Thursday, September 24, 2015

Seattle Pacific continued its defensive prowess with a 1-0 shutout of Saint Martin’s. The shutout marked the team's fifth-straight to start the season, breaking the program record for most shutouts to begin a year. The Falcons have allowed 11 shots on net in five matches and moved up one spot in the NSCAA Top-25 Poll to No. 3. The Saints gave the Falcons their toughest match of the year to date, putting a season-high five shots on goal.

Northwest Nazarene also earned a shutout over newcomer Concordia. With the win, the Crusaders moved to 5-1-0 and up to No. 22 in the NSCAA Top-25 Poll. The team ranks second in most GNAC statistical categories, behind the offensive juggernaut in Montana State Billings and the defensive wall in Seattle Pacific.

Montana State Billings continued to roll on the offensive side of the ball with a 4-0 shutout over Mary. Ricardo Palomino added to his goals and points lead with two more put in the back of the net. He now has 18 points and eight goals, ranking among the nation’s best. The Yellowjackets also have the top-three scorers in the GNAC.

Simon Fraser and Western Washington each earned a tie in a 2-2 match. The teams traded goals in each half. The Clan ranks No. 10 in the West Region while the Vikings make a push to jump back into the poll.

Seattle Pacific hosts Northwest Nazarene on Thursday in a highly anticipated matchup. Each team will play two conference matches this week for the first time this season.

GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE
Julio Castillo, Northwest Nazarene
M • 5-7 • Senior • Tijuana, Mexico

Castillo finished with three assists and created the opportunity for both of the Crusaders’ game-winners. He assisted on Abraham Placito’s game-winner in a 1-0 non-conference win at Dominican and added a pair of assists, including the game-winner, in a 3-0 GNAC-opening win over Concordia. Castillo is ranked eighth in Division II in total assists and 13th with 0.83 assists per match. Also nominated: David Loeung (Montana State Billings), Brady Ulen (Western Washington).

DEFENSE
Cody Lang, Seattle Pacific
GK • 6-4 • Junior • Spokane, Wash.

Lang posted his fifth shutout of the season and extended his season scoreless streak to 453 minutes in a 1-0 GNAC victory at Saint Martin’s. His five saves was his most in a match this season and his diving stop in the 51st minute stopped the Saints’ best chance to preserve the shutout. Lang is tied for first in Division II in both save percentage and goals against average. Also nominated: Cameron Lee (Montana State Billings), Abraham Placito (Northwest Nazarene), Tyler Visten (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
CONCORDIA

- The Cavaliers dropped their lone match of the week in their first conference match as a member of the GNAC. Concordia fell to No. 22 Northwest Nazarene 3-0 on Saturday.

- Concordia ranks first in the conference in saves per game (6.25) and tied for third in total saves (25).

- Matt Paine ranks fourth in the league in shots per game (3.25). Paine is also tied for eighth in points per game (1.00) and ninth in overall points (4).

- Goalkeeper Mitch McCaw is third in both goals against average (0.64) and save percentage (.875) in the conference.

- The Cavaliers remain on the road, facing Saint Martin’s on Thursday and No. 3 ranked Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

MARY

- The Marauders fell in their conference opener to Montana State Billings. They were shut out 4-0.

- Mary held the high-powered Yellowjacket offense to one goal through over two-thirds of the match before the floodgates opened late.

- The Marauders are tied for third in the conference in saves (25) and fourth in saves per game (5.00).

- Christoffer Nogueira is second in the conference in shots (20) and tied for second in shots per game (4.00).

- Migel Bartolo ranks tied for sixth in points (5) and tied for eighth in points with teammate Erick Urzua in points per game (1.00).

- The Marauders are 1-3-1 overall and 0-1-0 in the conference and will host Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS

- The Yellowjackets shut out Mary 4-0 on Saturday, moving their record up to 3-1-1 overall and 1-0-0 in the GNAC.

- Montana State Billings scored one first half goal and struggled to put away the Marauders before they netted three goals in less than six minutes.

- Ricardo Palomino added two more goals, including the game-winner. He ranks first in the GNAC in a number of categories including shots (23), points (18) and goals (8). Palomino is also third in the nation in goals per game (1.60) and points per game (3.60).

- The Yellowjackets have the top-three scorers in the conference with Palomino, Julian Toenges (10) and David Loeung (8).

- They also rank 12th nationally in points per game (9.20) and 13th in scoring offense (3.20).

- The team host their conference home opener against Western Washington on Thursday and then Simon Fraser on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE

- The No. 22 ranked Crusaders shut out Concordia 3-0 at home. They moved their record to 5-1-0 overall and 1-0-0 in the conference.

- Defenseman Abraham Placito scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season. It was also the game-winner, ranking him first in the conference in game-winning goals (3) and tied for second in the nation.

- Julio Castillo added two assists in the win, moving him up to first in the conference (5) and 11th in the nation.

- Goalkeeper Ryan Foo earned his third shutout, ranking him second in the conference. He is all second in goals against average (0.49), and save percentage (.889).

- The Crusaders rank second in the GNAC in total goals scored (10) and goals allowed (3).

- In the match of the week, the Crusaders will be on the road against No. 3 Seattle Pacific in a battle between the No. 1 and No. 3 ranked teams in the region.

SAINT MARTIN’S

- The Saints almost came away with an upset win or draw against No. 3 ranked Seattle Pacific on Thursday. The Falcons scored the lone goal of the game in the sixth minute.

- Saint Martin’s held even 5-5 in shots on goal with the Falcons. This was the most shots put on goal on the top-ranked Falcon defense.

- The Saints dropped to 1-3-1 overall, but pushed Seattle Pacific to its toughest match of the season.

- The team ranks first in the conference in saves (27) and 39th in the nation in saves per game (5.40).

- Kyle Witzel ranks fourth in the conference in shots (15). He leads the team with two goals.

- Goalkeeper Nick Rosato is second in the conference in saves (25) and saves per game (5.00).

- The Saints host Concordia on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC

- The Falcons remained undefeated and without allowing a single goal in their fifth-straight shutout against Saint Martin’s.

- Seattle Pacific moved to 5-0-0 and broke the program record for most shutouts to start a season. They moved up one spot to No. 3 in the NSCAA Top-25 Rankings.

- Cody Lang needed a season-high five saves to earn the shutout over SMU. He made a diving stop in the 51st minute to preserve the shutout, earning him GNAC Defensive Player of the Week.

- The Falcons defense is ranked first in the nation across the board in goals allowed average (0.00), save percentage (1.00) and shutout percentage (1.00).

- The defense has allowed just 11 shots on goal in five games, all of which have been saved by Lang.

- The Falcons look to continue their win streak against No. 22 Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER

- The Clan played Western Washington to a 2-2 draw in its conference opener. Adam Jones and Mamadi Camara scored the goals for SFU, with Camara tying the match in the 81st minute.

- The Clan’s 1-1-2 record have them ranked No. 10 in the West Region.

- Simon Fraser ranks number two in the conference in shots (76) and first in shots per game (19.00). They are also second in goals per game (1.75).

- Adam Jones is tied for second in the GNAC in shots per game (4.00). Kyle Jones is ranked fifth (3.00). Adam Jones is tied for fifth in points per game (1.25) while Kyle Jones is tied for eighth (1.00). They each have two goals.

- The Clan travel to face Mary on Thursday and Montana State Billings on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON

- The Vikings drew 2-2 against Simon Fraser at home. Jose Castillo and Brady Ulen scored in the match.

- Goalkeeper Tyler Visten made eight saves for the Vikings. He leads the GNAC in total saves (26), ranking him 57th in the nation. His 5.20 saves per game rank 37th in the nation and atop the conference.

- The Vikings rank third in the conference in goals against average (0.89) and second in saves (26). They are 33rd in the nation in goals against average.

- Western Washington has ranked as high as No. 7 in the West Region poll.

- The Vikings travel to Montana State Billings on Thursday and Mary on Saturday.