Thursday, October 6, 2022

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE

Ethan Jud, Saint Martin’s
F • 5-8 • Sophomore • Camas, Wash.

Jud was a goalkeeper’s worst nightmare last week, scoring the game-winner for the Saints on Thursday at Montana State Billings before netting a first-half hat trick against Western Oregon on Saturday. His offensive output helped lift SMU up to fifth in the standings, level on points with NNU and SFU.

Also Nominated: Jonathan Cardona (NNU), Alden Massey (SPU), Alan Soto (SFU), Johan Espinoza (WWU)

DEFENSIVE

Niko Papakyriakopoulos, Simon Fraser
D • 5-11 • Junior • New Westminster, B.C.

Papakyriakopoulos played all 180 minutes for the Red Leafs last week over two matches as part of a defense that was able to limit Northwest Nazarene to seven shots. He also scored the opening goal against the Nighthawks.

Also Nominated: Lars Helleren (SPU), Mitchell Hunter (WWU)

AROUND THE GNAC

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings only played one match last week, dropping a 3-0 loss to Saint Martins on Thursday at home.

• The Yellowjackets outshot the Saints 14-10 but couldn’t find the back of the net.

• Midfielder Jeremie Briquet is tied for the lead in the GNAC and ranks 50th in Division II with four assists.

• Ryan Hanley leads the team with three goals and one assist for seven points.

• Montana State Billings will begin a four-match road trip this week, with matches against Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene split its week on the road with a 2-1 win over Western Oregon on Thursday and a 2-1 loss to Simon Fraser on Saturday.

• On Thursday, the Nighthawks were forced to mount a comeback against the Wolves after surrendering a goal in the ninth minute. Constant pressure provided the answers NNU was looking for, as it outshot Western Oregon 19-5. Lukas Juodkunaitis broke through with a goal in the 40th minute to equalize. Sullivan Smith netted his team-leading fourth goal of the season in the 80th minute to win the game for the Nighthawks.

• Northwest Nazarene’s usually hot offense was stifled on Saturday against Simon Fraser as it couldn’t solve the second-best defense in the conference. Jonathan Cardona scored the lone goal of the match for NNU in the 85th minute while Justyn Sandhu made three saves in net.

• Northwest Nazarene will be back in Nampa this week, facing Montana State Billings on Thursday before a rematch against Simon Fraser on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• After struggling to find goals this season, Saint Martin’s exploded with a 3-0 win at Montana State Billings on Thursday and a 5-2 win at home over Western Oregon on Saturday.

• The Saints picked up their first win of the season on Thursday, scoring three goals in the second half to take the shutout. Ethan Jud scored the game-winner for SMU in the 48th minute while Nick Mueller earned the shutout with four saves against 14 shots. Caden Martin and Diego Andrade tallied the insurance markers.

• Saint Martin’s dominated on Saturday. Andrade scored just 13 seconds into the match and secured the brace 30 minutes later while Jud went on a tear and scored in the third, 37th and 45th minutes to complete a first-half hat trick to cap off an impressive week.

• Jud’s four-goal week that lifted SMU to fifth in the standings and level on points with NNU and SFU earned him GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

• The Saints were also named GNAC Team of the Week after putting together two strong wins against conference opponents.

• Saint Martin’s will face Seattle Pacific at home on Thursday and  No. 20 Western Washington on the road on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific split the week on the road with a 1-0 win at Simon Fraser and a 3-1 loss to Western Washington.

• The Falcons opened the week in a close battle with the Red Leafs where neither team could find the back of the net in the first half. Alden Massey broke the stalemate in the first minute of the second half, however, to tally his first goal of the season. Lars Helleren made six saves in the shutout victory.

• On Saturday, Seattle Pacific went down by one goal in the 28th minute but freshman midfielder Cameron Yriondo scored his first goal of the season just four minutes later to tie the game going into the half.

• Seattle Pacific will face Saint Martin’s on Thursday in Lacey for its only match of the week.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser split its week at home with a 1-0 loss to Seattle Pacific on Thursday before bouncing back with a 2-1 win over Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

• The Red Leafs put more shots on net than the Falcons with six shots on goal but couldn’t solve Lars Helleren. Alan Soto led the team with three shots, two of which were on goal.

• On Saturday, SFU outshot Northwest Nazarene 18-7, shutting the Nighthawks until the 85th minute. Niko Papakyriakopoulos scored the opening marker for the Red Leafs in the 40th minute and Soto added his third goal of the season in the 59th minute which would become the game-winner.

• Papakyriakopoulos’ performance on defense last week, including a first half on Saturday where SFU didn’t allow a single shot, earned him GNAC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

• Simon Fraser will face No. 20 Western Washington at home on Thursday before traveling to Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon dropped a pair of matches last week with a 2-1 loss to Northwest Nazarene at home on Thursday and a 5-2 loss to Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

• The Wolves struck first against the Nighthawks in the ninth minute when Dauda Woodruff netted his first goal of the season. After NNU equalized in the 40th minute, the score remained knotted at one until the Nighthawks scored the game-winner in the 80th minute. Juan Suarez made eight saves in net against 19 shots.

• On Saturday, Western Oregon was stunned by the Saint Martin’s offense in the first half but rallied back with a competitive second frame where they tallied a pair of goals from Alex Grignon and Abraham Villalobos.

• Suarez continues to lead the GNAC and ranks 13th in Division II with 54 saves.

• Western Washington will play its only match of the week against Montana State Billings at home on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington won its only match of the week 3-1 over Seattle Pacific at home in Bellingham on Saturday.

• The Vikings had to battle to maintain their unbeaten streak, with Kyota Hiate scoring the first goal of the match in the 27th minute but conceding the equalizer four minutes later.

• Western Washington had to wait until the 76th minute to score again when Alessandro Tomasi netted the game-winner. Johan Espinoza also scored in the final 10 minutes to give WWU some breathing room.

• With only one match last week, Western Washington slipped one place in the United Soccer Coaches Poll to No. 20.

• With another win, the Vikings remain undefeated and have extended their unbeaten streak to 10 matches. They are one of only 10 unbeaten teams in Division II.

• Albin Jonsson leads the conference and ranks 13th in Division II with 15 points. He also leads the GNAC and ranks 32nd in Division II with six goals.

• Western Washington will travel to face Simon Fraser on Thursday before returning home to take on Saint Martin’s on Saturday.