Friday, April 2, 2021

MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME: Seattle Pacific lit up the scoreboard at Interbay Stadium in its first two matches of the season. The Falcons won a pair of 4-0 meetings against Division III Puget Sound on Mar. 27 and Saint Martin’s on Thursday.

Senior forward Sophia Chilczuk was named the GNAC Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week after she scored two goals and added an assist in the season-opening win over Puget Sound. Chilczuk assisted on the opening goal in the 10th minute by junior midfielder Makena Rietz before scoring goals of her own in the 19th and 67th minutes. Sophomore midfielder Chloe Gellhaus scored the third goal for the Falcons in the 50th minute.

An unsung hero for the Falcons against the Loggers was freshman forward Sophie Beadle, who dished out an assist on three of the four goals.

It was déjà vu for Chilczuk on Thursday as she turned in another two-goal performance against the Saints. She notched the opening goal in the 24th minute and an insurance goal in the 60th. Freshman forward Lauren Forster netted the second goal in the 52nd minute while freshman defender Mia Mahaffey scored the fourth goal in the 80th. Mahaffey also assisted on Chilczuk’s second goal.

Junior goalkeeper Riley Travis earned both shutout wins to open the season with a 2-0-0 record. She made two saves in each match and leads all GNAC goalies with a 0.00 goals against average.

The Falcons will stay home to host the Loggers again on April 10.

NIGHTHAWKS ANSWER THE CALL: Northwest Nazarene put its undefeated record on the line against Western Oregon and rose to the occasion, downing the Wolves, 4-0, on Monday to extend the Nighthawks’ winning streak to six matches.

Four different Nighthawks scored the four goals. Senior forward Rikki Myers connected in the eighth minute, junior forward Ashley Parton in the 62nd, freshman defender Alejandra Jaramillo in the 65th and sophomore forward Carolyn Moravec in the 85th.

Sophomore forward Kailyn LaBrosse dished out the assist on the opening goal while senior midfielder McKenzie Buell assisted on the following three.

The Nighthawks outshot WOU, 22-6, and limited the Wolves to just two shots on goal. Junior goalkeeper Alexis Montoya made two saves as she improved to 5-0-0 on the season. She has eight saves and two shutouts and is second among GNAC goalies with a 0.41 goals against average.

The Nighthawks will look to extend their hot streak as they play at Montana State Billings on April 8 and against Carroll (Mont.) in Billings on April 10.

RIGHT BACK AT YOU: After losing to Western Oregon in their first meeting on Mar. 18, 3-2, Saint Martin’s evened the season series with a 1-0 win over the Wolves on Mar. 25. The Saints then dropped a 4-0 match at Seattle Pacific on Thursday.

The Saints tallied 10 shots and five shots on goal in the win over WOU and limited the Wolves to just one shot on goal. Senior midfielder Kiersten Madsen scored the game-winning goal in the 59th minute off an assist from freshman midfielder Payton Aselton. Madsen is tied for second among GNAC players with four goals this spring.

Sophomore goalkeeper Ali Campigotto was named the GNAC Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week after she earned her first shutout victory of the season against the Wolves, making one save in the process. She also made five saves in the loss to the Falcons. Campigotto is 1-4-0 on the season with a 2.60 goals against average and leads all conference goalies with 26 saves.

The Saints will stay on the road to play at Central Washington on April 10.

ON THE PROWL: Western Oregon is searching for some offensive production after being shut out in its last two matches. The Wolves lost at Saint Martin’s, 1-0, on Mar. 25 then lost again at Northwest Nazarene, 4-0, on Monday.

The Wolves were outshot by the Saints, 10-8, and only registered one shot on goal by junior midfielder Hannah Cabral. Senior forward Alyssa Tomasini led the team with three shots.

The Wolves struggled to cool down the unbeaten Nighthawks in Nampa, allowing 22 shots and eight shots on goal while tallying just six total shots.

Freshman goalkeeper Morgan Mihelich took both losses. She is 1-2-0 on the season with eight saves and a 2.00 goals against average, which ranks fourth among GNAC goalies.

Western Oregon will make the short trip up to McMinnville, Oregon, for an exhibition match at Division III Linfield Friday afternoon. The Wolves will then continue their season with a pair of matches at Seattle Pacific on April 16 and 17.

STINGER IN CALDWELL: Montana State Billings dropped a tough 2-1 match in overtime at College of Idaho on Mar. 19. The Yellowjackets now sit at 2-4-0 on the season.

Freshman forward and Billings native Jordan Roe continues to shine for MSUB as she scored the opening goal in just the second minute against the Coyotes. Roe has three goals on the season, leading the Yellowjackets and tying for fourth among GNAC players this spring.

Montana State Billings outshot College of Idaho, 12-9, in the loss and had four shots on goal, two from Roe. The Yotes’ Megan Wilkinson scored the equalizer in the 63rd minute and then Lexie Hibler ended the match when she notched the golden goal in the 93rd.

Freshman goalkeeper Lainey Bosch took the loss. She has a 1-1-0 record on the season with nine saves, a 0.85 goals against average and a shutout in the Yellowjackets’ 3-0 win over Mary on Feb. 27.

Montana State Billings will conclude its season with three home matches. Up next, the Yellowjackets will host Minot State on Saturday. The two teams last met on Feb. 28 when the Beavers won, 3-1.

COMING SOON: Western Washington and Central Washington will both open their abbreviated seasons in April. The defending champion Vikings will host Division III Pacific Lutheran on Saturday while the Wildcats will host Saint Martin’s on April 10.

Due to the continued closure of the U.S./Canada border due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Simon Fraser will not compete in soccer this season.