Tuesday, October 8, 2013

PORTLAND, Ore. – With a 2-1 victory over rival Seattle Pacific last Thursday, Western Washington remained undefeated and maintained it’s No. 2 ranking in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll for the second consecutive week.

The Vikings welcomed the Falcons to Bellingham, Wash., last week for the premiere match of the season thus far. WWU took a 2-1 lead early into the second half and held it for the final 35 minutes to remain undefeated on the season.

The teams will meet again this week, this time in Seattle in another showdown under the lights on Saturday at 7 p.m. Pacific time. The Vikings will look to continue their string of excellence while SPU is hungry to break back into the NSCAA rankings. 

Despite surrendering its second goal of the season – first to an opponent – WWU is sixth in the nation in goals against average, allowing .222 per contest as a team.

With seven shutouts of its own, Western Oregon is ninth in the same category (.375), and is the top GNAC team in terms of save percentage as its clip of .895 is eighth-best across Division II.

Goalkeepers Alyssa Beauchamp (GK, 5-7, Sr., Vancouver, WA – Mountain View) of WWU and Amanda Rose Johnson (GK, 5-8, Jr., Montrose, CA – New Mexico Highlands) of WOU rank No. 7 and No. 12 in the nation in terms of goals against average at .243 and .378, respectively.

A total of five assists on the season for Tarah Duty (D, 5-4, Sr., Black Diamond, Wa – Tahoma) has the Central Washington defender in the top-25 (22) in the nation in that category.

LAST WEEK

Western Washington (9-0-0, 6-0-0 GNAC) took care of business, winning both of its games to maintain a firm grip on first place in the GNAC standings.

Brina Sych (D, 5-6, Sr., Vancouver, WA – Union) was instrumental in the Vikings’ success, scoring the first goal against SPU and playing outstanding defense in both games en route to earning Red Lion Defensive Player of the Week honors. Kristin Maris (F, 5-9, Sr., Issaquah, WA – Issaquah) took care of the scoring on Saturday, notching both goals in WWU’s comfortable win over CWU.

Despite its loss to WWU, Seattle Pacific (8-2-0, 5-1-0) remains within striking distance of the No. 2 team in the NCAA, as its 15 conference points are just three shy of the Vikings’ 18. 

The Falcons recovered quickly from the loss with a solid 3-0 road victory over Simon Fraser on Saturday, as freshman Hannah Huesers (F, 5-10, Fr., Lake Stevens, WA – Lake Stevens) notched a goal and an assist in the match. 

While WWU righteously receives praise for its defensive effort and shutout reputation, it is not the only team in the conference with seven shutouts this season. Western Oregon (5-2-3, 3-2-1) picked up two more decisive victories last week and hasn’t allowed a goal in its past three games.

Makana Pundyke (M/F, 5-5, So., Kula, HI – Kamehameha Maui) was the star for the Wolves, tallying three goals and two assists over the two-game stretch and earning Red Lion Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Central Washington (5-4-0, 4-2-0) picked up its third straight win on Thursday, alternating goals with Simon Fraser (0-6-2, 0-4-2) to an eventual 3-2 victory. Three different Wildcats scored in the win, but CWU was shutdown in Bellingham on Saturday, managing just two shots.

Three total second half goals in Lacey, Wash., on Saturday spelled victory for MSU Billings (3-4-1, 2-4-0) and heartbreak for Saint Martin’s (3-6-0, 2-4-0). The Saints scored in the 52nd minute as Sara Massee (F/M, 5-5, Jr., Gig Harbor, WA – Gig Harbor) drove home a cross from Kelli Bannerman (F, 5-5, Fr., Ferndale, WA – Ferndale), but Yellowjacket goals from Chelsea Shuman (F/M, 5-2, Jr., Kalispell, MT – Flathead) in the 63rd and Alisa Sagdahl (F, 5-8, So., Edmonds, WA – Meadowdale) in the 89th gave MSU Billings the comeback victory.

With a win for SMU and a loss for MSU Billings on Saturday, the teams remained dead even in the GNAC standings with eight points apiece.

The first two conference goals of the season for Simon Fraser weren’t enough on Thursday as CWU held on for a wild win, and the Clan caught a motivated SPU team on Saturday, falling 3-0 in the aftermath of the Falcons’ 2-1 defeat at WWU. 

Northwest Nazarene (1-7-1, 0-5-1) failed to gain momentum in the GNAC standings, dropping games to WOU and SMU last week. The Crusaders failed to score, placing just three-of-10 total shots on frame on the weekend.

AHEAD

The second half of conference play kicks off this week, with the rematch of WWU and SPU highlighting the bill of eight games. The Vikings and Falcons will meet Saturday, after SPU travels to Ellensburg, Wash., to face third-place Central Washington and WWU heads across the border to challenge SFU in Burnaby, BC.

Western Oregon will look to maintain its grip on fourth place, with road matches against Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

Meanwhile, MSU Billings and SMU will each be in the hunt to break into the top four, as both teams sit just four points back of WOU in the current standings. The Saints and Yellowjackets meet on Saturday in what could prove to be a momentum-shifting game within the GNAC standings.