Wednesday, September 27, 2017

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE
Gabriela Pelogi, Western Washington
FW • 5-4 • Junior • Federal Way, Wash.
Pelogi finished with two goals and an assist as the Vikings rolled to win over Simon Fraser and Saint Martin’s. She assisted on Karli White’s opening goal in the 4-0 shutout of the Clan on Thursday and scored two goals, both in the first half, in the 6-1 victory over the Saints on Saturday. Pelogi enters the week leading the GNAC with 20 points and eight goals.

Also Nominated: Sydney Van Steenberg (Concordia), Amanda Hemmen (Montana State Billings), Kiersten Madson (Saint Martin’s), Emma Pringle (Simon Fraser), Meli Cortez (Western Oregon).

DEFENSE
Maddie Sjothun, Seattle Pacific
DF • 5-4 • Senior • Vancouver, Wash.
Sjothun anchored the defense in a two-win week for the Falcons. Seattle Pacific limited Saint Martin’s to just three shots on goal in the 4-1 win over the Saints on Thursday. Sjothun and the Falcons limited Northwest Nazarene to two shots on goal as Sjothun assisted on the game-winner in the 1-0 win over the Crusaders.

Also Nominated: Mabinty Kanu (Northwest Nazarene), Ali Koehler (Saint Martin’s), Caitlin Kastelic (Western Oregon), Emily Nelson (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
LAST WEEK: Lost vs. Simon Fraser 4-2.
THIS WEEK: Sept. 28 vs. Western Washington, 3 p.m. Sept. 30 at Saint Martin's, 3 p.m.
• Central Washington fell 4-2 against Simon Fraser in its second GNAC match of the season on Saturday.
• In the match, Mackenzie Nolte struck early in the first half for her fifth goal of the season. Whitney Lowe threaded a ball past Simon Fraser’s back line for Nolte to fire a strike past SFU goalkeeper Priya Sandhu for a 1-0 lead.
• Nolte cut the deficit back to one in the 66th minute. Jordan Engman fed in a through ball past the SFU defense for Nolte to finish her second of the contest and bring CWU within 3-2.
• Emily Holt finished the match with 10 saves. The Wildcats tallied 19 shots and seven corners, while holding Simon Fraser to just two corners.
• Nolte ranks second in the GNAC with 29 shots, averaging 4.14 per game. Lowe sits fifth with 24 shots attempted this season.
• Holt ranks second in the GNAC with 41 saves, averaging 6.83 saves per game.
• The Wildcats take on No. 1 Western Washington this Thursday at 3 p.m. in Ellensburg, Wash. They follow up two days later with a short trip to Lacey, Wash., to face off against Saint Martin’s.

CONCORDIA
LAST WEEK:Won vs. Montana State Billings 2-0. Won at Western Oregon 3-0.
THIS WEEK: Sept. 28 vs. Seattle Pacific, 7 p.m.
• Concordia improved to 5-2-1 this weekend with a 2-0 win over Montana State Billings last Thursday at Tuominen Yard. The win marked the Cavaliers’ second consecutive shutout to start the conference season.
• Concordia outshot the Yellowjackets 20-2. The Cavaliers also held a 6-1 advantage in shots on goal and 4-2 corner kick advantage.
• Kyra Radcliffe keyed a 3-0 Concordia road win at Western Oregon in Tuesday’s contest as she scored two goals in the Cavaliers’ 3-0 win at Western Oregon.
• After Radcliffe’s two goals, the Cavaliers sealed the match with less than one second left on the clock through a Maddie Misi breakaway to give the visitors its third straight shutout.
• Concordia moved up one spot in this week’s United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II West Region Poll this week.  The Cavs stand in 9th after breaking into the poll last week in 10th.
• Concordia finishes the week hosting Seattle Pacific on Thursday at 7 p.m.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
LAST WEEK:Lost at Concordia 2-0. Tied at Western Oregon, 1-1.
THIS WEEK: Sept. 28 vs. Northwest Nazarene, 1:30 p.m. Sept. 30 vs. Western Washington, Noon.
• Montana State Billings is coming off its first point of the GNAC season, drawing 1-1 at Western Oregon last Saturday. MSUB also fell 2-0 at Concordia last Thursday in its other conference match.
• Getting on the stat sheet for the first time in her career was sophomore Amanda Hemmen, who scored the Yellowjackets’ only goal of the two-game road trip.
• For the fourth time this season, Alexa Iacolucci played part in yet another set piece goal, this time assisting Hemmen for the score. The first three occasions were all goals scored Iacolucci.
• Facing an average of 15 shots per game, goalkeeper Erinn Harder has played well in her previous four starts. She has recorded nine saves in each of the last two weekends for the ‘Jackets, twice reaching her single-game high of five stops.
• MSUB’s annual “Kicks Cancer” match will be played this Saturday against No. 1 Western Washington, as the ‘Jackets support the fight against cancer. The team will warm up wearing pink gear, with all proceeds from the match going toward the American Cancer Society.
• Six of the final nine games on the Montana State Billings’ slate are at Yellowjacket Field, as a three-week home stand kicks off Thursday against Northwest Nazarene.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
LAST WEEK:Won at Western Oregon 2-0. Lost at Seattle Pacific 1-0.
THIS WEEK: Sept. 28 at Montana State Billings, 1:30 p.m. Sept. 30 at Simon Fraser, 5 p.m.
• Northwest Nazarene shut out Western Oregon 2-0 last Thursday at the WOU Soccer Field for its fifth victory of the season.
• Setting a new benchmark for shutouts in a season since NNU became a full NCAA Division II member, the 2017 Crusaders have produced their fifth shutout of the season in just seven matches.
• Danielle Ortiz produced another shutout in goal, finishing with two saves as the Crusaders outshot the Wolves 16-5 in the match.
• Mabinty Kanu scored her second goal of the season in the 14th minute. Fielding a pass from Anita Maryskova, Kanu’s shot from 20-yards out on the left  side of the Wolves’ box gave Kanu her second game-winning tally of the year.
• Northwest Nazarene later fell 1-0 against Seattle Pacific on Saturday at Interbay Stadium.
• The lone Falcons goal came in the form of a corner kick, when SPU’s Maddie Sjothun served a cross into the box that found Kasey Reeve for a header from 14-yards out.  
• Northwest Nazarene travels to Montana State Billings this Thursday and visit Simon Fraser on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN'S
LAST WEEK:Lost at Seattle Pacific 4-1. Lost vs. Western Washington 6-1.
THIS WEEK: Sept. 28 vs. Saint Martin's, 3 p.m. Sept. 30 vs. Central Washington, 3 p.m.
• A goal by Lauren Allison in the 82nd minute was not enough to earn Saint Martin’s its first win of the year, as the Saint’s ultimately fell 4-1 to Seattle Pacific in their opening GNAC match on Thursday.
• The strike marked Allison’s first goal this year and gave Shea McKnight her first assist for the season.
• Ali Koehler made the start in goal, producing 9 saves against 21 shots.
• Two days later, Kiersten Madsen scored her first collegiate goal against No. 1 Western Washington in a 6-1 loss at home.
• The Vikings scored their fourth goal of the night just 1:23 minutes into the second half. Western Washington closed out the match with two goals in the final 10 minutes to extend its 31-game unbeaten streak.
• Madsen led the team with two shots including one on goal, while McKnight and Brittany Orlosky each recorded one shot. Koehler ranks third in the GNAC with 37 saves.
• The Saints stay at home for their next three GNAC matches, starting with Simon Fraser this Thursday at 3 p.m.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
LAST WEEK:Won vs. Saint Martin's 4-1. Won vs. Northwest Nazarene 1-0.
THIS WEEK: Sept. 28 at Concordia, 7 p.m. Sept. 30 at Western Oregon, 1 p.m.
• Julia DeVere and Simone Herzberg scored two goals each in Seattle Pacific’s 4-1 victory against Saint Martin’s on Thursday.
• The Falcons, who currently share the top of the GNAC leaderboard with nine points, won their 20th straight match against the Saints. They have never lost to or tied their counterparts from Lacey.
• The Saints ended SPU’s bid for its first shutout of the season after Lauren Allison’s goal came with eight minutes left in the match.
•  On Saturday, Kasey Reeve tallied her fourth game-winning goal of the season after scoring early in the second half of their 1-0 victory over Northwest Nazarene at Interbay Stadium.
• Maddie Sjothun anchored the defense in a two-win week for the Falcons, earing this week’s GNAC Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week honor. Seattle Pacific limited Saint Martin’s to just three shots on goal and limited Northwest Nazarene to two shots on goal.
• Seattle Pacific hits the road for their next four games beginning on Thursday in Portland, Ore. They take on Concordia at 7 p.m.

SIMON FRASER
LAST WEEK: Lost at Western Washington 4-0. Won at Central Washington 4-2.
THIS WEEK: Sept. 28 at Saint Martin's, 3 p.m. Sept. 30 vs. Northwest Nazarene, 5 p.m.
• No. 1 Western Washington remained undefeated after handing Simon Fraser a 4-0 loss Thursday night at Harrington Field.
• Emma Pringle’s first-career hat trick and a two-assist showing from midfielder Jenna Baxter highlighted the Clan’s first GNAC win of the season on Saturday afternoon. Simon Fraser doubled up Central Washington 4-2 to snap a four-game skid and find their first points in conference play.
• Coming out in the second half, Christina Dickson gave the Clan a bit of breathing room after beating CWU goalkeeper Emily Holt to stretch the SFU lead to 3-1. The goal was Dickson’s first of the season.
• Pringle ranks second in the GNAC with seven goals and is third with 15 points.
• After starting the season with two straight wins, Simon Fraser is now 3-4-0 overall.
• The Clan’s next fixture takes place this Thursday, as they head on the road to face the Saint Martin’s at 3 p.m. They finish the weekend at home on Saturday against Northwest Nazarene.

WESTERN OREGON
LAST WEEK:Lost vs. Northwest Nazarene 2-0. Tied vs. Montana State Billings 1-1. Lost vs. Concordia 3-0.
THIS WEEK: Sept. 30 vs. Seattle Pacific, 1 p.m.
• Scoring the eventual game-winner early and adding an insurance goal late, Northwest Nazarene won its third straight match with a 2-0 win over Western Oregon on Thursday.
• In Saturday’s affair against Montana State Billings, Meli Cortez’s 88th minute goal helped the Wolves to a 1-1 draw at home, earning their first point of the conference season.
• Turning inside the Yellowjackets’ box, Dacia Alexander attempted a 16-yard shot that was parried toward Cortez, who tapped in the equalizer late in the match.
• Extending a shutout streak to three matches, Concordia defeated Western Oregon 2-0 in the only GNAC women’s soccer match on Tuesday.
• Wolves’ goalkeeper Caitlin Kastelic has produced 17 saves in her last three appearances in goal.
• Western Oregon has gone scoreless in three of its last four matches. Concluding its four-match home set, WOU will return to action on Saturday when the Wolves host Seattle Pacific at 1 p.m.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
LAST WEEK:Won vs. Simon Fraser 4-0. Won at Saint Martin's 6-1.
THIS WEEK: Sept. 28 at Central Washington, 3 p.m. Sept. 30 at Montana State Billings, Noon.
• Junior Karli White scored twice in Western Washington’s fourth consecutive shutout with a 4-0 victory over Simon Fraser on Thursday.
• Emily Bunnell netted her first goal of the season in the 83rd minute after a cross went off the opposing goalkeeper’s hands and found the feet of Bunnell for the close-range finish.
• The top-ranked Vikings continued its winnings ways with a 6-1 road victory over Saint Martin’s Saturday afternoon in Lacey, Wash.
• WWU extended its winning streak to 31 consecutive games (4th-longest in NCAA II history) and are undefeated in their last 32 games, moving into a tie for 7th in the NCAA Division II record books.
• The Vikings are ranked No. 1 in the latest edition of the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Poll. Western Washington is also listed No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches West Region rankings. WWU has been ranked No. 1 in the last 14 NCAA Division II polls.
• Forward Gabriela Pelogi continued her dominating campaign with a pair of weekend goals, giving her a league-leading 8 goals. Her performance this week also garnered her the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honor for the second time this season.
• The Vikings lead all GNAC teams in points (87), goals (29), goals allowed (3)and assists (29).
• WWU continues GNAC play on the road with a pair of matches next week, traveling to Ellensburg, Wash., on Thursday to face Central Washington and finish at Montana State Billings on Saturday.