Thursday, November 2, 2017

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE
Gabe Kellum, Seattle Pacific
F • 6-0 • Senior • Rennes, France
Kellum had two goals and two assists in a pair of home victories that lifted Seattle Pacific to first place in the GNAC standings. He converted a penalty kick with two seconds remaining in regulation to send Thursday’s game with Concordia into overtime and netted the game-winner in the 107th minute on a free kick as the Falcons won 3-2. Kellum then had assists on the first two goals in the Falcons’ 3-1 win over Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

Also Nominated: Christian Thyron (Concordia), Guillaume Kremer (Montana State Billings), Jose Marquez (Saint Martin’s).

DEFENSE
Tom Lohmann, Montana State Billings
GK • 6-2 • Senior • Berlin, Germany
Lohmann broke the Montana State Billings’ career save record as the Yellowjackets won their second and third matches in a row. He finished with three saves against four shots on goal in Thursday’s 2-1 win over Simon Fraser and he made two more saves in a 2-0 win over Western Washington on Saturday, his first shutout of the season.

Also Nominated: Sebastian Navarro (Saint Martin’s), Colton Ronk (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
CONCORDIA
LAST WEEK: Lost 3-2 at Seattle Pacific.
THIS WEEK: Nov. 2 at Northwest Nazarene, 4 p.m. Nov. 4 at Western Washington, 7 p.m.
• Concordia is coming off a heartbreaking 3-2 double-overtime loss at Seattle Pacific last Thursday at Interbay.
• Alec Dunkeld gave the Cavaliers an early 1-0 lead in the 24th minute. Midfielder Christian Thyron later connected on an unassisted second-half goal as the Cavs retook the lead, 2-1.
• The Cavaliers are in sixth place, two points behind fifth-place Northwest Nazarene.
• Heading into their Thursday match against the Nighthawks, Nick Evans leads the Cavaliers with four goals and 11 points. He is tied with Kieran McMinn with three assists. McMinn has recorded a team-high two game-winning goals.
• Goalkeeper Benoit Bouillant has recorded 53 saves for a .663 save percentage along with one shutout. The senior has started in 12 of the 13 matches he has played for the Cavaliers.
• Concordia ends its regular season with two road matches this week.  After taking on Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, the Cavs head up to Bellingham to take on Western Washington at 7 p.m.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
LAST WEEK: Won 2-1 vs. Simon Fraser. Won 2-0 vs. Western Washington.
THIS WEEK: Nov. 2 at Saint Martin's, 2 p.m. Nov. 4 vs. South Dakota Mines, 2 p.m.
• For the first time in program history, Montana State Billings defeated Simon Fraser 2-1 in come-from-behind fashion Thursday afternoon in at Yellowjacket Field.
• For the second straight game, the ‘Jackets rallied from a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1, as goals from Guillaume Kremer and Victor Sanchez propelled MSUB to its second-consecutive victory.
• Goalkeeper Tom Lohmann totaled three saves in the game to earn his seventh win of the year while achieving the school record in saves (198).
• Senior Niklas Schregel scored his second game-winning goal in the last three matches when Montana State Billings recorded a 2-0 win over Western Washington on Saturday.
• Lohmann, who recorded his first shutout of the season, earned GNAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the fourth time in his career.
• Montana State Billings plays its final GNAC match next Thursday at Saint Martin’s and has its senior day next Saturday in non-conference action against South Dakota School of Mines.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
LAST WEEK: Tied 0-0 vs. Western Washington. Tied 0-0 vs. Simon Fraser.
THIS WEEK: Nov. 2 vs. Concordia, 4 p.m. Nov. 4 at Saint Martin's 2 p.m.
• Playing in its third-consecutive overtime match, Northwest Nazarene played Western Washington to a scoreless draw last Thursday.
• Nighthawks’ forward Jake Levine had a penalty kick saved by Vikings’ goalie Tyler Visten after a handball was called against WWU in the first half. The Nighthawks had a few good scoring opportunities throughout the game, but could not find the game-winner.
• Two days later, NNU played then No. 9 Simon Fraser to a 2-2 draw Saturday afternoon.
• Down 2-1 late in the first half, the Nighthawks scored their second free kick of the game with one minute left in the period.
• On both free kicks, Linus Mansson assisted Michael Bryant in the seventh minute and handed Levine his goal in the 45th minute.
• Levine and Bryant lead the team with four goals each. Midfielder Edwin Quiroz leads NNU with six assists.
• Northwest Nazarene closes out its conference season hosting Concordia at 4 p.m on Thursday. The Nighthawks visit Saint Martin’s to end the year.

SAINT MARTIN'S
LAST WEEK: Lost 3-1 at Seattle Pacific.
THIS WEEK: Nov. 2 vs. Montana State Billings, 2 p.m. Nov. 4 vs. Northwest Nazarene, 2 p.m.
• A second-half comeback attempt fell short as the Saints fell 3-1 to Seattle Pacific at Interbay.
• Just 59 seconds into the second half, defender Sebastian Navarro, who leads the conference in assists, found Jose Marquez on a free kick to cut the deficit by two. The assist tied Navarro for the most assists in SMU single-season history, which was set back in 2009.
• Goalkeeper Griffin Small made three saves on eight shots in the second half.
• Freshman forward Brandon Madsen leads the league with 12 goals. Kyle Witzel is second on the team with four goals.
• Small leads the GNAC with 72 saves this season and ranks 30th in Division II with 5.15 saves per match.
• The Saints return home for their final two matches of the 2017 season, starting with Montana State Billings at 2 p.m. today.

SEATTLE PACIFIC 
LAST WEEK: Won 3-2 vs. Concordia. Won 3-1 vs. Saint Martin's.
THIS WEEK: Nov. 4 at Simon Fraser, 7 p.m.
• Senior forward Gabe Kellum converted a penalty kick with two seconds left in regulation to force overtime and then netted a golden goal to give Seattle Pacific a 3-2 victory over Concordia last Thursday.
• Kellum ended the game in the 107th minute after looping a 26-yard free kick over the CU wall to beat Cavs’ goalkeeper Benoit Bouillant to the far post.
• Senior midfielder Jess Cayetano and Kellum each distributed two assists in their final home game at Interbay Stadium, sparking a 3-1 victory over Saint Martin’s on Saturday.
• Sophomore Gabriel Weber scored for the sixth time this season while freshmen Jose Benavides and Travis Swallow netted their first collegiate goals.
• Kellum pushed his point total to 22, leading the team in both goals (seven) and assists (eight). His career totals include 18 goals and 18 assists. Cayetano ranks second on the team with six assists. He has a four-year total of seven goals and 10 assists.
• His clutch performances earned him his second GNAC Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week award this season.
• The first-place Falcons close out their regular season with a big game this weekend, as they take on Simon Fraser in a potential regular-season championship match. Seattle Pacific leads the Clan by just two points.

No. 15 SIMON FRASER
LAST WEEK: Lost 2-1 at Montana State Billings. Tied 0-0 at Northwest Nazarene.
THIS WEEK: Nov. 2 vs. Western Washington, 7 p.m. Nov. 4 vs. Seattle Pacific, 7 p.m.
• With two games remaining in the regular season, No. 15 Simon Fraser controls its playoff fate with a pair of key home matches this week.
• Simon Fraser is unbeaten in six games at Terry Fox Field this season, outscoring opponents 21-2. Since joining the NCAA in 2010, SFU has recorded a 62-4-1 record at home.
• After falling 2-1 to Montana State Billings and playing Northwest Nazarene to a scoreless draw last week, the Clan is in second place, two points behind Seattle Pacific.
• This season, SFU has averaged over 16 shots and 3.5 goals per game at home while opponents have averaged 2.6 shots per game. The Clan has conceded just two goals in six home games. 
• Simon Fraser freshman forward Matteo Polisi leads the GNAC with 1.64 points per match and has a league-high five game-winning goals.
• Clan goalkeeper Miguel Hof leads the GNAC with a 0.88 goals against average including five shutouts.
• A pair of wins against Western Washington and Seattle Pacific will ensure the Clan its second-straight GNAC regular-season title.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
LAST WEEK: Tied 0-0 at Northwest Nazarene. Lost 2-0 at Montana State Billings.
THIS WEEK: Nov. 2 at Simon Fraser, 7 p.m. Nov. 4 vs. Concordia, 7 p.m.
• Playing in its eighth overtime game this season, Western Washington played Northwest Nazarene to a scoreless draw in GNAC action last Thursday. Vikings’ goalkeeper Tyler Visten had 10 saves to tie a career high.
• On Saturday, WWU fell 2-0 at Montana State Billings behind two second-half goals by the Yellowjackets.
• Senior forward Anthony Dean has tallied 10 goals and three assists to rank tied for second among GNAC players in goals and points (23).
• The Vikings’ four draws this season ties their 2016 and 1974 seasons for most ties in a season.
• Western Washington is fourth in the GNAC with 17 points behind first-place Seattle Pacific (22). No. 15 Simon Fraser is second with 20 points while MSUB has 18.
• Western Washington enters the final week of the regular season with a must-win game against No. 15 Simon Fraser Thursday night. A win against the Clan will keep them in the hunt for a regular-season title.
• The Vikings return to Harrington Field on Saturday after playing four consecutive road games, as they host Concordia on senior day.