Tuesday, November 12, 2019

SEATTLE - After completing a perfect 12-0-0 run in conference play, Western Washington clinched the GNAC regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the GNAC Championships, hosted by Seattle Pacific on Nov. 14-16 at Interbay Stadium.

Western Washington topped the conference standings with 36 points and ran away with the regular-season title. The Vikings dominated on both sides of the ball, outscoring their GNAC opponents 45-3 and registering nine shutouts.

Host Seattle Pacific will enter the GNAC Championships as the No. 2 seed and will meet third-seeded Western Oregon in Thursday’s second semifinal match at 7 p.m. Central Washington returns to the GNAC Championships for the first time since 2016 as the No. 4 seed and will go head-to-head with the Vikings in the tournament opener at 4 p.m.

Western Washington and Central Washington met twice during conference play. The Vikings took the first match, 2-0, in Bellingham then edged out the Wildcats, 2-1, in Ellensburg in the second meeting. The last time the in-state rivals faced off in the GNAC Championships was in 2014 as the Vikings picked up the 2-1 victory at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington.

Seattle Pacific and Western Oregon split their two meetings this year. The Wolves snagged the first match, 2-0, in Monmouth, but the Falcons got their revenge in the second meeting, escaping with a 2-1 win in double overtime in Seattle. This is the Wolves’ first appearance in the GNAC Championships since 2013.

Western Washington senior forward Karli White anchored the Viking offense in 2019, scoring four goals and distributing a GNAC-best eight assists while leading the conference with 3.47 shots per match. On defense, the Vikings allowed just six goals this season, leading the GNAC with 13 shutouts. Junior goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx tops the conference with eight shutouts and a .850 save percentage.

Seattle Pacific is led by one of the GNAC’s top duos in junior forward Sophia Chilczuk and freshman midfielder Chloe Gellhaus. Chilczuk leads the conference with 60 shots and is tied for third with seven goals. Gellhaus has shined in her freshman campaign with six goals and an assist.

Western Oregon returns to the GNAC Championships under first-year head coach Kacey Bingham. The Wolves are led by junior forward Alyssa Tomasini, who scored nine goals and added seven assists to lead the GNAC with 25 points.

Central Washington will look to junior goalkeeper Emily Thomson to anchor the Wildcat defense. Thomson registered 63 saves and four shutouts and is third in the GNAC with an .808 save percentage. Sophomore midfielder Sydney Lowe paced the offense with three goals and three assists this season.

The winner of the GNAC Championships will receive the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Championships.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE
Alyssa Tomasini, Western Oregon
F • 5-8 • Junior • Camas, Wash.

Tomasini scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner, to help the Wolves clinch the No. 3 seed in the GNAC Championships. She scored two goals in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Central Washington with the game-winner coming off a corner kick in the 42nd minute.

Also Nominated: Isabelle Morales (Concordia), Alexa Iacolucci (Montana State Billings), Maddie Wolff (Saint Martin’s), Giuliana Zaurrini (Simon Fraser), Liv Larson (Western Washington).

DEFENSE
Natalie Dierickx, Western Washington
GK • 5-7 • Junior • Kirkland, Wash.

Dierickx made three saves and registered her eighth shutout of the season in a 2-0 win at Seattle Pacific on Thursday. Her three saves were against 11 shots and three shots on goal by the Falcons.

Also Nominated: Hailey Asato (Concordia), Rose Robbins (Saint Martin’s), Alex Qualls (Western Oregon).

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington went 1-1 last week with a 3-0 shutout of Northwest Nazarene at home on Thursday and a 3-1 loss at Western Oregon on Saturday.

• Teanna Lathum came off the bench and scored the first two goals in the Wildcats’ 3-0 win over the Nighthawks. She netted the first goal in the 16th minute then struck again in the 27th.

• Madison Bradley notched the third goal in the 47th minute to add to the Wildcats’ lead over NNU.

• Kylee Lee opened the scoring against the Wolves on Saturday, netting a goal off a corner kick in just the third minute of the match, but the Wolves responded with three unanswered goals to hand the Wildcats the 3-1 loss.

• Goalkeeper Emily Thomson made six saves on 18 shots and six shots on goal by the Nighthawks then made five more saves in the loss to the Wolves. Thomson is fourth in the GNAC with a 1.19 goals against average.

• Central Washington finished its regular season with an 8-8-1 (6-5-1 GNAC) record and claimed the No. 4 seed in the 2019 GNAC Women’s Soccer Championships. The Wildcats will play regular-season champion and top-seeded Western Washington in Thursday’s first semifinal match at 4 p.m.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific closed out its regular season at home, dropping a 2-0 match to Western Washington on Thursday then bouncing back to shut out Northwest Nazarene, 4-0, on Saturday.

• The Falcons put up 11 shots and three shots on goal but were unable to find the net against the Vikings. Chloe Gellhaus led the Falcons with three shots in the match.

• The Falcons’ top-three scorers in 2019 all notched goals in the 4-0 rout of the Nighthawks. Sophia Chilczuk scored the first goal in the 16th minute then scored the final goal for the Falcons in the 55th. Gellhaus and Claire Neder also joined the action with goals in the 25th and 54th minutes, respectively.

• Chilczuk tops the GNAC with 60 shots and also ranks tied for third with seven goals. Gellhaus is tied for fifth in the conference with six goals while Neder is tied for eighth with five goals.

• Goalkeeper Riley Travis made five saves in the two matches. The Seattle Pacific defense limited the Nighthawks to just four total shots in Saturday’s win.

• Seattle Pacific concluded its regular season with an 11-7-0 (9-3-0 GNAC) record and will go into the GNAC Championships as the No. 2 seed. The Falcons are hosting the tournament at Interbay Stadium and will play third-seeded Western Oregon in Thursday’s second semifinal match at 7 p.m.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon topped Central Washington, 3-1, at home on Saturday in the Wolves’ only match of the week.

• Central Washington scored in just the third minute of the match but Western Oregon answered the call with three straight goals to win 3-1.

• Alyssa Tomasini was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after she scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner, in the Wolves’ 3-1 win. Tomasini’s first goal came in the third minute, just 14 seconds after the Wildcats scored their lone goal of the match. She then netted the game-winning goal off a corner kick in the 42nd minute.

• Tomasini leads the conference with nine goals, four game-winning goals and 25 points while also ranking second with seven assists.

• Kennedy Clay scored the insurance goal for the Wolves in the 64th minute to secure the victory.

• Western Oregon finished its regular season with a 10-5-3 (7-3-2 GNAC) record under first-year head coach Kacey Bingham. The record marks the first time since 2002 that the program won at least 10 matches. With Saturday’s win over the Wildcats, the Wolves claimed the No. 3 seed in the GNAC Championships. The Wolves will play second-seeded and host Seattle Pacific in Thursday’s second semifinal match at 7 p.m.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington topped second-place Seattle Pacific, 2-0, on Thursday in the Vikings’ only match of the week.

• Dayana Diaz opened the scoring in the 24th minute of the match off an assist from Peyton Chick. Liv Larson provided the insurance, notching a goal in the 61st minute.

• Larson is tied for fifth in the GNAC with six goals and ranks fourth with five assists and third with 17 points.

• Natalie Dierickx was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after she made three saves and registered her GNAC-leading eighth shutout of the season in the win over the Falcons. Her three saves were against 11 shots and three shots on goal by the Falcons. She ranks eighth in Division II with a 0.38 goals against average.

• The Vikings rank fourth in Division II with a 0.33 goals against average while also ranking fifth with a .722 shutout percentage and 15th with 51 total goals. The Vikings outscored their GNAC opponents 45-3, tallying nine shutouts in the process.

• Western Washington went 16-2-0 this season and completed a perfect 12-0-0 run in conference play to top the conference table with 36 points. The Vikings clinched the GNAC regular-season title and enter the GNAC Championships as the No. 1 seed. The Vikings will play fourth-seeded Central Washington in Thursday’s first semifinal match at 4 p.m.