Tuesday, October 24, 2017

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE
Brandon Madsen, Saint Martin's
F • 6-2 • Freshman • Auburn, Wash.
Madsen scored three goals in two matches as Saint Martin’s went 1-1 last week. In the Saints’ 3-2 win over Western Washington on Thursday, Madsen netted the go-ahead goal off the rebound of a penalty kick in the 57th minute and scored the game-winner in the 78th minute. He then netted a game-tying goal on his only shot in Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Simon Fraser.

Also Nominated: Kieran McGinn (Concordia), Niklas Schregel (Montana State Billings), Matteo Polisi (Simon Fraser), Luke Olney (Western Washington).

DEFENSE
Sebastian Navarro, Saint Martin's
D • 5-10 • Sophomore • Yakima, Wash.
Navarro paced the Saint Martin’s defense in the 1-1 week, which included a 3-2 win over Western Washington on Thursday. He also finished with a pair of assists against the Vikings, including an assist on the game-winner in the 78th minute.

AROUND THE GNAC
CONCORDIA
LAST WEEK: Won 3-2 vs. Montana State Billings. Lost 3-2 vs. Northwest Nazarene.
THIS WEEK: Oct. 26 at Seattle Pacific, 4:30 p.m.
• Concordia comes into this week’s game at Seattle Pacific having won two of its last three matches.
• The Cavaliers started their week with a 3-2 come-from-behind win over Montana State Billings last Thursday. Kieran McMinn scored the game-winning goal with less than five minutes left on an assist by Brady Sanders.
• Two days later, Concordia lost its home finale in a 3-2 overtime defeat against Northwest Nazarene. McMinn recorded both of the Cavaliers’ assists while Nick Evans and Alec Dunkeld tallied goals.
• Evans leads the team with 11 points. He has recorded four goals and is tied with McMinn for a team-high three assists. McMinn leads the team with two game-winning goals and is tied for second with Noah Swigart with three goals.
• Benoit Bouillant has turned away 47 shots and maintains a .662 save percentage with one shutout this season.
• Concordia finishes its regular with three-straight road games. The Cavs head to Seattle, Wash., to take on Seattle Pacific at Interbay Stadium.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
LAST WEEK: Lost 3-2 at Concordia. Won 2-1 at Seattle Pacific.
THIS WEEK: Oct. 26 vs. No. 9 Simon Fraser, 3 p.m. Oct. 28 vs. Western Washington, 3 p.m.
• Montana State Billings overcame a 3-2 loss at Concordia last Thursday with a come-from-behind 2-1 win at Seattle Pacific on Saturday. It was just the second time in school history that MSUB beat the Falcons on the road.
• Scoring his seventh career goal this weekend, Niklas Schregel provided the game-winner against the Falcons in the 68th minute. It was Schregel’s second goal of the year and the third game-winning goal of his career.
• Guillaume Kremer has scored in three consecutive games to up his season goals total to seven. He has also recorded a team-high four assists and ranks fourth in the conference with 18 points.
• Goalkeeper Tom Lohmann made four saves last week, giving him 195 career saves. He is just one save shy of the school record. He is second in the conference with 50 saves, averaging 3.85 per game.
• Along with Kremer, defender Luca Battistotti is the only other Yellowjacket to start all 15 matches this year. Battistotti recorded his third assist of the year against Concordia and is now tied for second on the team in assists and is fourth in points with five.
• With three games left on MSUB’s schedule, the Yellowjackets host No. 9 Simon Fraser and second-place Western Washington this week at Yellowjacket Field.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
LAST WEEK: Lost 1-0 at Seattle Pacific. Won 3-2 at Concordia.
THIS WEEK: Oct. 26 vs. Western Washington, 1 p.m. Oct. 28 vs. No. 9 Simon Fraser, 4 p.m.
• On Thursday, Northwest Nazarene fell 1-0 at Seattle Pacific in overtime. Each team finished with 16 shots while the Nighthawks held a 3-1 edge in corner kicks.Nighthawks’ goalkeeper Jacob Hillyer finished with four saves.
• Two days later, Jose Labanino-Ramos headed home the game winner in the 98th minute to lift Northwest Nazarene to a 3-2 victory over Concordia at Tuominen Yard.
• Northwest Nazarene opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when Daniel Brendel converted a Carlos Rodriguez-Diaz cross from five yards out for his first goal of the year.
• Hillyer has made 37 saves this season and owns a .725 save percentage.
• In seven starts this season, Jake Levine is tied for first on the team with three goals. Michael Bryant is the other Nighthawk with three goals.
• In three overtime matches this season, the Nighthawks are 1-1-1. Northwest Nazarene has gone unbeaten in three of its last four games.
• Northwest Nazarene closes out the penultimate week of the season with a pair of home matches against the top-two teams in the GNAC standings. The Nighthawks host Western Washington this Thursday and No. 9 Simon Fraser on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN'S
LAST WEEK: Won 3-2 vs. Western Washington. Lost 3-2 vs. Simon Fraser.
THIS WEEK: Oct. 28 at Seattle Pacific, 7 p.m.
• In Saint Martin’s 3-2 home win against Western Washington last Thursday, Brandon Madsen recorded two goals push his season tally to 11, tying the program record for most goals in a season.
• Sebastian Navarro’s cross connected with Madsen’s header to put the Saints up 3-2 in the 78th minute. Madsen tied teammate Kyle Witzel’s single-season goal record (11), which was set last season. The win gave SMU its first victory of the season.
• After an equalizer from Madsen to bring Saint Martin’s back 2-2 against Simon Fraser on Saturday, the Clan escaped with a narrow 3-2 victory to keep its five-game win streak intact.
• Madsen’s goal broke the SMU single-season goal record with his 12th goal of the season.
• Madsen and Navarro swept the GNAC Men’s Soccer Player of the Week awards. Madsen claimed the offensive honor while Navarro was given the defensive prize for his two-assist week.
• Netminder Griffin Small leads the GNAC with 67 saves this season and ranks 30th in Division II with 5.15 saves per match.
• The Saints play their final road game of the season when they take on Seattle Pacific on Saturday at 7 p.m.

SEATTLE PACIFIC 
LAST WEEK: Won 1-0 vs. Northwest Nazarene. Lost 3-2 vs. Montana State Billings.
THIS WEEK: Oct. 26 vs. Concordia, 4:30 p.m. Oct. 28 vs. Saint Martin's, 7 p.m.
• Trevor Lee scored the golden goal with 3:07 left in double overtime to give Seattle Pacific a 1-0 win over Northwest Nazarene on Thursday.
• Despite a scoreless first half, the best opportunity for SPU came in the 11th minute when Jess Cayetano’s header caromed off the post and back into play.
• The Falcons dominated the two overtime sessions, outshooting the Nighthawks 5-1.
• In their Saturday matchup against Montana State Billings, Mori Tsuchiya opened the scoring in the 18th minute for Seattle Pacific. However, the Falcons were unable to keep their lead as they fell 2-1 at Interbay Stadium.
• Gabe Kellum and Gabriel Weber remained tied for team-high scoring tallies with five goals each this season.
• Seattle Pacific leads the GNAC and ranks 14th in Division II with 2.14 assists per match.
• Seattle Pacific re-enters the United Soccer Coaches Division II West Region Rankings this week as they sit in 10th with a 9-4-1 record.
• The Falcons close out their home slate this week when they host Concordia on Thursday and finish the weekend against Saint Martin’s. Seattle Pacific defeated both teams earlier this month.

No. 9 SIMON FRASER
LAST WEEK: Won 3-2 at Saint Martin's.
THIS WEEK: Oct. 26 at Montana State Billings, 3 p.m. Oct. 28 at Northwest Nazarene, 4 p.m.
• For the second straight match, forward Matteo Polisi scored the game-winning goal to lift No. 9 Simon Fraser 3-2 over Saint Martin’s in Lacey, Wash.
• The victory gave Simon Fraser sole possession of first place in the GNAC (19 points) with four games remaining. The Clan is three points ahead of second place Western Washington (5-2-1) and Seattle Pacific (5-3-1).
• Polisi’s 10th goal of the season came in the 77th minute when he received a Dzenan Bezdrob pass and laced a shot from 15 yards out. His first goal of the game came in the 41st minute when he leveled the score on a penalty kick at SMU.
• The Clan made the most of their opportunities despite the Saints a 15-12 advantage in total shots and an 11-8 edge in shots on goal. Goalkeeper Miguel Hof made nine saves in the contest. The Clan took five corner kicks while the Saints recorded four.
• The Clan improved four spots to a No. 9 ranking in the latest United Soccer Coaches Division II Coaches Poll.
• Polisi is tied for second in the GNAC with 23 points.
• Simon Fraser is ranked 19th in Division II with a 0.73 goals against average. The Clan has recorded a league-leading six shutouts this season. Hof ranks 18th in Division II with 0.72 goals allowed per match.
• The Clan plays its final two regular-season road games with a pair of matches against Montana State Billings and Northwest Nazarene this week.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
LAST WEEK: Lost 3-2 at Saint Martin's.
THIS WEEK: Oct. 26 at Northwest Nazarene, 1 p.m. Oct. 28 at Montana State Billings, 3 p.m.
• Despite battling back to level the match 2-2, Western Washington ultimately fell to Saint Martin’s 3-2 in GNAC action last Thursday.
• The defeat marked the first time the Vikings have lost in regulation this season and gives them a second-straight one-goal loss.
• Forward Anthony Dean and midfielder Luke Olney scored for the Vikings. Midfielder Georg Cholewa provided the assist for Olney’s goal.
• Dean scored his 10th goal of the season on a penalty kick in the 28th minute to put WWU up 1-0.
• Western Washington fell on the road for the first time this season. Their loss at Saint Martin’s was the second time this season that the Vikings gave up three goals in a game. Western Washington is now 10-2-2 in its last 14 GNAC contests dating back to last year.
• Dean is tied for second in the GNAC with 23 points. He leads the league and ranks ninth in Division II with 4.54 shots per game.
• The Vikings play three of their final four regular-season games on the road. They had to Nampa, Idaho, on Thursday to take on Northwest Nazarene and take on Montana State Billings two days later.