Wednesday, November 13, 2019

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE
Brandon Madsen, Saint Martin’s
F • 6-1 • Senior • Auburn, Wash.

Madsen scored three goals, which included his fifth game-winning goal of the season as the Saints split last week’s matches. The game-winner came in the 79th minute of Thursday’s 2-1 victory at Concordia. He then scored both of the Saints goals in Saturday’s 4-2 loss at Seattle Pacific.

Also Nominated: Kieran McMinn (Concordia), Mark Talisuna (Simon Fraser), Ryan Schaefer (Western Washington).

DEFENSE
Jeremiah Lee, Western Washington
D • 6-4 • Senior • Marysville, Wash.

Lee played all 180 minutes in two wins as the Vikings clinched the GNAC title by allowing a combined two shots on goal. The Vikings limited both Northwest Nazarene and Montana State Billings to just six shots each. Of the Vikings nine conference wins, five have come by shutout.

Also Nominated: Collin LaBranche (Saint Martin’s), Aidan Bain (Simon Fraser).

AROUND THE GNAC
CONCORDIA
• Concordia lost its only match of the week with a tough 2-1 loss at home to Saint Martin’s.

• Kieran McMinn opened the scoring in the Cavaliers’ loss to the Saints, notching a goal in the 19th minute, but the Saints responded with two goals in the second half, including the game-winner in the 79th minute, to steal the victory.

• The Cavs put up just six shots and three shots on goal in the 2-1 loss at home.

• Goalkeeper Mathias Ericksen made eight saves on 17 shots and 10 shots on goal by the Saints.

• The Cavs are tied for third in the GNAC with 25 goals on the season.

• Concordia is now 7-8-0 (4-6-0 GNAC) on the season. Up next, the Cavs will end their regular season at home as they host Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings suffered a couple of tough losses last week. The Yellowjackets lost 1-0 in double overtime to Simon Fraser on Thursday then lost 1-0 again at Western Washington on Saturday as the Vikings clinched the GNAC title.

• Shantik Bedrosian led the Yellowjackets with three shots against the Clan. The two teams were tied until the Clan’s Mark Talisuna scored the golden goal in the 106th minute. Bedrosian also led the Yellowjackets with two shots in the loss to the Vikings on Saturday.

• Goalkeeper Jessy Martin made eight saves in the two matches. He leads the GNAC with 83 saves and six shutouts while also ranking second with an .806 save percentage.

• Montana State Billings is now 8-8-2 (5-5-1 GNAC) on the season. Up next, the Yellowjackets will finish their regular season at home as they host Seattle Pacific on Thursday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene dropped a couple of road conference matches last week with losses at Western Washington (2-0)  on Thursday and Simon Fraser (2-1) on Saturday.

• The Nighthawk defense shut down Western Washington for a majority of the match, but back to back goals by the Vikings’ Ryan Schaefer in the 15th and 16th minutes made the difference.

• Goalkeeper Sawyer Price made nine saves on 11 shots on goal by the Vikings. He has a 2.46 goals against average.

• Lorenzo Valentini scored the only goal for the Nighthawks in their 2-1 loss in Burnaby, but the goal came in the 90th minute with no time left to start a comeback. Valentini is tied for eighth in the GNAC with five goals.

• Northwest Nazarene is 6-10-0 (2-8-0 GNAC) on the season. Up next, the Nighthawks will close out their season as they travel to Portland on Thursday to play at Concordia before returning to Nampa to host Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN'S
• Saint Martin’s split its matches last week with a 2-1 win at Concordia on Thursday and a 4-2 loss at Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

• A second-half comeback sealed the victory for the Saints in the 2-1 win at Concordia. The Saints tallied 17 shots and 10 shots on goal and limited the Cavs to just six total shots.

• Collin LaBranche scored the Saints’ first goal in the 67th minute and Brandon Madsen notched the game-winner in the 79th. Madsen tops the GNAC and ranks second in Division II with 18 goals. He also ranks fifth with 39 points and seventh with five game-winning goals.

• Madsen also scored both goals in the Saints’ 4-2 loss to the Falcons on Saturday to earn GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. It was his second time receiving the award this season.

• Saint Martin’s is now 9-7-2 (4-6-1 GNAC) on the season. The Saints will wrap up their season at home as they host Simon Fraser on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific won its only match of the week, topping Saint Martin’s, 4-2, at home on Saturday. The Falcons limited the Saints to just four shots on goal.

• Titus Grant led the offensive charge in the victory. Grant scored the opening goal in the 15th minute then assisted on the second goal by Trevor Lee in the 26th minute.

• Grant is second in the GNAC with nine goals and 25 points. His 25 points also rank 48th in Division II.

• The Falcons scored all four of their goals before the Saints got on the board. Skylor Rose and Cole Rogers scored the final two insurance goals for the Falcons.

• Seattle Pacific is now 5-9-1 (4-6-0 GNAC) on the season. The Falcons will end their season on the road as they play at Montana State Billings on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser went 2-0 at home last week with a 1-0 double-overtime win over Montana State Billings on Thursday and a 2-1 win over Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

• Mark Talisuna scored the golden goal in the Clan’s 1-0 double-overtime victory over the Yellowjackets on Thursday. The Clan limited the Yellowjackets to just two shots on goal.

• Peder Syversten scored the opening goal for the Clan in the 2-1 win over the Nighthawks. Talisuna also struck again, netting the insurance goal in the 70th minute.

• The Clan ranks 25th in Division II with 6.21 corner kicks per match while also ranking 41st with a 0.96 goals against average.

• Simon Fraser is now 9-4-1 (6-3-1 GNAC) on the season. The Clan will close out its season on the road, traveling to GNAC Champion Western Washington on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington won two more matches last week to remain undefeated in conference play and claim the GNAC title with 28 points. The Vikings shut out Northwest Nazarene, 2-0, on Thursday then topped Montana State Billings, 1-0, on Saturday to clinch the title.

• Ryan Schaefer provided the offensive power in the Vikings’ win over the Nighthawks. Schaefer netted goals in the 15th and 16th minutes to seal the victory.

• Jeremiah Lee was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after he played all 180 minutes in two wins as the Vikings clinched the GNAC title by allowing a combined two shots on goal. The Vikings limited both Northwest Nazarene and Montana State Billings to just six shots each. Of the Vikings nine conference wins, five have come by shutout. It was Lee’s second time winning the weekly award.

• Goalkeeper Brandon Locke leads the GNAC and ranks fourth in Division II with a 0.37 goals against average while also ranking third with an .882 save percentage and 30th with six shutouts.

• Western Washington is now 12-3-1 (9-0-1 GNAC) on the season. The Vikings will close out their regular season as they host Simon Fraser on Thursday before playing at Concordia on Saturday.