Wednesday, September 21, 2022

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Andrew Tran, Seattle Pacific
F • 6-0 • Freshman • Seattle, Wash.

Tran was Seattle Pacific’s leading scorer last week with two goals and an assist. He scored in the 86th minute on Thursday in a 3-3 draw against Point Loma after earning an assist in the first half. On Saturday, Tran added another goal in the Falcon’s 5-1 win over Concordia.

Also Nominated: Jeremie Briquet (MSUB), Albin Jonsson (WWU)

DEFENSIVE
Patrick Restum, Western Washington
GK • 6-1 • Senior • Okemos, Mich.

Restum was perfect in net for the Vikings in their last week of non-conference matches, with shutouts in a 2-0 win over Concordia on Thursday and a 0-0 draw with Point Loma on Saturday. He made seven saves across both matches and leads the conference with a .885 save percentage.

Also Nominated: Bryan Maxwell (MSUB), Ed Weise (SPU)

AROUND THE GNAC
MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings played its only match of the week on Wednesday at home against South Dakota Mines, taking a 4-1 victory for its second win in a row.

• Jeremie Briquet led the way for the Yellowjackets, assisting on the first two goals of the match before netting the final goal for MSUB.

• Briquet is tied for the lead in the GNAC with three assists heading into conference play

• In net, Jeremi Campagnolo earned the win, only being forced to make one save in net with Kolten Unrein playing the final 12 minutes of the match.

• Montana State Billings will open its conference schedule with two home matches. Simon Fraser makes the trip to Billings on Thursday and Seattle Pacific comes to town on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene had a week off to rest before heading into conference competition.

• The Nighthawks are at the top of the standings with a 4-1-1 record after completing their non-conference schedule and have yet to drop a match at home.

• Jake Levine leads the team in scoring with two goals and three assists. He is tied for second in the conference with seven points.

• Passing has been a strength for the Nighthawks through the non-conference schedule. Levine and Lukas Juodkunaitis are both tied for first in the conference with three assists.

• Northwest Nazarene will open its GNAC schedule at home against Saint Martin’s on Thursday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s had a week to reset ahead of conference play beginning this week.

• The Saints will hope that they can get the offense firing on all cylinders to start the conference season after scoring just one goal through their non-conference matches,

• Goalkeeper Hunter Askland ranks fourth in the conference, averaging 3.74 saves per match.

• Saint Martin’s will open conference play at home on Thursday when No. 20 Western Washington comes to town.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific was one of just three teams to play last week with a pair of matches to round out its non-conference slate. On Thursday, the Falcons battled to a 3-3 draw with Point Loma before taking a decisive 5-1 win over Concordia on Saturday.

• Seattle Pacific trailed twice in its match against Point Loma. Orlando Erazo scored the first equalizer in the first half and it was Ed Weise who tied it up in the second half. Andrew Tran briefly gave SPU the lead but PLNU tied the match again just over a minute later.

• On Saturday, the Falcons were dominant, particularly in the second half where they racked up three unanswered goals. After taking the lead in the 18th minute, Concordia scored just before the half but Demian Alvarez came back less than a minute later with a goal to take the lead once again.

• Tran ended the week with two goals and an assist, earning GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

• Seattle Pacific will begin its conference season at home on Thursday against Western Oregon before hitting the road to take on Montana State Billings.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser was another one of the teams who had a week off from competition before the start of the conference schedule.

• The Red Leafs come into GNAC play with a 3-2-0 record and sit third in the standings.

• Goalkeeper Justyn Sandhu is second in the conference and ranks 14th in Division II with a .875 save percentage. The team is also second in the GNAC with only four goals allowed.

• On Thursday, Simon Fraser will face Montana State Billings on the road to start its conference schedule.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon should also be fresh coming into the conference portion of its schedule after taking a week off.

• The Wolves head into their conference opener with freshman Alex Grignon leading the team in scoring with a goal and an assist.

• Juan Suarez has proved to be one of the standout goalkeepers in the conference early on, leading the GNAC and ranking 22nd in Division II with 30 saves.

• Western Oregon will play a pair of matches on the road to open the conference schedule, starting with Seattle Pacific on Thursday before taking on No. 20 Western Washington on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington picked up a 2-0 win over Concordia on Thursday and a 0-0 draw against Point Loma to wrap up its non-conference schedule. The Vikings are the only team to go undefeated heading into conference play with a 4-0-3 record.

• Albin Jonsson led the way for the Vikings last week with a goal and an assist in their match against Concordia. He leads the GNAC with eight points heading into conference competition.

• Patrick Restum tallied another two shutouts last week, bringing his total to five which leads the GNAC and is tied for the lead in Division II. He also ranks 12th in Division II with a .885 save percentage. His seven-save week in net earned him this week’s GNAC Defensive Player of the Week award.

• The Vikings moved up three spots in the United Soccer Coaches Poll after remaining undefeated and are now ranked No. 20.

• Western Washington will begin its conference season with a match on the road against Saint Martin’s on Thursday before returning home to take on Western Oregon.