Thursday, October 4, 2018

Three weeks of conference play in women's soccer are in the books as the GNAC standings start to solidify and 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. 

The No. 10 Cavaliers (8-0-1, 5-0 GNAC) own both the best overall record and top record in GNAC play. Grant Landy's team returns to the field for one more match this week as it hosts second-place Simon Fraser on Thursday afternoon.

Elsewhere in the GNAC this week, a battle between the league's other second-place teams highlights the slate as Seattle Pacific travels to Western Washington on Thursday night. There are eight all-GNAC affairs in total on the schedule this week.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSE
Dayana Diaz (Western Washington, F, 5-7, Fr., Granite Falls, Wash.)

Diaz picked up her second-straight Offensive Player of the Week award after she scored the conference’s first hat trick of the season in the Vikings’ 4-0 win at Saint Martin’s on Thursday. She scored the first goal in the 38th minute and notched the final two goals in the 76th and 82nd minutes for the 58th three-goal match in GNAC history.

Also Nominated: Kyra Radcliffe (Concordia), Julia Keller (Montana State Billings), Claire Neder (Seattle Pacific).

DEFENSE
Jordyn Bartelson (Western Washington, M, 5-4, Jr., Puyallup, Wash.)

Bartelson anchored a Western Washington defense that did not allow a shot on goal and allowed eight shots total in road wins over Saint Martin’s and Western Oregon. She picked up an assist in each match, including one on Dayana Diaz’s game-winner on Thursday at Saint Martin’s.

Also Nominated: Aspen Jeter (Concordia), Courteney Shovlin (Montana State Billings), Nicole Anderson (Simon Fraser), Jackie Beristain (Western Oregon).

AROUND THE GNAC

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington went 0-1-1 last week, playing Western Oregon to a draw before falling in a 1-0 decision at Simon Fraser.
• The highlight was the double-overtime match against the Wolves, which featured goalkeeper Emily Thomson’s second clean sheet of the season. The sophomore made two saves and did not allow a goal in 110 minutes of action.
• The Wildcats are back in action with a pair of matches this week, beginning on Thursday afternoon at Northwest Nazarene. They will then return home to host Western Washington on Saturday at 7 p.m.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia finished last week with another perfect 2-0 record, going on the road for a pair of 3-0 victories against Saint Martin’s and Western Oregon.
• Forward Kyra Radcliffe paced the Cavaliers, tallying three goals across two matches. Goalkeeper Hailey Asato and her defense also shined as CU posted its sixth consecutive shutout.
• In the latest edition of the United Soccer Coaches Division II Coaches Poll, Concordia comes in ranked at No. 10. The Cavaliers are slotted second in the West Region Poll.
• Concordia will return to the pitch for one more match this week, hosting Simon Fraser on Thursday afternoon in Portland.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings went 1-0 last week, knocking off Northwest Nazarene in its only match of the week.
• A flurry of action late in the second half allowed the Yellowjackets to grab a pair of goals and hang on for a 2-1 victory. An own goal in the 73rd minute evened the score at 1-1 before substitute Julia Keller finished a pass in the box two minutes later.
• It’s Keller and midfielder Claire Tevaseu leading MSUB in points (7) after the first month of the season. Keller is the team leader in goals with three.  
• Montana State Billings returns to the field for a pair of home matches this week. It will host Saint Martin’s on Thursday at 4 p.m. before capping the weekend with a visit from Seattle Pacific on Saturday. 

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene finished the fifth week of competition with a pair of one-goal defeats.
• After seeing their best start in school history through six matches, the Nighthawks found themselves on the wrong end of a pair of 2-1 scorelines last week.
• A tough-luck loss to Montana State Billings got the week underway, and NNU was even with Seattle Pacific until the 79th minute in its final game of the week. It was forwards Maddy Parton and Rikki Meyers who recorded the team’s two goals.
• Parton and midfielder Madi Taylor lead Northwest Nazarene with 11 points in 10 matches. The pair also have a team-leading five goals a piece.
•  The club opens the month of October this week with a pair of matches. First up is a home date with Central Washington on Thursday before NNU travels to Lacey to face Saint Martin’s on Saturday afternoon.

SAINT MARTIN'S
• Saint Martin’s failed to record a positive result in its three matches last week.
• The Saints now sit at 4-6-0 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 12 points with five goals thus far.
• Saint Martin’s 5.9 saves per match leads the GNAC in that category. Goalkeepers Ali Koehler and Sara Christensen have combined to make 59 saves this year.
• Two more matches are on tap for SMU this week. They will head east to face Montana State Billings on Thursday before playing host to NNU on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific split its two matches last week, suffering an overtime loss to Simon Fraser before bouncing back to top Northwest Nazarene.
• The 2-1 victory against the Nighthawks was secured in the 79th minute as forward Sophia Chilczuk found the back of the net for her team’s second goal of the day.
• The game-winner was Chilczuk’s fourth of the season, ranking her No. 4 in that category nationally.
• Chilczuk leads the team in goals (7) while sophomore Megan Moore has paced the club in assists (5). Those two lead the Falcons in points, with senior Kasey Reeve following closely behind at six.
• In the latest edition of the United Soccer Coaches Division II Coaches West Region Poll, SPU comes in ranked No. 7.
• Seattle Pacific hits the road now, taking on Western Washington in Bellingham and MSUB in Billings to kickoff the final month of the season.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser went 2-0 last week, posting a pair of one-goal victories against Seattle Pacific and Central Washington.
• The highlight came in Thursday’s 2-1, double overtime victory in Seattle as defender Gabrielle Brissette took advantage of a scramble near the goal to poke in the game-winner at the 102nd minute.
• In the latest edition of the United Soccer Coaches Division II Coaches West Region Poll, SPU comes in ranked No. 10.
• The Clan return to the pitch for a pair of road matches this week, traveling to Concordia on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon posted an 0-2-1 mark last week, the positive result coming in a 0-0 draw at Central Washington.
• Goalkeeper Alex Qualls shined for the Wolves in that one, recording five saves without allowing a goal in 110 minutes of action. Qualls’ 49 saves leads the GNAC in that category.  
• Sophomores Alyssa Tomasini and Alexie Morris lead the club with six points each through 11 matches.  
• One more match is on tap for WOU this week. The club will return to the field Saturday afternoon as Simon Fraser comes calling for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington finished the fifth week of play with another perfect 2-0 record.
• The Vikings outscored Saint Martin’s and Western Oregon by a combined 7-0 to extend their winning streak to four matches. Forward Dayana Diaz led the team with three goals, recording a hat trick in the 4-0 road victory against the Saints.
• Diaz received GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for a second consecutive week, while WWU midfielder Jordyn Bartelson was the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week. It was the second straight week that the Vikings swept the conference’s Player of the Week honors.
• 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, starting on Thursday with a showdown against Seattle Pacific. The week will end on Saturday night in Ellensburg against Central Washington.