Tuesday, November 1, 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. – After leading Northwest Nazarene to one of the best regular seasons in program history, Nighthawks senior forward Ashley Parton has been named the conference Player of the Year to headline selections to the 2022 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer All-Conference Team.

One of the two starting forwards in NNU’s potent offense, Parton finished second in the conference with eight goals and was tied for second with 18 points. She trailed only teammate Madison Grande, who also earned first-team honors, in both categories. The duo helped lead Northwest Nazarene to second place in the GNAC standings and the No. 2 berth in this week’s GNAC Championships. The team’s 11 wins are tied for second-most in the Nighthawks’ Division II history.

Regular-season champion Western Washington received two of the conference’s special awards with midfielder Morgan Manalili being named Freshman of the Year and Travis Connell receiving his seventh Coach of the Year award. Manalili was among four WWU players named to the first team.

Western Oregon junior defender Hannah Rispler was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year and also earned first-team honors. Simon Fraser sophomore midfielder Isabella Muzzolini, a transfer from Division I Georgia, was named the Newcomer of the Year.

Parton and Grande led a Northwest Nazarene offense that tied for first in the GNAC with 33 goals and was second to Western Washington with 90 points. Grande, one of two repeat first-team selections, leads the GNAC with 10 goals, 20 points and 68 shots. Her 3.78 shots per match ranks 28th in Division II.

The offensive duo was joined on the first team by junior defender Kailyn LaBrosse, who helped anchor an NNU defense that has allowed only eight goals on the season and just four in conference play. LaBrosse and the defense was critical in a 13-match unbeaten streak that spanned from Sept. 6 to Oct. 20, which included a streak of nine matches without being scored upon. Offensively, LaBrosse has also contributed two assists.

Manalili has played in all 18 matches and started 11 in her freshman campaign for Western Washington. She enters the GNAC Championships tied for fourth in the GNAC with six goals and ranks fifth with 43 shots and 2.39 shots per match. Manalili was joined on the first team by junior forward Estera Levinte, senior midfielder Tera Ziemer and senior defender Karina Provo.

Connell earns his first Coach of the Year award since 2016 after leading the Vikings to their ninth GNAC regular-season title with an 11-1-2 conference mark and 12-2-4 overall record. Western Washington is tied for first in the GNAC with 33 goals and leads the conference outright with 26 assists. 341 shots and a 0.56 goals against average that ranks 20th in Division II. The Vikings had 11 shutouts during the regular season and outscored opponents 33-10.

Rispler was named the Defensive Player of the Year after anchoring the Western Oregon defense in 15 of the team’s 18 matches. The Wolves posted six shutouts of the season with four of those in conference play.

Muzzolini, the Newcomer of the Year, started all 18 matches for Simon Fraser and was a mainstay as a creating midfielder for the Red Leafs. She finished with two assists on the season and her 1,528 minutes led all SFU players.

Levinte shared top scoring honors for Western Washington with Manalili with six goals. She finished tied for fourth in the GNAC with four assists while starting all 18 matches. Ziemer, one of two repeat first-team selections, also started all 18 regular-season matches, finishing with four goals, three assists and 11 points. Provo started 16 of 17 matches played in WWU defense and finished with one goal, the game-winner against Northwest Nazarene that proved critical in winning the regular-season title.

Seattle Pacific is represented on the first team by senior midfielder Chloe Gellhaus and senior defender Marissa Bankey. Gellhaus has started 14 matches for the Falcons this season, tallying three goals and three assists. Bankey is one of four SPU players with four goals on the season and also has two assists. She has started all 18 matches and leads the Falcons with 1,358 minutes.

Montana State Billings junior goalkeeper Clare Keenan rounds out the first team. Keenan led the GNAC and ranks 18th in Division II with 102 saves. Her 6.80 saves per match ranks 13th. Keenan spent all but 405 minutes in net for the Yellowjackets, starting 15 matches.

Western Oregon and Western Washington each landed eight selections on the all-conference team with the Vikings putting six on the first and second teams. Northwest Nazarene and Seattle Pacific each had seven selections.