Wednesday, October 9, 2019

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSE
William Raphael, Simon Fraser
F • 5-7 • Senior • Chukudum, South Sudan

Raphael was one of two Simon Fraser players to score a hat trick last week as he scored the first three goals in the Clan’s 4-2 at Seattle Pacific on Saturday. He also had an assist in the Clan’s 5-1 rout of Saint Martin’s on Thursday.

Also Nominated:Nicholas Denley (Concordia), Ryan Schaefer (Western Washington).

DEFENSE
Nick Morgan, Western Washington
D • 6-2 • Senior • Sammamish, Wash.

Morgan played a key role in a Western Washington defense that allowed eight shots on goal and just one goal as the Vikings went 1-0-1 on the week. Morgan scored a header with one second left in regulation to force overtime with Saint Martin’s on Saturday. The match would end in a 1-1 tie.

Also Nominated: Kenneth Symes (Concordia).

AROUND THE GNAC

CONCORDIA
• Concordia won its only match of the week, topping Montana State Billings at home on Saturday, 4-1.

• Nicholas Denley opened the scoring with a goal in the eighth minute of the match. He struck again with a goal in the 60th minute.

• Kyle Dearborn and Christian Thyron were credited with the other two goals in the win.

• Goalkeeper Kenneth Symmes made six saves on seven shots on goal by the Yellowjackets.

• Concordia is ranked second in the conference and 36th in Division II with 1.83 assists per match. Paul Seydel continues to lead the GNAC with his three assists.

• Denley is fourth in the GNAC with four goals and fifth with nine points.

• Concordia is now 4-2-0 (1-0-0 GNAC) on the season. Up next, the Cavs will hit the road to play at Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings split last week’s road matches. The Yellowjackets beat Northwest Nazarene, 1-0, on Thursday in Nampa, Idaho, and then dropped a 4-1 game at Concordia on Saturday.

• Theo Lamare scored the game-winning goal against Northwest Nazarene in the 52nd minute of the match off of an assist from Yaniss Aka.

• Shantik Bedrosian scored the only goal for the Yellowjackets in the loss at Concordia.

• Jessy Martin made eight saves on eight shots on goal against Northwest Nazarene then made two saves on six shots on goal by Concordia. Martin tops the GNAC and ranks 15th in Division II with 46 saves.

• Montana State Billings is second in the GNAC with 119 shots.

• Montana State Billings is now 4-4-1 (1-1-0 GNAC) on the season. Up next, the Yellowjackets will stay on the road to play at Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene dropped its GNAC opener at home with a 1-0 loss to Montana State Billings.

• The Nighthawks had 14 shots and eight shots on goal but weren’t able to find the net.

• Goalkeeper Alex Nadermann made six saves on seven shots on goal in the match. He ranks third in the conference with a 1.43 goals against average.

• Northwest Nazarene ranks 48th in Division II with 1.57 assists per match and 42nd in Division II with a .429 shutout percentage.

• Jake Levine is tied for second in the GNAC with five goals and third with 12 points.

• Northwest Nazarene is now 4-3-0 (0-1-0 GNAC) on the season. Up next, the Nighthawks will hit the road to play at Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN'S
• Saint Martin’s dropped its GNAC opener at Simon Fraser, 5-1, then tied with Western Washington, 1-1, in heartbreaking fashion.

• Jason Fairhurst scored the goal for the Saints in the loss to Simon Fraser.

• Brandon Madsen scored the goal against Western Washington in the 51st minute. It was his 10th goal of the season. Madsen ranks third in Division II with his 10 goals and also ranks third with 22 points.

• Saint Martin’s was moments away from winning at Western Washington, but the Vikings’ Nick Morgan scored a header with one second left in regulation to send the match to overtime.

• The Saints top the conference with 22 goals, 15 assists and 59 points.

• Saint Martin’s is ranked ninth in the latest United Soccer Coaches West Region Poll.

• Saint Martin’s is now 5-2-2 (0-1-1 GNAC) on the season. Up next, the Saints will stay home to host Montana State Billings on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific lost both of its matches at home last week to open conference play. The Falcons lost to Western Washington, 3-1, on Thursday then dropped another game to Simon Fraser, 4-2, on Saturday.

• Titus Grant notched the goal for SPU in the loss to Western Washington. It was his third goal of the season. Grant tops the conference and ranks 23rd in Division II with 3.86 shots per match.

• Seattle Pacific scored both goals against Simon Fraser in the first half. Grant scored the first goal for the Falcons in the 35th minute. He also was credited with the assist on the goal by Ed Weise in the 43rd minute.

• Seattle Pacific ranks second in the conference with 43 saves. Lars Helleren and Jordan Marwood have been rotating at the goalkeeper position.

• Seattle Pacific is now 1-5-1 (0-2-0 GNAC) on the season. Up next, the Falcons will continue conference play at home, hosting Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Montana State Billings on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• With a big target on its back heading into conference play, Simon Fraser didn’t flinch at all. The Clan won its opener on Thursday with a 5-1 rout of a hot Saint Martin’s team then dropped Seattle Pacific, 4-2, on Saturday.

• Two Simon Fraser players scored hat tricks in the two matches. Matteo Polisi notched three goals and added an assist in the win over Saint Martin’s. He ranks tied for second in the GNAC with five goals.

• William Raphael was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after he scored a hat trick in the first 32 minutes of the match at Seattle Pacific on Saturday. Raphael was also credited with an assist in the match against Saint Martin’s on Thursday. Raphael is fourth in the conference with four goals and 11 points.

• Connor Glennon joined the party with two goals against Saint Martin’s and a goal and an assist at Seattle Pacific.

• Simon Fraser tops the conference and ranks 14th in Division II in scoring offense with 2.67 goals per match. The Clan also leads the GNAC with a 0.98 goals against average.

• Simon Fraser moved up one spot to No. 23 in the latest United Soccer Coaches National Poll.

• Simon Fraser is now 5-1-0 (2-0-0 GNAC) on the season. Up next, the Clan will continue GNAC play at home, hosting Concordia on Thursday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington went 1-0-1 last week, dropping Seattle Pacific, 3-1, on Thursday then drawing a 1-1 tie with Saint Martin’s in dramatic fashion on Saturday.

• Saint Martin’s was on its way to picking up its first conference win of the season, but Western Washington’s Nick Morgan scored a header with one second left in regulation to send the match to overtime in the eventual tie.

•  Morgan was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after playing a key role in a Western Washington defense that allowed eight shots on goal and two goals in the Vikings’ two matches.

• Ryan Schaefer scored the opening goal in the win at Seattle Pacific in the first minute of the match. He also scored the game-winning goal in the 76th minute.

• Alessandro Tomasi netted the insurance goal against Seattle Pacific in the 85th minute.

• Goalkeeper Brandon Locke made six saves on eight shots on goal on the week.

• Western Washington is third in the GNAC with 14 goals and 39 points. Schaefer is tied for fourth with four goals.

• Western Washington moved up one spot to No. 6 in the latest United Soccer Coaches West Region Poll.

• Western Washington is now 4-3-1 (1-0-1 GNAC) on the season. Up next, the Vikings will host Concordia on Saturday in Bellingham.