in San Rafael, Calif. for both, facing Holy Names on Friday at 1:00 p.m. and Dominican at Noon on Sunday. 

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings was even steven in week two, posting a record of 1-1-1 through three matches.
• The team’s lone victory came in grand fashion, kicking off the Yellojacket-hosted Rimrock Classic with a 6-0 win against Colorado Christian.
• Goalkeeper Ludvig Rhodin received GNAC Defensive Player of the Week honors after making eight saves in the two-match Rimrock Classic. The senior was also named to the All-Tournament team.  
• Montana State Billings hits the road now to round out non-conference play. They will face Oklahoma Baptist on Thursday afternoon in Bismarck, N.D. before playing Mary (N.D.) two days later on the same field.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene is still searching for its first victory of the season after recording a draw and a loss in the second week of competition.
• The highlight of the week was a 1-1 draw in Grand Junction, Colo. against Fort Lewis. After falling in a 1-0 hole, the Nighthawks were able to pull level and get a positive result on a 45th minute goal by midfielder Alex Mitrovic.
• A stretch that features six of seven matches away from NNU Field continues this week as the club makes its lone California trip of the season.
• The team will play two matches in the Golden State over the weekend. First up is a trip to La Mirada on Thursday for a meeting with Biola, and the week culminates Saturday morning in San Diego against Point Loma.

SAINT MARTIN'S
• Saint Martin’s finished its second week of play with a 1-2 record.
• The lone victory came on Thursday in Carson, where the Saints bested Cal State Dominguez Hills on a 29th minute free kick by forward Brandon Madsen. The scoreline would hold from there thanks to another impressive performance by goalkeeper Griffin Small.
• Small was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week in week one and has continued to put up impressive numbers. The senior’s 26 saves has him ranked inside the top-10 nationally.
• The Saints will return home this week for their lone match of week three as Hawaii Hilo comes calling in the non-conference finale. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. on Thursday in Lacey. 

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific split its two matches to cap its four-match California road trip last week.
• The highlight came on Saturday in San Diego, where the Falcons used a pair of early goals from sophomores Titus Grant and Travis Swallow to top Point Loma, 2-1.
• A balanced offensive attack has been the key in the early season for SPU. All five goals netted thus far have been put away by five different players.
• Two more non-conference matches are on tap this week for Seattle Pacific, starting on Thursday night at Interbay Stadium against Hawaii Pacific. The Falcons will then end the week two days later at home against Hawaii Hilo.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser sits on top of the table and is up to No. 3 nationally after finishing week two with a perfect 2-0 record. The Clan took to the road and took down both Cal State LA and Cal State Dominguez Hills to grab the two victories.
• The highlight of the pair was Thursday’s 2-1 win against the previously-undefeated and 20th-ranked Golden Eagles. Forward Matteo Polisi and midfielder Rahid Rahiem recorded the Clan’s goals in that one, with senior Mamadi Camara recording assists on both of them.
• Polisi was the GNAC’s Offensive Player of the Week in week one and his success has continued. The sophomore has two goals on the season, but his average of one assist per match has him ranked sixth nationally in that category. His teammate Camara is the only GNAC player with more as the midfielder is currently averaging 1.25 assists per match.  
• Simon Fraser will look to stay hot in week three as it heads to Bismarck, N.D. for a pair of matches. It will return to the pitch on Thursday afternoon against Mary (N.D.) and will wind down the week on Saturday morning against Oklahoma Baptist.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington finished week two with a 1-2 record that featured a pair of tough road matches.
• The highlight came in a 2-1 decision on Thursday in San Diego against Point Loma. Midfielder Georg Cholewa recorded both goals in that match, one of which was unassisted.
• Cholewa’s efforts earned him GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors.  
• In the latest edition of the United Soccer Coaches Division II Coaches Poll, the Vikings come in at No. 24 (and No. 7 in the West Region).
• Western Washington continues its first homestand of the season with a match against Hawaii Pacific on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. in Bellingham.