Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Tickets to the 2022 GNAC Women’s Soccer Championships are now available for advance purchase at GNACtickets.com.

All tickets to the championship must be purchased through this ticket portal, whether purchased in advance or at the competition venue on game day. There will be no cash sales at the site.

This year’s championships will be held Nov. 3-5 on the campus of Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho. The semifinal games on Thursday, Nov. 3 will be at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. The semifinal winners will meet in the championship game on Saturday, Nov. 5.

All tickets are for general admission bleacher seating at the NNU Soccer Field. Tickets purchased for Thursday’s semifinals are good for both matches and are priced at $12 for adults and $7 for seniors, students and children aged 6-12. Children under the age of 5 are free.

Saturday’s championship game tickets are $12 for adults and $7 for seniors, students and children aged 6-12. Children under the age of 5 are free.

The championship bracket will be announced no later than Saturday evening, Oct. 29 at GNACSports.com

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE

Karina Provo, Western Washington
D • 5-1 • Senior • Federal Way, Wash.

Provo picked the right time to score the first goal of her collegiate career, netting the game-winner in the 74th minute against Northwest Nazarene on Saturday to lift the Vikings to a 1-0 victory. The win was critical in solidifying WWU’s place at the top of the standings ahead of the Nighthawks.

Also Nominated: Emily Darcy (CWU), Sydney Torres (MSUB), Jacqueline Blakeley (SPU), Giuliana Zaurrini (SFU), Chloe Smith (WOU)

DEFENSIVE

Claire Henninger, Western Washington
GK • 5-10 • Senior • Sequim, Wash.

Henninger made a pair of saves in a 1-1 draw against Central Washington on Thursday before adding another two saves to shutout out rival Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. The win over the Nighthawks critically extended the Vikings' lead at the top of the standings heading into the final week of the regular season.

Also Nominated: Kassandra Jaggard (CWU), Clare Keenan (MSUB), Alexis Montoya (NNU)

AROUND THE GNAC

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington earned a valuable point in the GNAC standings at home in a 1-1 draw with nationally-ranked Western Washington on Thursday before falling 3-2 to Simon Fraser in Burnaby on Saturday.

• The Wildcats and Vikings traded goals just 19 seconds apart in the first half on Thursday. Emily Darcy struck first for CWU in the 31st minute with her fifth goal of the season, which was immediately followed by Morgan Manlili’s fifth of the year. The two markers proved to be the only goals of the match. Goalkeeper Kassandra Jaggard made five saves in net against 22 shots.

• Darcy scored again on Saturday, netting her sixth this year to equalize with the Red Leafs in the 10th minute. Junior defender Maggie McBroom put the Wildcats ahead in the 49th minute but CWU couldn’t survive the barrage of Simon Fraser offense being outshot 31-12.

• Central Washington will close out its regular season with a match at home against SPU on Thursday and on the road at MSUB on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings stayed in the postseason hunt with a 1-0 win at Western Oregon on Friday before falling 1-0 to Saint Martin’s on Saturday in Lacey.

• After poor air quality postponed the Yellowjackets’ match with the Wolves on Thursday, the two teams went scoreless through the first half. Senior Sydney Torres was the difference maker for MSUB, scoring the game-winner in the 55th minute.

• Goalkeeper Clare Keenan made 14 saves on the week, including nine in the shutout win over Western Oregon.

• Montana State Billings will return home for its final matches of the regular season, facing Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene earned a 0-0 draw in Burnaby against Simon Fraser on Thursday before dropping a close 1-0 match to nationally-ranked rival Western Washington on Saturday in Bellingham.

• Neither side could find an advantage on Thursday as the Nighthawks were led by Sierra Sanchez’s three shots on goal and goalkeeper Alexis Montoya’s five-save shutout.

• In a potential postseason preview, the Nighthawks and Vikings played a tightly contested match in Bellingham. After a scoreless first frame, a deflection bounced out to WWU defender Karina Provo in the 74th minute and NNU was unable to respond.

• Western Washington’s goal ended a nine-match shutout streak for NNU. As a team, the Nighthawks lead the GNAC and rank 18th in Division II with a .871 save percentage. Montoya ranks second in the conference and 26th in Division II with a .862 save percentage.

• Northwest Nazarene will play its final regular-season matches on the road, facing Montana State Billings on Thursday and Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s gained critical ground in the postseason race at home with a 1-0 win over Montana State Billings on Saturday and a 1-1 draw with Seattle Pacific on Monday.

• It was a close affair as the Saints battled the Yellowjackets with both teams firing 12 shots in the contest. After going into halftime scoreless, SMU upped the pressure with nine shots in the second frame. Sophomore forward Ellison Kephart broke through with the game-winner in the 71st minute. Goalkeeper Soph Mendoza made four saves in the shutout performance.

• On Monday SMU struck first with Rachel Kimura scoring her first of the year in the 25th minute but SPU rallied back to start the second half with a goal in the 60th minute. Saints goalkeeper Ali Campigotto made seven saves in net.

• The Saints sit sixth in the standings, just two points off of fourth-place SFU.

• Saint Martin’s will hit the road for its final matches of the regular season, facing Simon Fraser on Thursday and No. 5 Western Washington on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific dropped its match at Western Oregon 2-1 on Saturday before securing its place in the GNAC Championships with a 1-1 draw at Saint Martin’s on Monday.

• The Falcons outshot the Wolves 11-9 in Monmouth but could only muster one goal courtesy of Marissa Bankey in the 65th minute after WOU had taken a 2-0 lead.

• On Monday, Seattle Pacific was again forced to play from behind after surrendering a goal in the 25th minute. The Falcons outshot the Saints 16-10 and Lauren Forster netted the equalizer in the 60th minute.

• Seattle Pacific officially punched its ticket to the GNAC Championships on Friday after results around the conference and earned no less than the No. 3 seed in the tournament following the draw on Monday.

• Seattle Pacific will play its final road match of the regular season on Thursday at Central Washington before returning home to take on Northwest Nazarene.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser earned a valuable four points at home with a 0-0 draw against Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and a 3-2 win over Central Washington on Saturday.

• The Red Leafs couldn’t find the back of the net on Thursday, but outshot the Nighthawks 13-10 while goalkeeper Nicole Anderson made five saves in net to earn the shutout.

• On Saturday, Simon Fraser struck first and last to take a 3-2 win over the Wildcats. Sophomore defender Katie Richardson scored her first goal of the season in the third minute to open the scoring. After CWU equalized in the first half and took a lead in the second frame, SFU got its own equalizer courtesy of Giuliana Zaurrini in the 64th minute. A lucky bounce from a corner kick proved to be the difference maker as a header from Kiara Buono was put into the back of the net CWU by Central Washington’s own Paige Savage.

• Simon Fraser is in the driver’s seat for the final spot in the GNAC Championships on 13 points and will face contenders Saint Martin’s at home on Thursday and Western Oregon on the road on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon split its week at home, falling 1-0 to Montana State Billings on Thursday before bouncing back with a 2-1 win over Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

• The Wolves kept themselves in the hunt for the GNAC Championships on Saturday with their victory over the Falcons. After a 0-0 first half, WOU scored a pair of goals just over one minute apart. Junior midfielder Lilly Nowatzke netted her first of the season in the 51st minute followed by Chloe Smith’s game-winner just 64 seconds later.

• Western Oregon sits fifth in the GNAC standings, just one point behind fourth-place Simon Fraser heading into the final week of the regular season.

• The Wolves will face a formidable final week of regular season matches traveling to take on No. 5 Western Washington on Thursday before returning home to face Simon Fraser on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
 • Western Washington earned a 1-1 draw with Central Washington in Ellensburg on Thursday and took another big step toward securing the regular-season championship with a 1-0 victory over Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

• Despite the final score, the Vikings were dominant offensively on Thursday outshooting the Wildcats 22-8. When Central Washington did manage to get a goal in the 31st minute, WWU responded immediately as Morgana Manalili netted her fifth goal of the season just 19 seconds later.

• Western Washington earned arguably its most important win of the season in a 1-0 nail-biter. The Vikings and Nighthawks dueled for 73 minutes on a foggy night in Bellingham before senior Karina Provo broke the 0-0 stalemate with the first goal of her collegiate career.

• Provo’s critical moment game-winner earned her the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week award while WWU goalkeeper Claire Henninger earned GNAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for her shutout performance against NNU.

• The Vikings have now gone unbeaten in their last 13 matches and have allowed only five goals in that stretch. They now rank No. 5 in the United Soccer Coaches poll.

• Western Washington will round out the regular-season schedule at home with matches against Western Oregon on Thursday and  Saint Martin’s on Saturday.