Wednesday, October 2, 2019

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSE
Jake Levine, Northwest Nazarene
F • 5-10 • Junior • Green Acres, Wash.

Levine scored two goals, including the game-winner in the sixth minute, to lead Northwest Nazarene in a 3-0 shutout over Mary in the Nighthawks’ final non-conference match of the season.

Also Nominated: Theo Lamare (Montana State Billings), Matteo Polisi (Simon Fraser), Ryan Schaefer (Western Washington).

DEFENSE
Camron Miller, Western Washington
D • 6-3 • Junior • Snohomish, Wash.

Miller played 131 minutes over two matches and played a key role in a Western Washington defense that allowed just four shots on goal. Miller scored a goal in both matches, including a header with 30 seconds left to force overtime with No. 3 Azusa Pacific on Thursday.

Also Nominated: Jessy Martin (Montana State Billings), Lorenzo Valentini (Northwest Nazarene).

AROUND THE GNAC

CONCORDIA
• Concordia remained idle last week. The Cavs’ record stands at 3-2-0.

• Paul Seydel is tied for first in the GNAC and ranks 40th in Division II with three assists. He also ranks first in the GNAC and seventh in Division II with 0.75 assists per match.

• Concordia is ranked fourth in the GNAC with 18 total saves. The Cavs also rank fourth in the GNAC with a 1.40 goals against average.

• Up next, Concordia will open its conference schedule at home as the Cavs host Montana State Billings on Saturday in Portland.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings won both of its games last week to improve to an overall record of 3-3-1. The Yellowjackets topped Mary, 3-1, on Monday before beating the Marauders again on Sunday, 2-1, in overtime.

• Theo Lamare came off of the bench for MSUB to score a goal and was credited with the assist on the golden goal in the overtime win against Mary on Sunday. Lamare also scored the opening goal for the Yellowjackets on Monday.

• Andres Perez tallied two assists in Monday’s 3-1 victory. He is now tied for the GNAC lead with three assists and also ranks third in the GNAC with seven points.

• Goalkeeper Jessy Martin recorded eight saves on 10 shots on goal in the pair of wins.

• Martin leads the GNAC and ranks 20th in Division II with 36 total saves. He also tops the GNAC and ranks 32nd in Division II with a .818 save percentage.

• Up next, Montana State Billings will hit the road to start GNAC play. The Yellowjackets will play at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday then will head to Portland, Oregon, to play at Concordia on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene won its only match of the week with a 3-0 rout of Mary at home on Friday.

• The win over Mary was the Nighthawks’ third straight, improving their overall record to 4-2-0.

• Jake Levine scored two goals, including the game-winner in the sixth minute, to lead Northwest Nazarene in the 3-0 shutout. Levine ranks second in the GNAC and 27th in Division II with five goals. He also ranks second in the GNAC and 42nd in Division II with 11 total points.

• Goalkeeper Alex Nadermann ranks fourth in the GNAC with 17 saves and a 1.50 goals against average.

• Northwest Nazarene ranks second in the GNAC, behind Saint Martin’s, in points, goals and assists.

• The Nighthawks snagged the No. 10 spot in the latest United Soccer Coaches West Region poll.

• Up next, Northwest Nazarene will open its GNAC schedule at home, hosting Montana State Billings on Thursday in Nampa, Idaho.

SAINT MARTIN'S
• Saint Martin’s remained idle last week and sits atop the standings with a 5-1-1 record heading into conference play.

• Saint Martin’s has the GNAC’s top-scoring offense with 2.82 goals per match. The Saints also rank first in the conference with 20 goals, 14 assists and 54 points.

• Brandon Madsen ranks first in the GNAC and second in Division II with nine goals on the season. He also ranks second in Division II with 19 points and 1.29 goals per match.

• The Saints rank second in the conference behind Simon Fraser with a 0.83 goals against average. Goalkeeper Dylan Shaw ranks second in the GNAC with a 1.09 goals against average.

• Saint Martin’s moved up to No. 9 in the United Soccer Coaches West Region rankings.

• Up next, Saint Martin’s will face its first true test of the season when it opens GNAC play against defending GNAC champion and No. 24 Simon Fraser on Thursday. The Saints will follow that with a game at Western Washington on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific won an exciting 4-3 match over Point Loma in double overtime at home on Thursday then dropped its second game of the week, 2-0, to then No. 3 Azusa Pacific.

• Point Loma got off to a 3-0 lead in just 25 minutes of the match, but Seattle Pacific scored three unanswered goals to send the game to overtime.

• Ed Weise, Mario Vukic and Alex Mejia notched the three goals to tie the game against Point Loma. Mejia’s goal came in the 86th minute.

• Titus Grant scored the golden goal against Point Loma in the 101st minute off of an assist from Sam Malloch to end the game in double overtime. Malloch had two assists off the bench for the Falcons.

• Goalkeeper Jordan Marwood recorded six saves against Azusa Pacific, but APU tallied 27 shots and eight shots on goal to dominate on offense.

• Seattle Pacific tops the GNAC and ranks third in Division II with 7.80 saves per match. The Falcons also rank first in the conference with 39 total saves.

• Seattle Pacific’s overall record stands at 1-3-1. Up next, the Falcons will open conference play at home, hosting Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser remained idle last week.

• The Clan leads the conference and ranks 25th in Division II with a 0.73 goals against average. The Clan has only allowed three goals in its four games.

• The Clan ranks third in the GNAC with 1.75 goals per game and 1.75 assists per game.

• Matteo Polisi ranks fourth in the GNAC with six points and two assists.

• Goalkeeper Aidan Bain leads the GNAC and ranks 28th in Division II with a 0.731 goals against average.

• The Clan dropped to No. 24 in the latest United Soccer Coaches National Poll.

• Simon Fraser is 3-1-0 on the season. Up next, the Clan will open GNAC play at home, hosting Saint Martin’s on Thursday in Burnaby. Following that, the Clan will play at Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington lost a heartbreaking 2-1 match in double overtime to No. 3 Azusa Pacific at home on Thursday then topped Point Loma, 2-1, on Saturday.

• Camron Miller played a key role in a Western Washington defense that allowed just four shots on goal in 131 minutes over the two matches. Miller also had a goal in each of the matches, including a header with 30 seconds left that forced overtime with Azusa Pacific. He scored the opening goal against Point Loma. He earned GNAC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

• Ryan Schaefer scored the second goal for WWU in the win over Point Loma. The Vikings tallied 18 shots and five shots on goal in the match.

• Western Washington is tied for third in the conference with 10 goals.

• The Vikings leaped to No. 7 in the latest West Region poll. Their record is now 3-3-0.

• Up next, Western Washington will open conference play at Seattle Pacific on Thursday then will host Saint Martin’s on Saturday.