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Seattle Pacific sits atop the GNAC standings with 14 points after extending its unbeaten streak to seven matches. The Falcons are followed by WWU with 11 points. | Photo by Rio Giancarlo/SPU Athletics Related Links
Tuesday, October 10, 2023 PORTLAND, Ore. – The top four teams in the conference are covered by just four points as the GNAC women’s soccer schedule heads into the second half of the conference slate. The fifth week of GNAC women’s soccer competition sees familiar faces at the top of the standings as Seattle Pacific leads the pack with 14 points followed by Western Washington with 11. Both the Falcons and the Vikings made the most of their home field advantages last week, with SPU coming away with four points while WWU captured six. The two sides will look to build on that momentum as they both hit the road for a pair of matches this week. Montana State Billings and Simon Fraser will both host WWU and SPU this week as the Yellowjackets and Red Leafs each cap off four-game homestands. In contrast, Northwest Nazarene and Western Oregon will both kick off four-match homestands this week against Saint Martin’s and Central Washington.
LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN: Seattle Pacific (7-2-2, 4-0-2 GNAC) has remained undefeated since it took a 2-1 win over then No. 2 Colorado Mines on Sept. 18. The Flacons brought that streak to seven last week with a 1-0 win over Saint Martin’s and a 2-2 draw with Western Oregon to secure four valuable points and remain at the top of the GNAC standings. The Falcons begin their longest road trip of the season this week, kicking off the four-game stretch on Thursday at Simon Fraser (4-2-2, 3-2-1) before heading to Montana State Billings (2-4-3, 1-3-2) on Saturday. Seattle Pacific has been strong all around this season whether in the friendly confines of Interbay Stadium or not. Through five matches, SPU has compiled a 4-1-0 road record and will look to build upon that this week. Along with the longest-standing unbeaten streak in the conference, Seattle Pacific boasts the top goal-scorer in the GNAC in senior forward Jacqueline Blakeley. The Portland, Ore., native has been on fire this season and scored the second brace of her collegiate career last week to move into the conference lead with seven goals and 16 points. Blakeley’s seven goals also rank 30th in Division II. LOEWEN-O’S: Simon Fraser (4-2-2, 3-2-1) has played just two games at home this season. In those two games, the Red Leafs have given up exactly zero goals. In fact, SFU leads the GNAC and ranks 17th in Division II with a .500 goals against average. Sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Loewen has been a massive part of the defensive effort for Simon Fraser, playing every minute of the season. Loewen is tied for the conference lead and 22nd in the division with five shutouts this year in addition to leading the GNAC with a .889 save percentage and 32 total saves. Her efforts in leading SFU to a pair of home shutouts last week earned Loewen selection as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season.
Simon Fraser will play another pair of home matches this week after shutting out Northwest Nazarene, 1-0, and Central Washington, 4-0, last week. On Thursday, Seattle Pacific (7-2-2, 4-0-2 GNAC) will make the trip up to Burnaby with the highest-scoring offense in the conference to take on the best defense in the league. Western Washington will make the trip north of the border on Saturday for the second tilt of the season between the two sides. STINGING SUCCESS: Montana State Billings (2-4-3, 1-3-2) took possibly its biggest win of the season last week, defeating then No. 24 Western Oregon, 2-1, last Thursday. The Yellowjackets followed that up by drawing, 1-1, with Saint Martin’s last Saturday. This week, MSUB caps off a four-game homestand by facing Western Washington (5-3-3, 3-1-2) on Thursday and Seattle Pacific (7-2-2, 4-0-2) on Saturday. The Yellowjackets had to come from behind to defeat the Wolves last week after WOU took a 1-0 lead into halftime. Montana State Billings drew level in the 53rd minute before a foul sent sophomore midfielder Erika Wilson to the penalty spot for MSUB. Wilson made no mistake, slotting a shot high and into the left-side netting to give the Yellowjackets a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. Wilson added an assist in MSUB’s 1-1 draw with SMU on Saturday to earn GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career.
HOME IS WHERE THE ‘HAWKS ARE: Northwest Nazarene (4-3-3, 2-3-1) will play just its third and fourth home matches of the season this week as it looks to move back into the top four of the conference standings. The Nighthawks are set to host Saint Martin’s (3-3-4, 1-2-3) on Thursday before taking on Central Washington (2-9-0, 1-5-0) on Saturday. In a year of strong defenses for the GNAC, Northwest Nazarene has held its own and is tied for fourth in the conference with four shutouts. Junior goalkeeper Bailey Blancett has started all 10 matches for NNU this season and owns a 0.90 goals against average that ranks sixth in the GNAC. On offense, the Nighthawks are led by freshman midfielder Nicole Lewis with 10 points on three goals and four assists. Lewis is among just three players in the conference with a double-digit points total. Saint Martin’s will make the trip to Nampa after earning one point last week in a 1-1 draw with Montana State Billings on Saturday. The Saints have allowed just two goals in their last five matches and are tied for third in the GNAC with a 0.90 goals against average. Senior goalkeeper Ali Campigotto started both of last week’s matches, making eight saves in total. Central Washington enters the week on the back of two losses and will aim to get back into the win column and take some key points away from teams further up the standings. Sophomore midfielder Paige Savage has been the leader for the CWU offense, tallying five points on two goals and one assist. MAKING MIDSEASON MOVES: Western Washington (5-3-3, 3-1-2) has seen a strong turn in form since the start of conference play, suffering only one loss in the conference slate thus far. The Vikings added six vital points last week to move up into second place in the standings behind familiar rival SPU with victories over Central Washington, 1-0, and Northwest Nazarene, 2-1. Junior forward Sophie Bearden Croft netted her team-leading second goal of the season last week in WWU’s shutout win over the Wildcats and paces the Vikings with four points through 11 matches. In net, senior goalkeeper Claire Henninger didn’t allow a goal during the run of play last week, with NNU’s lone tally coming off an own goal. Through the first half of the conference season, Henninger has shown that she is still one of the best in the business, amassing a .848 save percentage and a 0.58 goals against average to rank second in the GNAC. The Vikings have made the most of their time at Harrington Field, taking all nine possible points against GNAC opponents this season. This week sees WWU on the road again as it faces Montana State Billings (2-4-3, 1-3-2) on Thursday and Simon Fraser (4-2-2, 3-2-1) on Saturday. BACK WITH THE PACK: Western Oregon (6-2-2, 3-2-1) returns home this week to kick off its longest homestand of the season. The Wolves will play host to Central Washington (2-9-0, 1-5-0) on Thursday and Saint Martin’s (3-3-4, 1-2-3) on Saturday. After sharing a point last week in a 2-2 draw at Seattle Pacific, Western Oregon will have the opportunity to make up valuable ground this week while its direct competition in the standings, SPU and WWU, will both be on the road. The Wolves are 4-1-0 at home this season and will look to make the most of their next four matches before hitting the road for the remainder of the conference slate. Western Oregon’s offense continues to be led by senior forward Chloe Smith with 12 points on five goals and two assists. Last week’s draw came down to junior midfielder Gabby Warta’s first brace of her WOU career. Warta now ranks fourth on the team with five points.
Alexis Cromwell, Northwest Nazarene Cromwell has, somewhat quietly, been putting together a very respectable freshman season for the Nighthawks. The forward from Kent, Wash., has played in all but one match for NNU this season and earned the first two starts of her collegiate career contests against Montana State Billings on Sept. 30 and Western Washington last Saturday. Cromwell has notched two goals this season through 360 minutes of play and ranks third on the team with six points. The first goal of Cromwell’s collegiate career sparked Northwest Nazarene’s tremendous comeback in a 3-2 win at Western Oregon on Sept. 23. She added the second tally of her career just last week, securing a valuable point for NNU at MSUB with an 88th-minute goal to draw the Nighthawks level in a 2-2 match in her first start. Cromwell will look to keep that momentum rolling for herself and the Nighthawks as they host Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday.
The fifth United Soccer Coaches Division II rankings of the season came out on Oct. 3 with Western Oregon moving back up into the top 25 after taking a pair of 1-0 wins over Simon Fraser and Western Washington two weeks ago. The ranking put the Wolves back in the top 25 for the first time in two weeks and marked the fourth consecutive week that WOU received votes. Seattle Pacific also received votes last week after road wins over Northwest Nazarene, 1-0, and Central Washington, 3-2. The Falcons sit atop the GNAC standings with 14 points and are the only undefeated team in conference play. Last week marked the first time that SPU has received votes since the preseason.
Team Rankings (Top-30)
Fewest Fouls Per Game: 28. SMU, 6.50 Individual Rankings (Top-30)
Game-Winning Goals: 11. Moira MacKay, SPU, 3
Offensive: Erika Wilson, Montana State Billings Playing a crucial role in helping the Yellowjackets secure four points last week, Wilson contributed in both of her team’s home matches. With the score tied at 1-1 in the 66th minute on Thursday, Wilson converted a penalty kick that proved to be the game-winning goal in MSUB’s 2-1 upset win over No. 24 Western Oregon. The Sam Houston State transfer then helped the Yellowjackets salvage a point on Saturday, finding the foot of Ave Roberts for a game-tying goal in the 75th minute of a 1-1 draw. “Erika has been a steady performer for the team this season,” said MSUB head coach Abiye Jack. “She put in two 90-minute performances, and showed she is reliable throughout the entire match. She brought a lot to our team last week not only defensively but offensively. It was impressive to see how much energy she puts into her game, and she is a very competitive player.” Also Nominated: Alia Khoyi, SMU; Jacqueline Blakeley, SPU; Mikayla Tupper, SFU; Gabby Warta, WOU; Sophie Bearden Croft, WWU. Defensive: Sarah Loewen, Simon Fraser Securing her GNAC-leading fourth and fifth shutouts of the 2023 season, Loewen totaled nine saves to help Simon Fraser claim a pair of victories last week. Loewen had five stops – her second-highest total of the year – in the Red Leafs’ 1-0 triumph over Northwest Nazarene on Thursday while facing 13 shots. The sophomore from Burnaby, B.C., followed with four denials in a runaway 4-0 win over Central Washington on Saturday. Loewen leads the GNAC with 32 saves, a goals-against average of 0.50, and a save percentage of .889 this fall. Also Nominated: Tuva Sallvin, MSUB; Ali Campigotto, SMU; Mercedes Cullen, SPU; Claire Henninger, WWU
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