Wednesday, October 30, 2019

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE
Estera Levinte, Western Washington
F • 5-7 • Freshman • Bothell, Wash.

Levinte played a part in all three of WWU’s goals in a 3-0 shutout of Seattle Pacific on Thursday. She assisted on the first two goals then scored her own goal in the 56th minute. Levinte also played 43 minutes in Saturday’s 2-1 win at Central Washington.

Also Nominated: Sophia Keenan (Central Washington), Jaida Nyby (Concordia), Julia Keller (Montana State Billings), Maddie Wolff (Saint Martin’s), Kiara Buono (Simon Fraser), Kalli Brundage (Western Oregon).

DEFENSE
Alex Qualls, Western Oregon
GK • 6-0 • Senior • Gresham, Ore.

Qualls recorded her fifth and sixth shutouts of the season in a pair of road victories. She made six saves on 18 shots in a 1-0 shutout of Concordia on Thursday then had two saves in another 1-0 shutout at Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

Also Nominated: Emily Thomson (Central Washington), Hailey Asato (Concordia), Ali Campigotto (Saint Martin’s), Nicole Anderson (Simon Fraser), Grace Eversaul (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington split its matches last week, dropping Northwest Nazarene, 1-0, on Thursday then losing to in-state rival Western Washington, 2-1, at home on Saturday.

• Sophia Keenan scored the only goal in the Wildcats’ 1-0 win over Northwest Nazarene in the 79th minute off an assist from Bella Brown. Keenan also scored the only goal for the Wildcats in their 2-1 loss to the Vikings.

• The Wildcats put up 22 shots and 12 shots on goal while limiting the Nighthawks to 10 shots and five shots on goal.

• Goalkeeper Emily Thomson made four saves against the Nighthawks then made nine saves against the Vikings. She is fifth in the GNAC with 41 saves and a 1.17 goals against average.

• Central Washington is now 6-6-1 (4-3-1 GNAC) on the season and sits in fourth place in the conference standings with 13 points. Up next, the Wildcats will play at Montana State Billings on Thursday then will return home to host Concordia on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia lost to in-state rival Western Oregon, 1-0, at home on Thursday then topped Simon Fraser, 1-0, in double overtime on Saturday.

• The Cavaliers tallied 18 shots and six shots on goal but the Wolves were able to prevent them from scoring.

• Jaida Nyby broke the silence in the Cavs’ 1-0 double-overtime win at Simon Fraser, scoring the golden goal in the 109th minute of the match off an assist from Madison Grande. It was her second game-winning goal of the season.

• Despite the Clan putting up 16 shots and eight shots on goal, the Concordia defense was able to get the shutout.

• Goalkeeper Hailey Asato made eight saves in the 1-0 shutout. She also made four saves in the loss to the Wolves. Asato ranks fourth in the GNAC with 50 saves.

• Concordia is now 5-8-1 (3-4-1 GNAC) on the season and sits in fifth place in the conference standings with 10 points, three points behind fourth-place Central Washington. Up next, the Cavs will host Western Washington on Thursday before traveling to play at Central Washington on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings dropped both of its matches at home last week. The Yellowjackets lost a tough 2-1 double-overtime match to Saint Martin’s on Thursday then lost to Seattle Pacific, 4-1, on Saturday.

• Julia Keller played 79 minutes off the bench and scored the only goal for the Yellowjackets in the 2-1 loss to the Saints. Keller led the team with 10 shots and six shots on goal.

• The Yellowjackets tallied 23 shots and 14 shots on goal and limited the Saints to just four total shots but still came up short.

• Keller also scored the only goal for the Yellowjackets in the 4-1 loss to the Falcons.

• Goalkeeper Erinn Harder made seven saves in the two matches. She ranks seventh in the GNAC with 37 saves.

• Montana State Billings is now 4-8-2 (3-6-0 GNAC) on the season. Up next, the Yellowjackets will host Central Washington on Thursday in their only match of the week.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene lost its only match of the week, 1-0, to Central Washington at home on Thursday.

• The Nighthawks weren’t able to score despite putting up 10 shots and five shots on goal.

• Goalkeeper Alexis Montoya made 10 saves in the 1-0 loss. She tops the GNAC and ranks 31st in Division II with 83 saves while also ranking 44th with a .847 save percentage.

• Rikki Myers still leads the GNAC with eight goals and 17 points.

• Northwest Nazarene is now 5-7-2 (2-4-2 GNAC) on the season. Up next, the Nighthawks will look to stay in the hunt as they hit the road to play at Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN'S
• Saint Martin’s split its matches last week, winning a 2-1 double-overtime thriller at Montana State Billings on Thursday then losing to Western Oregon, 1-0, at home on Saturday.

• The Yellowjackets struck first but the Saints responded with a 53rd-minute goal by Natalie Brown to tie the game and eventually send it to overtime.

• Maddie Wolff scored the golden goal with just three seconds left in the match to lift the Saints over the Yellowjackets, 2-1.

• The Saints were limited to just four total shots but still pulled off the 2-1 victory in Billings.

• Goalkeeper Ali Campigotto made 13 saves against the Yellowjackets then made another six saves against the Wolves. She ranks third in the GNAC with 61 saves.

• Saint Martin’s is now 3-10-2 (1-7-0 GNAC) on the season. Up next, the Saints will stay home to host Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific lost 3-0 at first-place Western Washington on Thursday then turned things around to top Montana State Billings, 4-1, on Saturday.

• The Falcons recorded 10 shots and three shots on goal but the Viking defense picked up the shutout.

• Mariah Alexander opened the scoring in the match at Montana State Billings, notching a goal in the 7th minute. Claire Neder followed a minute later to put the Falcons up by two. Neder is tied for first in the conference with three game-winning goals.

• Sophia Chilczuk recorded a multi-goal match with goals in the 61st and 71st minutes to add more insurance to the Falcons’ lead. Chilczuk leads the GNAC with 50 shots and is tied for fourth with five goals.

• The Falcons limited the Yellowjackets to just three total shots in the 4-1 victory.

• The Falcons are ranked No. 8 in the United Soccer Coaches West Region poll and are also ranked No. 9 in the NCAA West Region rankings.

• Seattle Pacific is now 9-6-0 (7-2-0 GNAC) and sits in second place in the GNAC rankings with 21 points. Up next, the Falcons will host Western Oregon on Saturday. The Falcons can clinch a spot in the GNAC Championships with a Concordia loss on Thursday or a win on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser dropped its only match of the week, losing 1-0 to Concordia in double overtime at home on Saturday.

• The Clan outshot Concordia 16-14 but both sides couldn’t find the net until the Cavs’ Jaida Nyby broke the silence in the 109th minute.

• Savannah Bauder led the Clan with four shots and two shots on goal in just 51 minutes off the bench.

• Goalkeeper Nicole Anderson gave everything she had, making five saves on six shots on goal by the Cavs. Anderson is second in the GNAC and ranks 38th in Division II with 78 saves while also ranking 35th with 6.50 saves per match.

• Simon Fraser is now 1-10-1 (1-7-0 GNAC) on the season. Up next, the Clan will host Western Oregon on Thursday before heading to Lacey, Washington, to play at Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon picked up a pair of 1-0 road victories last week at Concordia on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

• Danielle Vanord scored the only goal in the Wolves’ 1-0 win at Concordia off an assist from Kaili Brundage in the 37th minute.

• Brundage netted the game-winner in the 1-0 win at Saint Martin’s in the 24th minute.

• The Wolves limited the Saints to just six shots and two shots on goal.

• Alex Qualls was selected as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season after she recorded her fifth and sixth shutouts of the season in the pair of victories. She made six saves on 18 shots by the Cavs then made two saves against the Saints.

• Western Oregon is now 8-4-3 (5-2-2 GNAC) on the season and sits in third place in the conference standings with 17 points. Up next, the Wolves will stay on the road to play at Simon Fraser on Thursday and Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington shut out Seattle Pacific, 3-0, on Thursday then topped in-state rival Central Washington, 2-1, on Saturday in Ellensburg.

• Jenna Killman and Darby Doyle scored the first two goals for the Vikings in the 3-0 win over the Falcons.

• Estera Levinte earned GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors after she played a part in all three of Western Washington’s goals in the 3-0 shutout of Seattle Pacific. She assisted on the first two goals then scored her own goal in the 56th minute. Levinte also played 43 minutes in Saturday’s 2-1 win at Central Washington.

• Grace Eversaul scored the opening goal at Central Washington in the fourth minute then assisted on the game-winner by Liv Larson in the 55th minute.

• The Vikings limited the Wildcats to just seven shots and three shots on goal in the 2-1 victory.

• The Vikings jumped to No. 7 in the latest United Soccer Coaches national poll and also snagged the top spot in the United Soccer Coaches West Region rankings.

• Western Washington is now 13-2-0 (9-0-0 GNAC) on the season and sits in first place in the conference standings with 27 points, six points ahead of second-place Seattle Pacific. Up next, the Vikings will play at Concordia on Thursday before coming home to host Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.