Thursday, October 26, 2017

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE
Gabriela Pelogi, Western Washington
F • 5-4 • Junior • Federal Way, Wash.
Pelogi scored her second hat trick of the season in the Vikings’ 6-0 shutout of Central Washington on Saturday. She tallied the opening goal just 22 seconds into the match and added goals in the 77th and 86th minutes. Pelogi also had a match-high five shots in the Vikings’ 1-0 win over Seattle Pacific on Thursday.

Also Nominated: Gabrielle Ewing (Concordia), Alexa Iacolucci (Montana State Billings), Kiersten Madsen (Saint Martin’s).

DEFENSE
Anna Miller, Concordia
GK • 5-6 • Sophomore • Issaquah, Wash.
Miller posted her sixth and seventh shutouts of the season as Concordia ran its current win streak to 11 matches with wins over Western Oregon and Simon Fraser. She had three saves in Thursday’s 3-0 shutout over the Wolves and made four stops in the 1-0 win over the Clan in Canada on Saturday.

Also Nominated: Ali Koehler (Saint Martin’s), Sierra Shugarts (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
LAST WEEK: Lost 1-0 vs. Northwest Nazarene. Lost 6-0 at Western Washington.
THIS WEEK: Oct. 26 at Concordia, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 28 vs. Montana State Billings, 11 a.m.
• Central Washington fell 1-0 to Northwest Nazarene in Ellensburg on Thursday.
• The Wildcats’ offense had its first scoring chance in the 11th minute when Emmi Seelbach’s shot was turned away by NNU goalkeeper Danielle Ortiz, keeping the contest at 0-0. The Wildcats continued to build pressure throughout the first half, totaling six shots in the opening stanza.
• Central Washington finished with 14 shots while the Wildcats held Northwest Nazarene to 11. Wildcats’ goalkeeper Emily Holt finished with four saves, including three in the second half.
• In a replay of last year’s Division II West Regional match, Central Washington fell to No. 2 Western Washington, 6-0, at Harrington Field on Saturday.
• Forward Mackenzie Nolte ranks second in the GNAC with 56 shots while midfielder Whitney Lowe is tied for seventh with 39. Holt ranks second in the conference with 82 saves, averaging 5.86 per match.
• The Wildcats play its final road game of the year on Thursday at Concordia. Central Washington wraps up the season hosting Montana State Billings this Saturday.
• Central Washington is the only team to hold Concordia scoreless in conference play, earning a 0-0 draw against the Cavs in their first GNAC game of the season.

CONCORDIA
LAST WEEK: Won 3-0 vs. Western Oregon. Won 1-0 at Simon Fraser.
THIS WEEK: Oct. 26 vs. Central Washington, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 28 at Western Washington, 1 p.m.
• Concordia comes into the final week of the regular season in second place, two points back of No. 2 Western Washington.
• Last week, the Cavs defeated Western Oregon 3-0 as Gabrielle Ewing, Maddie Misi and Makenzee Cleveland all recorded goals for Concordia.   
• Two days later in Burnaby, B.C., Concordia defeated Simon Fraser 1-0 as goalkeeper Anna Miller made four saves en route to the shutout. Brenda Uribe scored the game-winning goal in the 47th minute.
• The Cavaliers are averaging 1.87 goals per game while giving up 0.64 goals per game. Miller has a 0.50 goals against average with 28 saves, a .824 save percentage and seven shutouts in 12 appearances.
• The Cavs’ have been superb on both sides of the ball, outscoring GNAC opponents 22-1 during its 10-game conference unbeaten run. Going back to it’s 2-1 non-conference win against Cal Baptist on Sept. 13, Concordia has won 10 of its last 11 contests.
• In the latest edition of the United Soccer Coaches Div. II Coaches Poll, Concordia is ranked right outside the top-25, first among teams receivng votes.
• Miller was awarded the GNAC Women’s Defensive Player of the Week after leading the Cavs to two shutout victories.
• With a home win against Central Washington on Thursday and a monumental upset of No. 2 Western Washington on Saturday, the Cavs’ would march into the GNAC Championships with the No. 1 overall seed.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS

LAST WEEK: Won 4-1 at Saint Martin's. Lost 3-0 at Seattle Pacific.
THIS WEEK: Oct. 28 at Central Washington, 11 a.m.
• Montana State Billings split a pair of matches last week, defeating Saint Martin’s 4-1 on Thursday before a 3-0 setback at Seattle Pacific two days later.
• Alexa Iacolucci registered a goal and assist last week at Saint Martin’s. The midfielder’s five goals and 12 total points are a team-high while her point total is tied for the 10th in the GNAC.
• Tucking away her second goal of the season last week, Amanda Grimshaw was one of three different goal scorers for the ‘Jackets against the Saints. Grimshaw’s other goal this season came against Colorado Christian on Sept. 10, when she played a season-high 60 minutes.
• With a combined nine saves last week, freshman goalkeeper Erinn Harder upped her season save total to 66, the ninth-highest single-season total in MSUB history. Harder enters the final week of play fourth in the conference in saves and third with 5.50 saves per game.
• All of MSUB’s wins this year have been by the score of 4-1. In two of those games, three different players have found the net. The one-sided wins have been the only multi-goal games of the year for MSUB.
• A win at Central Washington on Saturday and a pair of losses from Saint Martin’s and Western Oregon this week would ensure the Yellowjackets a sixth-place finish.
• The clash with CWU will be the first meeting between the two teams this season. The Wildcats topped MSUB on both occasions last season.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
LAST WEEK: Won 1-0 vs. Central Washington.
THIS WEEK: Oct. 26 vs. Western Washington, 3:30 p.m. Oct. 28 vs. Saint Martin's, 1 p.m.
• With a 1-0 win over Central Washington and a Simon Fraser loss at Concordia last week, Northwest Nazarene cemented a spot in postseason play for the first time in program history.
• The Nighthawks have set new program benchmarks for the most regular season wins in a season and most GNAC wins in a season.
• The Nighthawks, who were picked to finish seventh in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll, surpassed their program record of five conference wins and eight overall victories in 2012. Northwest Nazarene currently sits 10-5 overall and 7-5 in GNAC play.
• Northwest Nazarene’s shutout at Central Washington ties Concordia for second in the GNAC with nine.
• Nighthawks’ goalkeeper Danielle Ortiz is tied for first in the GNAC with eight shutouts, averaging 3.69 saves per match. Midfielder Madi Taylor has totaled a team-high 16 points this season and leads the team with six goals. Rikki Myers has bagged five goals this season, four of which have been game-winners.
• Sitting at 21 points, Northwest Nazarene can earn no higher than the third seed heading into the GNAC Championships. Tied with Seattle Pacific, the Nighthawks have two games left on their schedule while SPU has just one on Thursday.
• In what could be a preview of a GNAC Championships’ first-round matchup, the Nighthawks travel to Bellingham to take on No. 2 Western Washington. Northwest Nazarene closes its regular season with a home match against Saint Martin’s.

SAINT MARTIN'S
LAST WEEK: Lost 4-1 vs. Montana State Billings. Won 2-1 at Western Oregon.
THIS WEEK: Oct. 26 at Simon Fraser, 5 p.m. Oct. 28 at Northwest Nazarene, 1 p.m.
• Saint Martin’s closed out its home schedule with a 4-1 loss to Montana State Billings on Thursday.
• Midfielder Dulce Armas tallied her first goal as a Saint after netting a 20-yard effort in the second half to bring SMU back within 3-1.
• After falling behind early on Saturday, the Saints pulled off a 2-1 overtime victory against Western Oregon to move into seventh in the GNAC standings.
• In the overtime period, Amber Burbridge found Kiersten Madsen, who scored her second goal of the season to end the match.
•  Ali Koehler played all 94 minutes in goal, turning away six shots against 11 attempts.
• Koehler is first in the GNAC and ranks 10th in Division II with 7.73 saves per match.
• Saint Martin’s ends its season with a trip to Simon Fraser this Thursday and look to play spoiler as the Saints take on Northwest Nazarene two days later in Nampa, Idaho.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
LAST WEEK: Won 3-0 vs. Montana State Billings.
THIS WEEK: Oct. 26 vs. Western Oregon, 7 p.m.
• With 8:42 left to play on Thursday, No. 2 Western Washington found the lone goal to knock off Seattle Pacific 1-0 in what could have been a preview of the GNAC Championships’ first-round matchup.
• The Falcons suffered their second 1-0 setback this season against the defending Division II champion, matching the score of the Oct. 5 meeting in Bellingham.
• Seattle Pacific did, however, limit Western Washington to a season-low two shots on goal. The Vikings are averaging more than three goals per game, but managed just two in 180 minutes this season against the Falcons.
• With a Simone Herzberg brace and record-setting performance by SPU goalkeeper Molly Stinson, Seattle Pacific enjoyed a 3-0 victory over Montana State Billings Saturday afternoon at Interbay Stadium.
• With her three saves during the match, Stinson upped her record total to 273, breaking the SPU career-save record of more than 13 years.
• The win Saturday clinched Seattle Pacific’s sixth-straight GNAC Championships’ appearance. With a win this week and a pair of Northwest Nazarene losses, the Falcons will lock down the three seed heading into GNAC postseason play.
• Seattle Pacific closes out its regular-season at home on Thursday against Western Oregon.

SIMON FRASER

LAST WEEK: Lost 1-0 vs. Concordia.
THIS WEEK: Oct. 26, vs. Saint Martin's, 5 p.m. Oct. 28 at Western Oregon, 1 p.m.
• A second-half Concordia goal gave Simon Fraser a 1-0 defeat Saturday afternoon at Terry Fox Field.
• The loss, combined with Seattle Pacific’s 3-0 win over Montana State Billings, eliminated Simon Fraser from the post-season.
• Simon Fraser had a chance to take the lead early on, but CU goalkeeper Anna Miller recorded her first save of the match after turning away Katelyn Erhardsen’s shot in the 28th minute.  Miller made another stop in the 43rd minute when she snagged Jenna Baxter’s  attempt to send the match into the half scoreless.
• Baxter ranks first in Division II with 0.79 assists per match. Forward Emma Pringle is second in the GNAC with 12 goals and ranks 14th in Division II with 0.92 goals per game.
• The Clan finishes the year with a pair of games against Saint Martin’s at home this Thursday and Western Oregon on the road on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
LAST WEEK: Lost 3-0 at Concordia. Lost 2-1 vs. Saint Martin's.
THIS WEEK: Oct. 26 at Seattle Pacific, 7 p.m. Oct. 28 vs. Simon Fraser, 1 p.m.
• Despite holding Concordia scoreless in the first half, Western Oregon opened the week with a 3-0 defeat against the Cavaliers on Thursday. Two days later, WOU fell in heartbreaking fashion, losing 2-1 in an overtime match against Saint Martin’s.
• The Wolves have participated in overtime matches in five of their last eight outings and have now gone to extra sessions in six contests this season. Four of the six overtime games have advanced to the second overtime period. The Wolves are 0-4-2 in overtime affairs.
• Eight different WOU players have scored a goal so far this season. Forward Alyssa Tomasini and midfielder Meli Cortez are tied for the team lead with two goals each. The team’s seven assists have come from six different players. Alexie Morris has a team-high two assists.
• Goalkeeper Caitlin Kastelic has played all 1336 minutes for the Wolves this season. Kastelic is third in the GNAC with 5.36 saves per game.
• Western Oregon closes out the season this week with a road match at Seattle Pacific on Thursday before the season finale at home against Simon Fraser on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
LAST WEEK: Won 1-0 at Seattle Pacific. Won 6-0 vs. Central Washington.
THIS WEEK: Oct. 26 at Northwest Nazarene, 3:30 p.m. Oct. 28 vs. Concordia, 1 p.m.
• Forward Karli White scored a goal in the 82nd minute to give No. 2 Western Washington a 1-0 road victory over Seattle Pacific Thursday night at Interbay Stadium.
• In both contests against SPU this season, the Vikings have walked away with 1-0 wins.
•  On Saturday, Western Washington took care of business early on, defeating in-state rival Central Washington 6-0 at Harrington Field.
• Forward Gabriela Pelogi recorded her second hat trick of the season, scoring a quick goal in the first half and adding two second-half scores to give her a league-leading 13 goals. On Monday, she won her third GNAC Women’s Offensive Player of the Week award of the season.
•  With their 11th shutout of the season, the Vikings extended their perfect season to 14-0-0 and extended their winning streak to 38 consecutive games, moving into a tie for the school record set from 1982-84.
• The 38-game winning streak (4th-best in Division II history) and 39-game undefeated streak (38-0-1) dates back to the start of the 2016 national championship season.
• Western Washington is third in Division II with 10 points per match and is fourth in scoring offense with 3.36 goals per game. The Vikings are fourth in the nation with 46 assists. The Vikings are also No. 3 in the latest NCAA Division II West Region Poll.
• Western Washington leads all GNAC teams in shots (336), points (140), goals (47), goals allowed (3), shutouts (11) and assists (46).
• A pair of wins this week would give the Vikings its sixth-consecutive GNAC regular-season title.
• In what will be a good tune-up for the Vikings heading into postseason play, Western Washington plays two of the three teams that have qualified for a GNAC postseason berth. The Vikings travel to Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and host Concordia this Saturday.