Friday, October 2, 2015

Seattle Pacific gave up its first goal of the season against Concordia on Saturday. The goal broke a string of 612 minutes, 53 seconds, without allowing to start the season for the Falcons. The team, however, did remain unbeaten with a scoreless draw against Northwest Nazarene and a 1-1 tie against Concordia. They moved down slightly to No. 7 in the NSCAA Division II Top-25 Rankings.

Northwest Nazarene kept steadily climbing up the rankings, moving from No. 22 to No. 19. The Crusaders earned a scoreless draw against Seattle Pacific and defeated Saint Martin’s 2-1. They are 6-1-1 overall and tied atop the GNAC with Montana State Billings with seven points and a 2-0-1 record.

Montana State Billings continues to impress, this week relying on defense to grab a 1-0-1 record and four points. The Yellowjackets have paced the GNAC in goals all season, but only needed two this week to remain unbeaten.

Mary won its first conference match of the season, defeating Simon Fraser 1-0 in a dramatic fashion. In the 89th minute, the Marauders’ James Liddiard scored the game-winner to shock the Clan.

Seattle Pacific travels to Western Washington in an in-state rivalry match on Thursday. The top offense in Montana State Billings meets two of the top defenses in Concordia and Northwest Nazarene. Saint Martin’s and Simon Fraser look for their first conference wins in a match on Thursday.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSIVE
Ben Culpan, Concordia
M • 5-10 • 185, Senior • Auckland, New Zealand

Culpan scored three goals as the Cavaliers improved to 1-1-1 in conference play. He scored two goals, including the game-winner, in a 5-1 win at Saint Martin’s on Thursday. Culpan then stopped No. 3 Seattle Pacific’s shutout streak at 613 minutes, scoring in the 51st minute of the match in Seattle. The two teams eventually finished in a 1-1 draw. Culpan is ranked third in the GNAC in points per match and tied for fourth in goals. Also Nominated: Rhys Lambert (Montana State Billings), Alex Mitrovic (Northwest Nazarene), Luke Olney (Western Washington), Tim Teipel (Saint Martin’s).

DEFENSIVE
Abraham Placito, Northwest Nazarene
D • 6-2 • 194, Junior • Perris, Calif.

Placito played all 200 minutes in the Crusaders’ two road matches. He anchored a defensive effort that limited No. 3 Seattle Pacific to three shots on goal in a 0-0 draw on Thursday and one goal to Saint Martin’s in 2-1 road victory. Also Nominated: Cameron Lee (Montana State Billings), Mitch McCaw (Concordia).

AROUND THE GNAC

CONCORDIA

- The Cavaliers had their most successful week as a member of the GNAC, earning four points with a win and a draw. They defeated Saint Martin’s 5-1 on Thursday and tied 1-1 against No. 3-ranked Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

- The Cavaliers are the first team to score on Seattle Pacific in seven matches this season. GNAC Offensive Player of the Week Ben Culpan put the lone goal in net in the 50th minute on a free kick to put Concordia up 1-0.

- Concordia put just three shots on net, but made them count against the Division II’s top defense. Goalkeeper Mitch McCaw made eight saves over 110 minutes to earn the tie.

- Against Saint Martin’s, the Cavaliers led 2-1 at halftime, before burying their opponents in the second half with three unanswered goals. Culpan had two goals, both assisted by Matt Paine who also added a goal of his own. Billy Fleury and Brady Sanders tallied the other goals for Concordia.

- Paine ranks third in the GNAC assists (4), tied for third in the conference in points (8) and fourth in shots per game (3.33). Culpan has three goals in four games, ranking second in the conference in goals per game (0.75) and tied for fourth in total goals (3).

- McCaw is third in the conference in goals against average (0.81) and save percentage (.857). The Cavaliers are third in the GNAC in saves (36), goals (12) and assists (10).

- The Cavaliers take their 3-2-1 overall record and 1-1-1 conference record home against Montana State Billings on Thursday and Mary on Saturday.

MARY

- The Marauders won their first conference match of the season, defeating Simon Fraser 1-0 in dramatic fashion on Thursday. Mary also fell 3-1 to Western Washington on Saturday.

- Against Simon Fraser, the Marauders looked to be heading to overtime in a scoreless tie in the final minutes of the match. In the 89th minute, James Liddiard headed the ball into the net, sending the Marauders to victory on their home field.

- They held Simon Fraser to just one shot on net in a defensive match. Christoffer Nogueira assisted on the goal. He is tied for the conference lead in shots (25).

- Against Western Washington, the Marauders held a sizeable shots on goal advantage of 11-4, but were capitalized on for three goals. Jonathan Sellars scored the lone goal for Mary, cutting the WWU lead down to 2-1. Aaron Brennan received the assist.

- Liddiard leads the team in points (6) and goals (3). He is tied for ninth in the GNAC in points and tied for fourth in goals.

- The Maruaders moved to 2-4-1 overall and 1-2-0 in early conference play. They hit the road against Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS

- The Yellowjackets high-powered offense scored just two goals in two matches, but finished the week 1-0-1 with strong defensive play. They defeated Western Washington 1-0 on Thursday and tied Simon Fraser 1-1 on Saturday.

- Against Western Washington, the Yellowjackets scored a third minute goal and held the score at 1-0 for more than 87 minutes to earn the shutout victory. The GNAC’s leading scorer Ricardo Palomino netted the game-winner, assisted by Julian Toenges.

- Against Simon Fraser, the Yellowjackets once again got on the board first on a 24th minute goal by Rhys Lambert, assisted by Sam Butterworth. The Clan responded with a tying goal in the second half. Shots on goal were just 5-3 in favor of MSUB, with the match ending in a 1-1 draw.

- Palomino easily leads the conference scoring race with nine goals and 20 points. Toenges is second in points (11) and tied for fourth in goals (3) along with teammate David Loeung. Loeung is also tied for third in points (8) in the GNAC.

- Palomino ranks tied for third in Division II in game-winning goals (3), fourth in goals per game (1.29), sixth in points per game (2.86), sixth in total goals and 11th in total points. Toenges is 18th in assist per game (0.71) and 21st in total assists (5).

- The Yellowjackets will be at Concordia on Thursday and at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. They are 4-1-2 overall and tied for first in the GNAC with seven points and a 2-0-1 record.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE

- The Crusaders moved up in the NSCAA Division II Rankings from No. 22 to No. 19 with a 1-0-1 record. In the match of the week on Thursday, NNU earned a scoreless road draw against No. 3 Seattle Pacific. They followed it up with a 2-1 win at Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

- Against Seattle Pacific, the Crusaders held an overall 17-14 shot lead and 6-3 on goal, but could not score on the last remaining Division II team to not give up a goal. Goalkeeper Ryan Foo made two saves in the shutout.

- In Lacey, Wash. against Saint Martin’s, the Crusaders allowed a rare goal, but still came away with a 2-1 win. Alex Mitrovic scored both goals for Northwest Nazarene, the first in the 5th minute and the game-winner in the 75th minute. Julio Castillo and Jaime Verdin drew the assists.

- The Crusaders are second in the conference in goals allowed (4) and tied for second in goals scored (12). They rank first in total shots (121) and second in points (39) and assists (15).

- Castillo, Mitrovic and defender Abraham Placito are all tied for third in the conference in points (8). Placito and Mitrovic are also tied for second in goals (4) while Castillo leads the conference in assists (6), ranking 11th in the nation. Placito is tied for third in the nation in game-winning goals (3).

- The Crusaders are 6-1-1 overall and tied for first in the GNAC with a 2-0-1 record. They return home, facing Mary on Thursday, followed by the conference’s top offense in Montana State Billings on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S

- The Saints fell in a pair of home matches, losing 5-1 to Concordia on Thursday and 2-1 against No. 22-ranked Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. Their record stands at 1-5-1 overall and 0-3-0 in the conference.

- Against Concordia, the Saints fell behind early on a second minute goal by the Cavaliers. Tim Teipel scored the Saints’ lone goal to open the second half and to cut the deficit to 2-1, but Concordia answered with three-straight goals to seal the win.

- The Saints played tighter defense in their second match of the week against Northwest Nazarene. Goalkeeper Nick Rosato made seven saves to keep the team in the match. The Saints could not overcome a 75th minute goal by NNU, falling 2-1 in regulation.

- On the season, the Saints are first in the conference in saves (39). Rosato is second in the GNAC in saves (35) and ranks 40th in the nation. Kyle Witzel is ninth in the conference in shots (17). He paces the team with two goals and four points.

- The Saints face Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday. Both matches are on the road for SMU.

SEATTLE PACIFIC

- The Falcons remained undefeated with two draws over the week. They battled to a scoreless tie against Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, before tying 1-1 against Concordia on Saturday.

- The goal allowed against Concordia was the first goal the Seattle Pacific defense or goaltender Cody Lang had allowed all season. It broke a string of 612 minutes and 53 seconds to start the season without allowing a goal. It also broke a match-shutout streak of six, a SPU program record.

- The Falcons faced No. 22 Northwest Nazarene, with neither team able to net a goal for the win. Lang made a season-high six saves to preserve the shutout.

- Against Concordia, the Falcons allowed their first goal of the season in the 50th minute on a Cavalier free kick. The Falcons trailed for the first time all season, but only for seven minutes as defender Bryson Pavel found the back of the net in the 57th minute.

- The Falcons have allowed just one goal all season and lead the conference and the nation in goals allowed average (0.13) and shutout percentage (.86). Lang has played every minute in net, leading the nation with a .950 save percentage.

- The Falcons’ record stands at 5-0-2 overall and 1-0-2 in conference as they dropped to No. 7 in the NSCAA Division II Poll. They will be on the road at Western Washington on Thursday and at Simon Fraser on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER

- The Clan finished the week 0-1-1, falling to Mary 1-0 in a heartbreaker, before drawing against Montana State Billings 1-1.

- Against Mary, the Clan were within a minute of heading to overtime, but were shocked by an 89th minute goal from the Marauders. The Clan outshot Mary 13-9, but put just one ball on net. Goalkeeper Brandon Watson made three saves.

- The Clan then faced the top offense in the conference in Montana State Billings and shut them down for 110 minutes. The Yellowjackets scored the first goal in the 24th minute, but the clan answered with its own goal by Adam Jones in the 57th minute where the score would remain 1-1.

- Jones leads the team in points (7), goals (3) and his first in the conference in shots per game (4.00).

- The Clan is also second in the GNAC in shots (102) and first in shots per game (17.00), but has struggled finding the back of the net enough, ranking fifth in total goals (8).

- The Clan return home, hosting Saint Martin’s on Thursday before hosting No. 7 ranked Seattle Pacific on Saturday. They stand with a 1-2-3 overall record and 0-1-2 in conference.

WESTERN WASHINGTON

- The Vikings played tough defense against the GNAC’s top offensive team in Montana State Billings, but fell 1-0 to the Yellowjackets on the road. The Vikings bounced back with a 3-1 win over Mary on Saturday.

- Against Montana State Billings, the Vikings allowed a third minute goal to fall behind early, and could not answer back as the score would remain 1-0 for the final 87 minutes of the match.

- The Vikings responded with a 3-1 victory over Mary, scoring two first-half goals to get out in front. After Mary cut the lead down to one, the Vikings answered with another goal to help preserve the win. Adam Talley, Kurtis Pederson and Eleazar Galvan were the goal scorers for WWU. Galvan also added an assist and Luke Olney drew two assists.

- Goalkeeper Tyler Visten made ten saves against Mary to help hold the Marauders to one goal. He leads the GNAC in total saves (38), and his fourth in goals against average (0.92) and save percentage (.844). Jeremy Wentzel is fourth in the conference in assists (3).

- The Vikings are 3-2-2 overall and 1-1-1 in the GNAC. They have a tough home match against No. 7 Seattle Pacific on Thursday, before hosting Saint Martin’s on Saturday.