Thursday, September 7, 2017

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE
Gabe Kellum, Seattle Pacific
F • 6-0 • Senior • Rennes, France
Kellum finished with two goals and an assist to lead the Falcons to a 1-1-0 week. He notched his second career multi-goal game in Saturday’s 4-1 win over Sonoma State, scoring in the 15th and 67th minutes. He also assisted on SPU’s lone goal in Thursday’s season-opening 2-1 loss to Chico State.

Also Nominated: Reggie Reyes (Concordia), Marcello Polisi (Simon Fraser), Christian Rotter (Western Washington).

DEFENSE
Javier Hernandez, Montana State Billings
GK • 5-8 • Freshman • Pittsburg, Calif.
Hernandez opened his collegiate career with 13 saves in a pair of overtime losses. He had eight saves in Thursday’s 2-1 overtime loss to Westminster (Utah) and also had five saves in a 2-1 neutral-site loss to Dixie State on Saturday.

Also Nominated: Magnus Christensen (Simon Fraser), Tyler Visten (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
CONCORDIA
LAST WEEK: Won vs. Humboldt State 2-0. Lost vs. San Francisco State 3-0.
THIS WEEK: Sept. 8: at Regis, 2:00 p.m. Sept. 10: at Colorado School of Mines, Noon.
• Concordia opened the season with a 2-0 win against Humboldt State at Tuominen Yard. Kieran McMinn put the Cavaliers on the board in the 36th minute off a Nick Evans cross.
• Reggie Reyes recorded his first collegiate goal after sealing the contest with a free kick in the 79th minute.
• The Cavaliers fell 3-0 to San Francisco State on Sept. 9. Despite the scoreline, CU was outshot just 12-11.
• Through two games played, Concordia leads the league with 30 shots. Of those 30, 11 of them have been on goal.
•The Cavaliers begin a two-game road trip, playing at Regis on Sept. 8. CU finishes its Colorado trip with a matchup against Colorado School of Mines on Sunday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
LAST WEEK: Lost at Westminster 2-1. Lost vs. Dixie State 2-1 (at Salt Lake City, Utah).
THIS WEEK: Sept. 8: vs. No. 10 Cal Poly Pomona, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 10: vs. Cal State San Bernadino, 3:30 p.m.
• Similar to 2016, the Yellowjackets started the year with a pair of losses on the road. This year, however, both losses came in heartbreaking fashion as MSUB lost both contests in overtime, 2-1.
• Despite the losses, MSUB goalkeeper Javier Hernandez impressed in his collegiate debut, recording 13 saves after facing 45 shots. His performance during the weekend merited GNAC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
•Montana State Billings leads the GNAC with 13 saves through non-conference play.
• The Yellowjackets are one of four GNAC teams to record a shutout.
•MSUB next hosts the 4th Annual Rimrock Classic. MSUB will host Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino during the weekend.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
LAST WEEK: Lost vs. Dixie State, 2-1 (at Salt Lake City, Utah). Won at Westminster 1-0.
THIS WEEK: Sept. 7: at Cal State Dominguez Hills, 7:00 p.m. Sept. 9: at Azusa Pacific, 1:00 p.m.
• The Crusaders open the season 1-1 after splitting a pair of non-conference games in Utah. NNU fell 2-1 against Dixie State on Thursday, but bounced back and defeated Westminster 1-0 on Sept. 2.
• Linus Mansson and Jonathan Guardado remain the only two Crusaders to find the scoresheet thus far. Guardado notched the game-winning goal in Northwest Nazarene’s 1-0 effort Saturday.
•Crusader goalkeeper Jacob Hillyer recorded nine saves in two games of action. Edwin Quiroz is the only NNU player with an assist this season, which came in the team’s 1-0 victory.
• NNU has the second-least amount of offside offenses in the GNAC with two.
•The Crusaders continue their road trip with a pair of matchups against California sides. They visit Cal St. Dominguez Hills on Thrusday and finish with Azusa Pacifc on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN'S
LAST WEEK: Lost vs. San Francisco State 5-2 (at Portland, Ore.). Lost vs. Humboldt State 3-0 (at Portland, Ore.).
THIS WEEK: Sept. 10: at Cal State LA, 1:00 p.m. Sept. 12: at Cal State San Bernardino, 2:00 p.m.
• The Saints dropped their first two contests, as they were outscored 8-2 in neutral-site matchups.
• SMU found itself down 3-0 before McKray Kohn tallied the team’s first goal of the season against San Francisco State. Edgar Iniguez recorded his first collegiate goal later on in the match.
• Kyle Witzel leads the Saints with seven shots through the first two games. Three of those shots have found the target.
• Saint Martin’s ranks second in the GNAC with 29 shots, averaging 14 a game.
• Despite the goal differential, SMU has outshot opponents 29-24. Of those 29 shots, 13 have been on goal.
• With their game at Northwest University on Sept. 5 cancelled due to poor air qulaity, the Saints continue its non-conference slate with a trip to California to take on Cal State Los Angeles and Cal State San Bernardino in the next few days.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
LAST WEEK: Lost vs. Chico State 2-1. Won vs. Sonoma State 4-1.
THIS WEEK: Sept. 7: at Metro State, 5:00 p.m. Sept. 9: at Colorado Christian, 2:00 p.m.
• After a heartbreaking loss suffered to the hands of Chico State in its season opener, the Falcons bounced back to defeat Sonoma State 4-1 to cap off their pair of home games.
• Gabe Kellum’s two-goal performance against Sonoma State and assist versus Chico State earned him a GNAC Offensive Player of the Week selection. Kellum leads the team in goals and points with five.
• SPU leads all GNAC teams with six assists this season. The Falcons also rank second among GNAC squads with 2.50 goals per game.
• Seattle Pacific also ranks first with 13 corner kicks, 6.50 per game.
• The Falcons are hosted by Metro State on Thursday and finish its Rocky Mountain trip with a visit to Colorado Christian on Sept. 9.

No. 3 SIMON FRASER
LAST WEEK: Won vs. Mary 8-0.
THIS WEEK: Sept. 8: vs. Cal St. San Bernardino (at Billings, Mont.), 2:00 p.m. Sept. 10: vs. No. 10 Cal Poly Pomona (at Billings, Mont.), 1 p.m.
• The Clan had an ideal start to the season at home, defeating the University of Mary in convincing fashion, 8-0.
• Matteo Polisi pumped in two goals while six other Clan players found the net for their first goals of the season.
• The victory sees the Clan jump up 10 spots in the latest United Soccer Coaches rankings, as SFU moves to the No. 3 team in the nation.
• Simon Fraser maintains a conference-best eight goals. The Clan also leads in points, assists per game, goals allowed and shutouts.  
• The Clan has not allowed a goal yet, facing very little pressure. Simon Fraser has only allowed two shots on goal this season, one of which was blocked.
• Simon Fraser joins MSUB in the 4th Annual Rimrock Classic, hosted by the Yellowjackets. The Clan will face off against Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona. SFU defeated both teams by a combined 5-0 scoreline during last season’s non-conference slate.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
LAST WEEK: Lost vs. Sonoma State 2-1 (OT). Lost vs. Chico State 3-2 (OT).
THIS WEEK: Sept. 7: at Colorado Christian, 4:00 p.m. Sept. 9: at Metro State, 6:00 p.m.
• Western Washington suffered two overtime defeats during the weekend to CCAA rivals Sonoma State and Chico State.
• Luke Olney, Anthony Dean and Georg Cholewa all found the net. Cholewa’s first-half strike against Chico State marked his first collegiate goal.
• Facing 35 shots through the opening two games, goalkeeper Tyler Visten has recorded eight saves.
• The Vikings lose their opening two matchups for the first time since the 2012 season, where they fell to Chico State and Notre Dame de Namur.
• Western Washington travels south to take on Colorado Christian and Metro State. Their matchup with the Cougars takes place on Sept. 7 at 4 p.m. (MT).