Tuesday, December 10, 2013

PORTLAND, Ore. – A first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II Final Four for Western Washington highlighted the 2013 Great Northwest Athletic Conference women’s soccer season. The Vikings fell to eventual runner-up West Florida 2-1 in overtime, and ended the season as the No. 3 team in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America top-25.

Seattle Pacific, which defeated Western Washington in a penalty kick shootout to claim its first-ever GNAC championship title, broke back into the top-25 in the final rankings, checking in at No. 24.

Following is a snapshot recap of the 2013 season for each team. Full-length analysis for each team and a comprehensive Player of the Week, All-Conference, All-Region, and All-American report can be found in the full report under the 'related links' section of this article.

TEAM-BY-TEAM SEASON RECAP 

Western Washington
Record: 20-2-1, 13-1-0 GNAC
Preseason Coaches’ Poll: 1st (five 1st-place votes)
Finished: 1st (39 points)
Leading Scorer: Catherine Miles, 15 goals
Top Defender: Brianna Jones
Season Highlight: Advanced to first-ever Final Four after capturing second-straight GNAC regular season title and allowed just 10 goals all season.

Central Washington
Record: 11-6-1, 10-3-1 GNAC
Preseason Coaches’ Poll: 5th
Finished: 2nd (31 points)
Leading Scorer: Danielle Brandli, 9 goals
Top Defender: Tarah Duty
Season Highlight: Earned a berth in its first-ever GNAC tournament and turned in a six-game unbeaten streak during October.

Seattle Pacific
Record: 15-6-1, 10-4-0 GNAC
Preseason Coaches’ Poll: 2nd (three 1st-place votes)
Finished: 3rd (30 points)
Leading Scorer: Laura Moore, 8 goals
Top Defender: Shayla Page
Season Highlight: Defeated Western Washington in a penalty kick shootout to capture its first-ever GNAC tournament title and earn a bid to the West Region playoffs.

Western Oregon
Record: 9-4-6, 7-3-4 GNAC
Preseason Coaches’ Poll: 4th
Finished: 4th
Leading Scorer: Makana Pundyke, 10 goals
Top Defender: Amanda Rose Johnson
Season Highlight: Became the only team to defeat Western Washington during the regular season and advanced to the GNAC championship tournament for the second consecutive year. 

Montana State Billings
Record: 6-8-2, 5-8-1 GNAC
Preseason Coaches’ Poll: 3rd
Finished: 5th
Leading Scorer: Heidi Greenback, 7 goals
Top Defender: Katlyn Lokay
Season Highlight: Senior Heidi Greenback earned NSCAA second-team All-West Region honors, as she finished her career with 29 total goals.

Saint Martin’s
Record: 4-12-1, 3-10-1 GNAC
Preseason Coaches’ Poll: 6th
Finished: 6th
Leading Scorer: Kelli Bannerman, 10 goals
Top Defender: Sammi Thompson
Season Highlight: After leading the team with 10 goals in her first collegiate campaign, Kelli Bannerman took home GNAC Freshman of the Year accolades and was one of just two players all season to notch a hat trick.

Northwest Nazarene
Record: 2-12-3, 1-10-3 GNAC
Preseason Coaches’ Poll: 7th
Finished: 7th
Leading Scorer: Kelsey Martin, 4 goals
Top Defender: Argia Phillips
Season Highlight: NNU gave first-year head coach Mary Trigg her first career victory with a dramatic 1-0 overtime result over Saint Martin’s. 

Simon Fraser
Record: 1-13-2, 1-11-2 GNAC
Preseason Coaches’ Poll: 8th
Finished: 8th
Leading Scorer: Sophie D’Souza, 2 goals
Top Defender: Marissa DiLorenzo
Season Highlight: The Clan featured six different goal scorers, including a pair of freshmen, and went undefeated in overtime matches with a victory and a draw.