Thursday, October 11, 2018
Four weeks of conference play in women's soccer are in the books with three to play as the race for a spot in next month's GNAC Championships begins to take shape. The league has a pair of teams (Concordia and Western Washington) inside the top-20 of the United Soccer Coaches Division II rankings, along with two more representatives (Seattle Pacific and Simon Fraser) in the United Soccer Coaches West Region rankings.
Those four make up the current top four on the GNAC table, with fifth-place Western Oregon just two points behind the Falcons.
The No. 6 Cavaliers (8-0-2, 5-0-1 GNAC) currently carry both the best overall record and top record in GNAC play. Grant Landy's team will get tested this week, however, going on the road for a pair of matches against Seattle Pacific and Central Washington.
Elsewhere in the GNAC this week, No. 18 Western Washington and Simon Fraser will play host to both Northwest Nazarene and Montana State Billings. There are eight all-GNAC affairs in total on the schedule this week.
THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE
Kyra Radcliffe (Concordia, F, 5-3, Sr., Sandy, Utah)
Radcliffe scored three goals as the Cavaliers took a 3-0 win over Western Oregon on Thursday and tied Simon Fraser 1-1 on Saturday. Radcliffe scored a pair of second-half goals in the victory over the Wolves and tallied the Cavs’ only goal in the 48th minute in the eventual tie with the Clan.
Also Nominated: KK Wallace (Central Washington), Jordan Devoto (Montana State Billings), Kylee Sarchett (Saint Martin's), Christina Dickson (Simon Fraser), Hannah Cabral (Western Oregon), Gabriela Pelogi (Western Washington).
DEFENSE
Kasey Ames (Concordia, M, 5-9, Sr., Liberty Lake, Wash.)
Ames anchored a Concordia defense that allowed just four shots on goal as the Cavaliers extended their unbeaten streak to 10 matches. She also contributed the game-winning goal in the 31st minute of the Cavaliers’ 3-0 shutout of Western Oregon on Thursday in a match where the Cavaliers allowed just five total shots.
Also Nominated: Emily Thomson (Central Washington), Taylor Hallquist (Western Washington).
AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington went 0-1-1 last week, playing No. 18 Western Washington to a 1-1 draw after dropping an overtime match at Northwest Nazarene.
• The highlight was the double-overtime match against the Vikings, which featured goalkeeper Emily Thomson saving two of three penalty kicks taken by WWU. Substitute KK Wallace entered the match in the 59th minute and pulled her team even 10 minutes later, using her head to tie the score at 1-1.
• The Wildcats are back in action with a pair of matches this week, playing at Saint Martin’s on Thursday before they host No. 6 Concordia to close the week.
CONCORDIA
• Concordia finished last week with a 1-0-1 mark, recording their sixth straight shutout at Western Oregon before a 1-1 draw against second-place Simon Fraser.
• Forward Kyra Radcliffe paced the Cavaliers, tallying three goals across two matches. The heroics earned the senior GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
• Teammate Kasey Ames was named the Defensive Player of the Week after scoring the game-winning strike in the road victory against WOU. She also anchored a defense that allowed just four shots on goal in two matches.
• In the latest edition of the United Soccer Coaches Division II Coaches Poll, Concordia comes in ranked at No. 6. The Cavaliers are slotted first in the West Region Poll.
• Concordia hits the road now, starting a three-match stretch away from home with meetings against Seattle Pacific and Central Washington this week.
MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings went 0-2 last week in a pair of close losses.
• The team’s best performance came on Saturday afternoon against Seattle Pacific, where the Yellowjackets pulled within 2-1 midway through the second half on a goal by Jordan Devoto. The team was unable to find an equalizer, however, allowing the Falcons to escape Billings with a one-goal victory.
• Forward Julia Keller and midfielder Claire Tevaseu lead MSUB in points (7) as we approach the home stretch of the season. Keller is the team leader in goals with three.
• Montana State Billings returns to the field for two matches this week, kicking off a stretch of four straight contests away from home. The trip begins Thursday night at Western Washington and continues north of the border against Simon Fraser on Saturday at 1 p.m. (PDT).
NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene finished the sixth week of competition with a perfect 2-0 record.
• After following their best start in school history with four straight losses, the Nighthawks are back to their winning ways with a pair of victories against Central Washington and Saint Martin’s.
• The week was highlighted by a 2-0 shutout at Saint Martin’s on Saturday. It was forward Rikki Myers and midfielder Madi Taylor who recorded the team’s two goals, while goalkeeper Chloe Sholtz kept her fourth clean sheet of the season.
• Taylor leads Northwest Nazarene with 14 points in 12 matches. Her six goals is setting a club pace, while Myers and forward Maddy Parton follow closely behind with five.
• The team stays on the road for a pair of matches this week, taking on Simon Fraser on Thursday before visiting Western Washington on Saturday night.
SAINT MARTIN'S
• Saint Martin’s went 1-2 in its three matches last week, the lone victory coming on the road in 2-0 fashion against Montana State Billings.
• The Saints now sit at 5-8-0 overall. Their non-conference record of 4-1-0 was a program best for a mark heading into conference play.
• Midfielder Kiersten Madsen leads SMU through 10 matches. The sophomore has tallied 13 points with five goals. Defensively, goalkeepers Ali Koehler and Sara Christensen have combined to make a GNAC-leading 5.77 saves per match.
• One more match is on tap for Saint Martin’s this week as it will play host to Central Washington on Thursday afternoon.
SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific split its two matches last week, falling on the road against Western Washington before topping Montana State Billings on the road.
• The 2-1 victory against the Yellowjackets was made possible by midfielders Julia DeVere and Megan Moore, tallying one goal in each half to lead their team to victory.
• Moore recorded her sixth assist of the season on DeVere’s first half goal. That number has the sophomore tied for first in the GNAC and ranked 26th nationally in that category.
• Another underclassman, Sophia Chilczuk leads the team in goals (7). Chilczuk (15) and Moore (10) lead the Falcons in points, with DeVere following closely behind at seven.
• In the latest edition of the United Soccer Coaches Division II Coaches West Region Poll, SPU comes in ranked No. 8.
• Seattle Pacific returns home now, hosting No. 6 Concordia on Thursday before welcoming Western Oregon to Interbay Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser went 1-0-1 last week, getting a 1-1 draw on the road against a top-10 Concordia team before defeating Western Oregon in Monmouth.
• The tie with the Cavaliers was secured in the match’s 63rd minute as forward Christina Dickson tapped in a pass from midfielder Katelyn Erhardsen. Goalkeeper Nicole Anderson was then able to keep the home team off the scoresheet for the remainder of the match.
• In the latest edition of the United Soccer Coaches Division II Coaches West Region Poll, SFU comes in ranked No. 9.
• The team will host Northwest Nazarene and Montana State Billings this week.
WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon posted a 1-2 mark last week, the victory coming on Tuesday afternoon in a 1-0 shutout of Saint Martin’s.
• Goalkeeper Alex Qualls shined for the Wolves in that one, recording four saves without allowing a goal. Qualls’ 59 saves leads the GNAC in that category.
• Sophomores Alyssa Tomasini (7) and Alexie Morris (6) lead the club in points through 13 matches.
• One more match is on tap for WOU this week. The club will return to the field Saturday afternoon at Seattle Pacific.
WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington finished the sixth week of play with a 1-0-1 record.
• The highlight came on Thursday in a 4-0 blowout of Seattle Pacific. Four different Vikings tallied goals in that one while goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx posted her fifth clean sheet on the 2018 campaign.
• Freshman forward Dayana Diaz leads the team with 12 points and six goals to date. Senior Gabriela Pelogi is second with 11 points and five goals.
• In the latest edition of the United Soccer Coaches Division II Coaches Poll, Western Washington comes in ranked at No. 18 (and No. 3 in the West Region).
• The Vikings are back in action with two matches this week, kicking off a four-match homestand on Thursday night against Montana State Billings. They will close the week on Saturday at 7 p.m. against Northwest Nazarene.