Thursday, September 8, 2022

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Emily Darcy, Central Washington
M • 5-6 • Junior • Maple Valley, Wash.

Darcy was critical in the Wildcats 2-1 win over San Francisco State, netting both goals for Central Washington. She scored the game-winning goal in the 81st minute to break the tie and life the Wildcats to victory. Darcy also led the team in shots over their first two matches.

Also Nominated: Kayla Wallace (SPU), Leeci Snyder (WOU)

DEFENSIVE
Mercedes Cullen, Seattle Pacific
GK • 5-7 • Freshman • Spokane, Wash.

Cullen recorded two shutouts for the Falcons this week over CCAA opponents in 1-0 wins against San Francisco State and Chico State. The freshman goalkeeper made 11 saves on 20 shots across both games.

Also Nominated: Peyton Vogel (CWU), Sarah Loewen (SFU), Olivia Holdenried (WOU)

AROUND THE GNAC   
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington opened their season at home on Thursday against Chico State, dropping the match 2-0 to the Wildcats from California before bouncing back to a 2-1 win over San Francisco State on Saturday.

• Emily Darcy leads the Wildcats in scoring after she netted both goals in the win over the Gators including the game-winning goal in the 81st minute. Her performance earned her GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

 •Goalkeeper Kassandra Jaggard leads the GNAC with a .929 save percentage having allowed only one goal in three appearances.

• Central Washington started their week with a 0-0 draw against UC-Colorado Springs and will continue their Colorado trip with a match against MSU Denver on Friday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings lost their third match of the season on Friday against Division I Montana 6-0.

• Yellowjackets goalkeeper Tuva Sallvin entered in the second half against the Grizzlies, making five saves on 13 shots faced and allowing just one goal. Sallvin ranks 12th in Division II with 7.67 saves per match.

• Montana State Billings opened their week with a 1-1 draw against Minot State at home on Tuesday, with Taylor Gretsch scoring the first goal of the season  the Yellowjackets.

• Montana State Billings will travel to Black Hills State on Friday to round out their week.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene had a week to recover between matches after returning home from their California road trip.

• The Nighthawks got this week started with a 4-2 win over Hawaii Pacific on Tuesday with four different players tallying goals for NNU.

• Northwest Nazarene will continue its home stand on Saturday when they host Westminster (Utah) and look to build on their success from earlier in the week.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s was another team that got the week off as they prepare to face Cal State Monterey Bay at home in Lacey on Friday.

• The Saints are one of four teams in the GNAC who are .500 on the young season with a win over Colorado Mesa and a loss against MSU Denver.

• Goalkeeper Soph Mendoza ranks fifth in Divsion II with an average of nine saves per match.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific opened its season in the best fashion possible, taking a pair of shutout wins at home, 1-0, over San Francisco State on Thursday and Chico State on Saturday.

• Sophie Beadle got her 2022 campaign off on the right foot, netting her fist goal of season in the 10th minute to score the game-winning mark against San Francisco State.

• Kayla Wallace tallied the lone goal against Chico State in the 75th minute to give the Falcons the late lead.

• Freshman goalkeeper Mercedes Cullen recorded both shutouts for the Falcons with 11 saves in net between both games and earned GNAC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

• Seattle Pacific continued their schedule against Westminster (Utah) on the road on Monday with a 2-2 draw and face Colorado Mines at home on Friday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser only played one match last week, surrendering a late goal to Concordia to drop the match 1-0 despite goalkeeper Sarah Loewen making six saves in net.

• Chelsea Crocq leads the Red Leafs in scoring with one goal while Giuliana Zaurrini leads the way in shots with three in SFU’s two games.

• Simon Fraser will have a busier week ahead of them with a match at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Thursday ahead of their Saturday match at Cal State LA.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon tallied another win this week, bringing their overall record to 3-0 for the first time in program history. The Wolves took the 1-0 shutout win over Colorado Christian on Thursday.

• Leeci Snyder’s game-winning goal for Western Oregon in the 77th minute was the first goal in her college career.

• The Wolves hot start to the season has begun turning heads, with the United Soccer Coaches ranking Western Oregon first in the West Region and eighth in Division II.

• Olivia Holdenried leads the GNAC in saves with 24 and ranks 15th in Division II. She is also tied for most shutouts in the conference with two on the season.

• Western Oregon will look to continue the historic start to their season as they face Cal State Monterey Bay at home in Monmouth on Sunday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington battled to a 1-1 draw with Concordia on Tuesday to start its week after scoring in the first five minutes of the match. The Vikings went on to drop their next match against Sonoma State on Saturday 2-1.

• Western Washington tallied goals from Ashley Nguyen and Estera Levinte as they netted their first of the season.

• The Vikings lead the GNAC in shots with 58, averaging 14.5 per match.

• Levinte ranks second in the conference in shots with 11 to her name.

• Vikings gaolkeepers Abigail Trengrove and Claire Henninger have made a combined 16 saves while splitting duties in net.

• Western Washington opened this week with a 1-1 draw against Point Loma on Tuesday and will take on Colorado Mines in Bellingham on Sunday to wrap up the week.