Wednesday, October 10, 2018
ALL ROADS LEAD TO WINS: No. 1 Simon Fraser took to the road last week and outscored Northwest Nazarene and Seattle Pacific by a combined score of 11-1.
The Clan retained their top Division II ranking after recording their eighth and ninth wins away from home this season. They now sit at a perfect 11-0-0 for the 2018 campaign.
BLANK SLATES: Goalkeepers Luciano Trasolini (Simon Fraser) and Brandon Wolter (Western Washington) both recorded another shutout last week as the pair continue to climb up the D-II ranks. Trasolini's 5-0 victory against the Nighthawks marked his seventh clean sheet of the season, moving him to fourth in Division II in the shutout category.
Wolter's team also picked up a 5-0 win at NNU, slotting the freshman 25th nationally at four matches without allowing a goal. The Vancouver, Washington product was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after making nine saves and allowing just one goal in 200 minutes of action last week.
THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE
Matteo Polisi (Simon Fraser, F, 5-10, Sophomore, Coquitlam, B.C.)
Polisi scored four goals and had two assists last week. The forward scored a goal and assisted on one more in Thursday’s 5-0 shutout of NNU. He then scored a hat trick, which included two unassisted strikes, and assisted on the Clan’s opening goal in Saturday’s 6-1 win at Seattle Pacific.
Also Nominated: Dana Kowachek (Montana State Billings), Alexis Lopez (Saint Martin's), Georg Cholewa (Western Washington).
DEFENSE
Brandon Wolter (Western Washington, GK, 6-1, Freshman, Vancouver, Wash.)
Wolter allowed just one goal and played 200 minutes as the Vikings went 1-0-1 last week. Wolter made four saves in a 1-1 tie with Montana State Billings on Thursday. He then made five saves on each Northwest Nazarene shot on goal in a 6-0 shutout on Saturday in Nampa.
Also Nominated: Ludvig Rhodin (Montana State Billings), Eric de Graaf (Simon Fraser)
AROUND THE GNAC
CONCORDIA
• Concordia went 0-2 last week, suffering two-goal losses in each of its matches.
• Thursday’s meeting with Saint Martin’s in Portland featured an offensive outburst midway through the second half, when both teams combined to score four goals in less than 15 minutes. Forward Christian Thyron recorded the lone Cavaliers’ goal in the match’s 25th minute.
• The Saints would ultimately hold their lead and go on to win 3-1 as CU was unable to find the back of the net in the second half.
• Concordia returns to the pitch for a pair of matches this week. The team will host Simon Fraser on Thursday before traveling to Lacey for another showdown with Saint Martin’s on Saturday afternoon.
MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings tallied three goals and came away with a pair of positive results to open up the month of October.
• The Yellowjacket victory came in commanding fashion in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat of Concordia. Midfielder Dana Kowachek recorded both of his team’s goals, using early strikes in both halves to put the Cavaliers away.
• Kowachek leads MSUB with 14 points on six goals this season, while fellow midfielder Guillaume Kremer follows closely behind at 13. Kremer won the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week award to close the month of September.
• Montana State Billings puts a lid on its five-match homestand with just a single contest this week as Saint Martin’s will come calling on Thursday. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Yellowjacket Field.
NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene went 0-2 last week, dropping its first matches of GNAC play after a perfect 3-0 start.
• Both of the defeats were to teams that sit directly above and below the Nighthawks in the standings as they dropped Thursday’s match to first-place Simon Fraser and Saturday’s contest against third-place Western Washington.
• Forward Rafael Junqueira leads NNU in most major categories, including points (12), goals (6) and shots on goal (12) through 11 matches thus far.
• The team is currently in the middle of a stretch that features four of five matches inside the friendly confines of NNU field.
• They will return to action for one match this week, coming Saturday night at Seattle Pacific.
SAINT MARTIN'S
• Saint Martin’s finished its sixth week of play with a victory in its only match.
• The Saints took to Portland and peppered the Concordia defense with shot after shot, breaking through for three goals in a 15-minute stretch that helped seal a 3-1 victory. It was forward Alexis Lopez who broke through for two of the goals, using shots from 15 and 8 yards out to lead his team to three points.
• Goalkeeper Griffin Small tallied five more saves over the week to bring his total to 51 on the season. The senior leads the GNAC in that category and is currently ranked No. 29 nationally.
• A pair of matches are on tap for the Saints this week as they will travel to Montana before returning home to host Concordia. The Montana State Billings match will kickoff at 3 p.m. (MDT) on Thursday, while Saturday’s date with the Cavaliers is set for a 3 p.m. (PDT) start.
SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific split its two matches last week, stepping out of conference action to beat Mary (N.D.) before falling to Simon Fraser.
• The Falcons exploded for four goals in Thursday’s 4-1 victory over the Marauders. Sophomore Titus Grant led the team with two goals as it overcame an early deficit to record the blowout win.
• Seattle Pacific’s six-match homestand continues this week with a pair of contests. It will welcome Western Washington to Interbay Stadium on Thursday afternoon before taking on Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.
SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser still sits on top of the table and is ranked No. 1 nationally after finishing week six with a perfect 2-0 record. The team also tops the United Soccer Coaches West Region rankings and now sits at 11-0-0 on the season.
• The Clan went on the road and won their eighth and ninth matches away from home this season in grand fashion, outscoring Northwest Nazarene and Seattle Pacific by a combined score of 11-1. The clean sheet came in Thursday’s 5-0 victory against the second-place Nighthawks.
• The shutout was goalkeeper Luciano Trasolini’s seventh of the season. That has him ranked No. 4 in Division II.
• Offensively, forward Matteo Polisi has led the way for SFU. The sophomore is the reigning GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after compiling four goals and two assists in his two matches.
• Simon Fraser is back in action twice this week, first at Concordia on Thursday before hosting Western Washington on Sunday night in Burnaby.
WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington went 1-0-1 last week, playing Montana State Billings to a 1-1 draw before blowing out Northwest Nazarene for a 5-0 victory.
• Midfielder Georg Cholewa paced the Vikings, scoring three goals in two matches. The 71st minute strike against the Yellowjackets was a huge one as it secured a road point for his team.
• Cholewa’s 17 points in 2018 leads the team through 11 matches. Forward Stephen Jinneman sits in second place, totaling seven points on two goals and three assists.
• Goalkeeper Brandon Wolter picked up his fourth shutout of the season at NNU and was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week. The Vancouver, Washington product made nine saves and allowed just one goal in 200 minutes of action last week.
• Western Washington’s four-match road trip concludes this week as the team faces Seattle Pacific and Simon Fraser away from home. The Falcons match will kickoff at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, while the date with the No. 1 Clan is set for 7 p.m. on Sunday.