Wednesday, October 7, 2015

NUMBER 3: Western Washington and Seattle Pacific faced off in a match between the top-ranked GNAC teams. The Vikings came away victorious, shutting out the Falcons 1-0. They also defeated Trinity Lutheran 7-1 in non-conference play, running their winning streak to seven matches. The Vikings are now ranked No. 3 in the NSCAA Division II Top-25.

RIDING UP THE STANDINGS: Concordia won three matches this week, jumping to the top of the GNAC standings with a 4-0-1 record and 13 points. The Cavaliers outscored opponents 7-1 over three matches and are led by the top statistical defense in the conference.

ELSEWHERE IN GNAC COUNTRY: Seattle Pacific rebounded with a 3-1 win over Northwest Nazarene. They moved up from No. 24 to No. 18 in the NSCAA Division II Top-25 Poll. Montana State Billings split its matches, but still rank third in the conference with 10 points. Western Oregon had a comeback victory over Central Washington, but fell to Concordia.

LOOKING AHEAD: Concordia and Seattle Pacific highlight matches for the upcoming week. Western Washington will also host Montana State Billings and Saint Martin’s looks for its first conference wins against Central Washington and Simon Fraser.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSIVE
Makana Pundyke, Western Oregon
F • 5-5 • Senior • Kula, Hawaii

Pundyke had her second multi-goal match of the season as she scored the equalizer and game-winner in the Wolves’ 2-1 victory over Central Washington. Pundyke leads the Wolves with five goals and 11 points on the season. Also nominated: Ashley Cook-Cox (Northwest Nazarene), Bailey Griglio (Montana State Billings), Hannah Huesers (Seattle Pacific), Caitlyn Jobanek (Western Washington).

DEFENSIVE
Olivia Brock, Concordia
GK • 5-10 • Junior • Olympia, Wash.

Brock improved to 4-0-1 on the season with two wins. She stopped a career-high 10 shots in the Cavaliers’ 3-1 road win at Simon Fraser on Saturday and made three saves against Saint Martin’s on Thursday. Brock leads the GNAC with a 0.28 goals against average. Also nominated: Chloe Hopps (Montana State Billings), Kayla Williams (Montana State Billings).

CENTRAL WASHINGTON

• The Wildcats finished the week 1-1-0 with a 6-2 victory over Northwest Nazarene and a 2-1 loss to Western Oregon. They moved their record to 3-6-0 and 1-3-0 in the GNAC.

• Central Washington scored a season-high six goals Thursday against NNU, doubling its previous season-high of three against Stanislaus State.

• The Wildcats trailed 2-1 at halftime, but used a five-goal explosion in the second half to run away with the match. Six different players scored goals. Whitney Lowe had a goal and two assists and Mackenzie Nolte had a goal and one assist.

• Against Western Oregon, the Wildcats got off to a quick start with the first goal in the 20th minute. They held the lead through halftime, but allowed two goals in the second half to fall 2-1.

• Nolte is second in the conference in assists (4). Goalkeeper Amanda White is second in the GNAC in saves (50) and saves per match (5.56).

• The Wildcats will be on the road at No. 3-ranked Western Washington on Thursday, then host Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

CONCORDIA

• The Cavaliers played three matches within the last week, winning all three by a combined 7-1 score. They defeated Saint Martin’s at home 2-0, Simon Fraser on the road 3-1 and Western Oregon on the road 2-0.

• Against Saint Martin’s on Thursday, the Cavaliers played a tight defensive match, putting five shots on net while holding the Saints to three. Marie Kochman and Shannon McMahon scored the goals.

• Olivia Brock had to be on her game against Simon Fraser on Saturday, stopping 10 shots on 11 chances. The Cavaliers were tied at halftime, but scored two goals in a span of five minutes to put the match away.

• The Cavaliers remained undefeated in conference play with a 2-0 win over Western Oregon on Tuesday. Bobbi Eckler scored the game-winner in the 20th minute and Sydney Van Steenberge sealed the match with a 60th minute goal.

• Concordia is third in the conference in goals (17) and first in goals against average (0.38). Brock is first in the GNAC in goals against average (0.25) and save percentage (.944). She has allowed just two goals in eight matches this season and is tied for first in shutouts (5).

• The Cavaliers play one match this week on the road. They currently lead the GNAC standings with 13 points and a 4-0-1 conference record. They are 7-1-2 overall.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS:

• The Yellowjackets finished the week 1-1-0 with a 1-0 loss at Simon Fraser on Thursday, but followed it up with a 4-1 victory over Saint Martin’s.

• Chloe Hopps made seven saves against Simon Fraser, allowing just one goal, but the Yellowjackets could not get one by the Clan defense. They took 10 shots, but put just three on net.

• The Yellowjackets came out fast against Saint Martin’s, scoring three first-half goals and the first four of the match. Bailey Griglio scored two goals and Jessica Spang dished out two assists.

• Spang is tied for the conference in points (14) with five goals and four assists. Hopps is fourth in the GNAC in goals against average (0.80).

• The Yellowjackets have outscored opponents 10-6 on the season, averaging the fourth best goals against average (0.78) in the GNAC.

• Montana State Billings is 5-2-2 overall and 3-1-1 in conference after dropping its first GNAC match of the season. They are on the road this week, at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and at Western Washington on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE

• The Crusaders fell twice this week 6-2 to Central Washington and 3-1 to Seattle Pacific. Both matches were on the road.

• Northwest Nazarene led 2-1 at halftime over Central Washington, but allowed five second half goals to fall 6-2. Hannah Holm and Kayla Williams scored the goals for NNU.

• Against Seattle Pacific, the Crusaders were tied 1-1 through 70 minutes, but allowed two goals in a span of two minutes to fall 3-1. Nicole Nsa scored the lone goal in the 13th minute for NNU, set up by Ashley Cook-Cox’s second assist of the week.

• The Crusaders are second in the GNAC in points (51) and goals (18). They are also first in the GNAC in saves (71) and saves per match (7.10).

• Nsa ranks fourth in the conference in points (12) and tied for third in goals (5). Cook-Cox is tied for second in assists (4). Goalkeeper Daniele Ortiz is first in the conference and 16th in the nation in saves (70).

• The Crusaders fell to 1-3-1 in conference and 4-5-1 overall. They host Montana State Billings on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S

• The Saints were defeated on the road by Concordia on Thursday and at home 4-1 by Montana State Billings.

• The Saint Martin’s defense held Concordia to five shots on goal in the match, but two found their way to the back of the net. The Saint’s gave up late goals in each half in the 42nd minute and the 86th minute.

• The Saints allowed just five shots on net against Montana State Billings, but four found the twine. They trailed 4-0 before Hannah Frakes broke the shutout with an 85th minute goal, assisted by Abby McFaul.

• The Saints rank fifth in the conference in assists per game (1.00). They are third in the GNAC in saves (42).

• McFaul ranks ninth in the GNAC in shots per game (2.75) and points (9). She is also sixth in points per game (1.12). She is tied with teammate Kelli Bannerman for ninth in the GNAC in goals (3). Goalkeeper Sunny DeBoer is third in the conference in saves per game (5.00).

• The Saints dropped to 0-4-0 in the GNAC and 1-7-0 overall. They will be on the road at Simon Fraser on Thursday and at Central Washington on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC

• In the match of the week, the No. 24-ranked Falcons fell to No. 5 Western Washington 1-0. A 49th minute goal sunk the Falcons, who held WWU to eight shots on net. Goalkeeper Molly Stinson made seven saves in the loss.

• The Falcons came back with a 3-1 win over Northwest Nazarene. Hannah Huesers scored two goals including the opening goal in the eighth minute. Isabel Farrell scored the game-winner in the 71st minute. The Falcons outshot Northwest Nazarene 30-6 for the match.

• Despite the loss to Western Washington, the Falcons moved up in the NSCAA Division II Top-25 to No. 18.

• The Falcons have allowed just six goals this season, ranking third in the GNAC in goals against average (0.64).

• Huesers and Farrell lead the conference in shots (41). Huesers is also third in the GNAC in points (13) and tied for first in goals (6). Laura Moore is fifth in points (11). Stinson is third in goals against average (0.64) and save percentage (.850).

• The Falcons head into this week with a 6-2-1 overall record and 2-2-1 in the GNAC. They host conference-undefeated Concordia on Thursday and travel to Western Oregon on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER

• The Clan finished the week 1-1-0 with an impressive 1-0 shutout of Montana State Billings on Thursday before falling 3-1 to Concordia.

• Olivia Aguiar scored the game-winning goal in the 18th minute to defeat Montana State Billings. The defense had a strong effort, allowing just three shots on goal, all of which goalkeeper Priya Sandhu made for the shutout.

• Against Concordia, the Clan tied the match with a 26th minute goal, but allowed two goals in a span of five minutes to fall 3-1. Carli Grosso scored the goal on a header, assisted by Sierra Leung’s corner kick.

• The Clan is third in shots per game (17.50) in the GNAC, but have scored just seven goals. Defensively, the Clan ranks fifth in the conference with nine goals allowed.

• Christina Dickson is fifth in the GNAC in shots (27), while teammate Leung is seventh (24). Dickson leads the team in goals (3), ranking ninth in the conference. Sandhu is fourth in the conference in save percentage (.800) and sixth in goals against average (1.07). She is also third in total saves (36).

• The Clan is tied for fourth in the GNAC with seven points, a 4-2-2 overall record and a 2-2-1 conference record. They host Saint Martin’s on Thursday and travel to Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON

• The Wolves defeated Central Washington 2-1 on Saturday, but fell to Concordia 2-0 on Tuesday.

• Makana Pundyke led the comeback against Central Washington, scoring two second-half goals to earn Offensive Player of the Week honors. The Wolves trailed 1-0 entering the second half. Dana Goularte and Dani Payne each record assists while goalkeeper Lindsey Mabinuori made five saves.

• The Wolves hosted a rare Tuesday match at home, but fell 2-0 to Concordia, who remains undefeated in conference. The Wolves were slightly outshot in the match 14-11.

• Western Oregon has been one of the top offensive teams this season, ranking third in the GNAC in points (44) and goals (17). They are fifth in goals against average (0.97) and total saves (40).

• Pundyke is tied for fifth in points (11) in the GNAC and tied for third in goals (5). Vicky Cruz Rosales is seventh in points (10) with four goals and two assists. Mabinuori is third in saves (36) and fourth in save percentage (.800).

• The Wolves enter the week 5-4-1 overall and 1-3-1 in GNAC play. They play one match this week, Saturday at home against Seattle Pacific.

WESTERN WASHINGTON

• The Vikings continued to roll, winning their sixth and seventh straight matches over Seattle Pacific and Trinity Lutheran in a non-conference match.

• Western Washington rode a strong defense against SPU, grinding out a 1-0 shutout over the No. 24-ranked Falcons. Caitlyn Jobanek scored the lone goal in the 49th minute. Goalkeeper Ashley Haden made five saves in the shutout.

• Against non-conference Trinity Lutheran, the Vikings were dominant. They took a 4-0 lead into halftime and finished with a 7-1 victory. The Vikings put up an enormous 43 shots, two off the GNAC single-match record, with 23 on goal while holding their opponents to four shots and two on goal. Elise Aylward and Anna DeWeirdt each scored two goals. DeWeirdt added an assist and Catherine Miles had a goal and assist.

• With the wins, Western Washington moved up two spots in the NSCAA Division II Top-25 to No. 3, its highest ranking of the season.

• The Vikings lead the GNAC across the board statistically, ranking first in shots (208), points (67), goals (24) and goals allowed (4). They are sixth in the nation in goals against average (0.398), fifth in shutout percentage (.700) and 33rd in scoring offense (2.40.)

• Miles is tied for the conference lead in points (14) and goals (6). Aylward is tied for third in goals (5) and Savanna Moorehouse ranks first in assists (5). Haden is second in the GNAC in goals against average (0.35) and save percentage (.900), ranking fifth and ninth in the nation in those categories, respectively.

• The Vikings remain unblemished in conference with a 4-0-0 record and are 9-1-0 overall. They host Central Washington on Thursday and Montana State Billings on Saturday.