Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Two weeks of women's soccer are in the books as the majority of the GNAC's nine teams now set their sights on league play. The conference placed a pair of teams (Western Washington and Concordia) inside the top-15 of Tuesday's United Soccer Coaches Division II rankings, and both of those teams will meet on Saturday night in Portland.
Northwest Nazarene is still on top of the table after five matches as the Nighthawks have yet to lose this season. The Nighthawks are off to their best start in program history and will return to the pitch on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. (Mountain) against Saint Martin's.
Elsewhere in GNAC action this week, Montana State Billings will play host to Central Washington and Western Oregon makes the trip north of the border to face Simon Fraser. Both of those contests are scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE
Sydney Van Steenberge (Concordia, F, 5-4, Sr., McMinnville, Ore.)
Van Steenberge scored game-winning goals as the Cavaliers won both matches last week and improved to 3-0-1 on the season. She scored the game-winner in the 56th minute off Rebecca Harris’ assist in Tuesday’s 3-2 win at Notre Dame de Namur. Van Steenberge then tallied the game-winner in the 20th minute as the Cavaliers handed Stanislaus State its first loss of the season on Saturday, 2-0.
Also Nominated: Madison Bradley (CWU), Alexa Iacolucci (MSUB), Maddy Parton (NNU), Kiersten Madsen (SMU), Sophia Chilczuk (SPU), Alyssa Tomasini (WOU), Grace Eversaul (WWU).
DEFENSE
Taylor Hallquist(Western Washington, D, 5-5, Sr., Vancouver, Wash.
Hallquist scored a goal and had two assists while leading a WWU defense that allowed just one goal in two matches. She scored the game-winning goal unassisted in the 55th minute while helping to hold Holy Names to two shots in Thursday’s 4-0 win. Hallquist then assisted in both goals in the second half as the Vikings came from behind to beat No. 7 Metro State, 2-1.
Also Nominated: McKenna Stocker (CU), Amanda Hemmen (MSUB), Olivia Carter (NNU), Riley Travis (SPU), Alex Qualls (WOU).
AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington went 0-2-1 last week, playing No. 7 Metro State to a draw while falling to Northwest (Wash.), 4-1, and Cal State San Bernardino, 3-1.
• The Wildcats were led by midfielder Madison Bradley, who finished the week with two goals. The team’s other strike was scored by sophomore Sophia Keenan.
• In CWU’s lone positive result in the second week of action, Bradley fired a shot from just inside the box to even the tally at 1-1 in the 18th minute. The scoreline would hold from there.
• Central Washington now hits the road for its GNAC opener and will face Montana State Billings on Saturday afternoon.
CONCORDIA
• Concordia finished the second week of play with a record of 2-0, including a win away from home against Notre Dame de Namur and a shutout of Stanislaus State.
• The conference’s Offensive Player of the Week paced the Cavaliers in both matches. Sydney Van Steenberge totaled two goals on the week, both of which proved to be game-winners.
• In the latest edition of the United Soccer Coaches Division II Coaches Poll, Concordia comes in ranked at No. 15. The Cavaliers are slotted at third in the West Region Poll.
• Concordia will play its lone match of the week on Saturday in its conference opener. Featuring the GNAC’s two nationally ranked sides, CU will welcome No. 15 Western Washington to Portland for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings went 2-1 last week, picking up consecutive victories against Black Hills State and Providence (Mont.) to cap its non-conference season.
• The Providence match featured a bit of GNAC history as the Yellowjackets rallied from three goals down to escape Great Falls with a 4-3 victory. The comeback set a school record for largest deficit overcome to win a game.
• Trailing 3-0 just seven minutes into the match, head coach Stephen Cavallo’s side rallied to pull within one goal at the halftime break. They then tied the match early in the second half with a penalty kick and got the winning goal off the foot of freshman forward Lexie Boyder in the 74th minute.
• Montana State Billings will return home now to lift the lid on GNAC competition against Central Washington. Kickoff is set for Noon on Saturday.
NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene finished the second week of competition with an undefeated record of 2-0-1, giving the team the best record in the conference at 4-0-1.
• The near-perfect start for the Nighthawks is the best in program history. Their last two results came on the road, first against previously-undefeated Northern State and then still-undefeated Minot State.
• Senior Madi Taylor has been one of the keys to NNU’s successes thus far. The midfielder has tallied four goals and leads the team with eight points through five matches.
•.Northwest Nazarene was named as the GNAC’s Team of the Week on Monday following its blowout of Minnesota Crookston and the aforementioned impressive road results.
• Next up is a three-match homestand for the club, starting on Saturday afternoon with a visit from Saint Martin’s.
SAINT MARTIN'S
• Saint Martin’s went 2-1 last week, ending non-conference play with victories against Holy Names and Evergreen State.
• The Saints now sit at 4-1-0 overall, their best record prior to conference play in program history.
• Midfielder Kiersten Madsen has led her team to that record-setting mark. The Auburn, Wash. product has tallied 10 points in five matches, scoring four goals on 23 shots.
• Saint Martin’s 12 goals has the team currently ranked 16th nationally. It is second in the GNAC behind Northwest Nazarene (11).
• The league’s top two offensive teams will meet on Saturday in Nampa as the Saints travel east to face the Nighthawks. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m.
SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific finished the second week of play with a 2-0-1 record that featured wins against San Francisco State and Cal State San Bernardino.
• The road win in San Francisco was carried by a four-goal outburst, two of which came from forward Sophia Chilczuk.
• In the latest edition of the United Soccer Coaches Division II Coaches West Region Poll, SPU comes in ranked No. 5.
• Chilczuk leads the team in goals (4), while sophomore Megan Moore has paced the club in assists (4). Those two lead the Falcons in points, with seniors Julia DeVere and Kasey Reeve following closely behind at four a piece.
• Seattle Pacific hits the road now, making the trip to Los Angeles on Saturday to face Biola in the team’s final non-conference match.
SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser split is two matches last week, gliding past Notre Dame de Namur for a 4-2 victory before dropping a 3-2 decision at Westminster (Utah).
• Five different players scored for the Clan this week, but it was forward Christina Dickson who netted two goals across the two matches.
•Senior Jenna-lee Baxter has led her team thus far in 2018, tallying four assists and two goals through four matches. Those eight points are followed closely by fellow senior Katelyn Erhardsen with seven.
• The Clan return to the pitch on Saturday afternoon in Burnaby, where they will meet Western Oregon in both team’s GNAC opener.
WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon posted an 0-1-1 mark in its second week of action. The Wolves worked a double overtime draw against Stanislaus State before falling 2-1 against Academy of Art.
• Sophomore forward Alyssa Tomasini leads the team with three points on one goal and one assist through four matches.
• Junior Alex Qualls has shined in goal for WOU, making 19 saves in just three starts. Qualls is tied for first in the GNAC in saves made.
• The Wolves will host their first home matches of the season this week, starting on Thursday afternoon against Stanislaus State. After that will be a visit from Academy of Art for an 11:30 a.m. kickoff on Saturday.
WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington finished the second week of play with a 2-0 record.
• Following a 4-0 blowout of Holy Names on Thursday, the Vikings got a dramatic 2-1 victory over No. 7 Metro State on Saturday in Bellingham. The latter featured a pair of goals in the match’s final 25 minutes to get the come-from-behind victory.
• In the latest edition of the United Soccer Coaches Division II Coaches Poll, Western Washington comes in ranked at No. 9 (and No. 2 in the West Region).
• Vancouver, Wash. products Grace Eversaul and Taylor Hallquist shined for WWU in week two. Eversaul led the team with two goals, while Hallquist had the game-winning strike against Holy Names before assisting on both of Saturday’s goals. Hallquist’s efforts earned her GNAC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
• The Vikings are back on the road now, facing Texas Woman’s in Denton, Texas on Wednesday before opening up league play with the showdown at Concordia on Saturday evening.