Saturday, October 29, 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. – Western Washington enters as the No. 1 seed of the GNAC Women’s Soccer Championships which begin Thursday in Nampa, Idaho.

The Vikings ended the regular season 11-1-2 in conference play (12-2-4 overall). They have been at the top of the standings for much of the season, riding a 13-match undefeated streak in GNAC play until the final week of the regular season. Junior forward Estera Levinte leads WWU offensively with six goals and four assists while senior goalkeeper Claire Henninger has recorded seven shutouts to rank second in the GNAC.

The Vikings are one of just two teams in the conference with four players who have scored four or more goals. Along with Levinte’s six, Morgan Manalili also has six while Tera Ziemer and Claire Potter each have four.

Northwest Nazarene comes into the GNAC Championships as the No. 2 seed with a 9-2-3 conference record (11-3-4 overall). The Nighthawks have been one of the top teams both offensively and defensively. They are tied for the GNAC lead in goals with 33 and rank second with 90 points. They also rank second in the conference with a 0.61 goals against average and 10 shutouts.

Northwest Nazarene is led by GNAC-leading goal scorer Madison Grande, who has 10 on the season. Senior forward Ashley Parton is tied for second in the conference with eight goals. Defensively, goalkeeper Alexis Montoya ranks first in the GNAC with eight shutouts.

Last year’s GNAC champion Seattle Pacific enters the GNAC Championships as the No. 3 seed after finishing the regular season 9-4-1 in GNAC play (11-5-2 overall). The Falcons started their conference schedule by winning four of their first five matches. The early results allowed SPU to pull away from its conference rivals and secure a place in the GNAC Championships in the penultimate week of the regular season.

Junior forward Sophie Beadle has been the leading scorer for SPU, racking up 14 points with four goals and six assists. Senior defender Marissa Bankey, junior forward Lauren Forster, and junior forward Jacqueline Blakeley all have four goals on the season as well.

Simon Fraser punched its ticket to the GNAC Championships on the final day, earning a 0-0 draw against Western Oregon to finish off the regular season. The Red Leafs enter the championships as the No. 4 seed with a 4-5-5 conference record (5-6-7 overall). Simon Fraser was part of a key battle in the middle of the standings and was anchored by its goaltending. As a team, SFU ranks third in the conference with seven shutouts. The Red Leafs are led by junior forward/midfielder Giuliana Zaurrini with four goals and two assists.

The GNAC Championships will take place Nov. 3-5 at the NNU Soccer Field on the campus of Northwest Nazarene University. No. 1 Western Washington and No. 4 Simon Fraser will meet in the first semifinal on Thursday, Nov. 3 at 4 p.m., followed by No. 2 Northwest Nazarene ­facing No. 3 Seattle Pacific at 7 p.m.

The championship match will take place on Saturday­, Nov. 5 at noon. The winner of the GNAC Championships will receive the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Division II Championships.

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. The championships will also be streamed online at GNAC.tv.