By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications
PORTLAND, Ore. – Making a huge leap in the latest United Soccer Coaches national rankings, Western Oregon’s men’s soccer team climbed nine spots up to No. 15 this week.
The Wolves, who were
selected as the GNAC Team of the Week on Monday, have gone unbeaten in their last nine matches since a season-opening 3-0 defeat against No. 2 Colorado State-Pueblo. WOU is 8-1-1 overall and has gone 4-0 in conference play to climb into first place with 12 points.
WOU extended its winning streak to five matches last week, smothering Simon Fraser 3-0 at home and racing past Seattle Pacific 4-1 on the road. WOU has just one match on the calendar this week, set to face Saint Martin’s (0-10, 0 points) on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. in Lacey, Wash.
| This Week’s GNAC Men’s Soccer Schedule |
| Date |
Away |
Home |
Time |
| Thursday, Oct. 17 |
Montana State Billings |
Northwest Nazarene |
3 p.m. MT |
| Thursday, Oct. 17 |
#15 Western Oregon |
Saint Martin's |
3:30 p.m. PT |
| Thursday, Oct. 17 |
Seattle Pacific |
Simon Fraser |
5 p.m. PT |
| Saturday, Oct. 19 |
Simon Fraser |
Northwest Nazarene |
2 p.m. MT |
| Saturday, Oct. 19 |
Saint Martin's |
Seattle Pacific |
2:30 p.m. PT |
| Saturday, Oct. 19 |
Montana State Billings |
Western Washington |
4 p.m. PT |
OVERDUE RECOGNITION FOR WOU: It took five weeks for the Wolves to garner a single vote in the national coaches poll, but since cracking in at No. 25 on Oct. 1 the team has soared up the rankings. The team has gone 17-2-4 since Sept. 16, 2023 and is firmly in command of the driver’s seat as the midway point of the 2024 GNAC season approaches next week. In just its third season of existence, second-year head coach
Michael Behonick has his team firing on all cylinders as it has out-scored the opposition 22-6 since the season-opening loss to the 2023 national runner-up.
Yahir Ocampo Navarro scored the game-winner against Simon Fraser last week, converting a penalty kick for his GNAC-leading sixth goal of the season.
Abraham Villalobos scored three times last week, moving him into a tie with teammate
Michael Divano for fifth-most goals in the GNAC with four. Sophomore center back
Ethan Fisher contributed his first collegiate goal in the win over the Falcons, and has started all 10 matches on the back line this fall. Goalkeeper
Andre Schlaefli leads the GNAC in goals-against average (.900), save percentage (.804) and shutouts (4).
Read More: No. 15 Wolves look to continue unbeaten streak (WOU Preview)
Center back Ethan Fisher scored his first collegiate goal in WOU's 4-1 win over Seattle Pacific last week (Photo: Clayton Jones).
‘JACKETS, NIGHTHAWKS SQUARE OFF IN BATTLE OF SECOND-PLACE TEAMS: Montana State Billings (3-3-3, 6 points) and Northwest Nazarene (3-5-1, 6 points) meet in Nampa, Idaho on Thursday with a 3 p.m. (MT) kickoff on the schedule. The teams enter the week tied for second in the GNAC standings with a win by either side helping to close the gap on the surging Wolves. The Yellowjackets are coming off a 5-0 drubbing of Saint Martin’s in their lone game last week. MSUB’s
Sam Kemmer recorded the first hat trick of the 2024 GNAC season, helping improve his team’s conference record to 2-1. After Thursday’s match against the Nighthawks, MSUB plays at Western Washington on Saturday afternoon (4 p.m. PT).
Read More: Sam Kemmer hat trick highlights Yellowjackets’ win (MSUB Recap)
Sam Kemmer scored a hat trick in MSUB's 5-0 blanking of Saint Martin's last week (Shi Robison Photography).
NNU meanwhile split its matches last week, defeating Western Washington 2-1 on the road before a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Simon Fraser on the road.
Johnny Ramirez put the Nighthawks ahead in the 28th minute and
Jonathan Cardona scored the game-winner in the 61st minute in the triumph against the Vikings. Cardona leads the team with three goals and has added an assist this season, while Ramirez has a team-best three assists. After hosting the ‘Jackets on Thursday, NNU will look for vengeance against Simon Fraser in a Saturday home contest that kicks off at 2 p.m. (MT).
Read More: NNU stymies WWU, improves to 2-0 (NNU Recap)
FALCONS, RED LEAFS MEET THURSDAY: Seattle Pacific (4-3-2, 4 points) travels north on Thursday for a 5 p.m. (PT) kickoff at Simon Fraser (2-5-2, 3 points). The Falcons will look to bounce back from last week’s 4-1 loss to the Wolves, which came after a 2-2 draw against Western Washington. SPU will host Saint Martin’s on Saturday (2:30 p.m. PT) after playing at Simon Fraser Thursday.
Connor Tollan scored his fifth goal of the season in the loss to WOU, moving him into a tie for second on the GNAC goal leaders list with teammate
Raymundo Mendez. Tollan also leads the conference with four assists this fall. Mendez leads the GNAC in shots per game (3.22) and shots on goal per game (1.78).
Read More: Falcons play Red Leafs and Saints this weekend (SPU Preview)
Silvestre Vallejo and the Falcons head north to open their week at Simon Fraser (Photo: Rio Giancarlo).
Simon Fraser snapped a six-match winless streak and three-match losing skid last time out, knocking off the Nighthawks 2-0 to secure its first GNAC win of the season. SFU hadn’t scored in three matches before reigning GNAC Freshman of the Year
Michael Hennessy tucked away the game-winner in the 69th minute.
Daniel Hobson followed with his first goal of the season in the 88th minute to see out the three points for the Red Leafs.
Christopher Nicolaisen and
Maddox Colligan combined in goal to complete the Red Leafs’ second shutout of the year.
Daniel Hobson reacts after scoring his first goal of the year, a brace to help SFU beat Northwest Nazarene 2-0 last Saturday (Gordon Kalisch/Fast Track Photography).
VIKINGS AT HOME AFTER BIG WIN: Western Washington will look to keep momentum going after a big 7-2 win over Saint Martin’s its last time out. The Vikings are set to host Montana State Billings on Saturday (4 p.m. PT) in their lone match this week. Six different Vikings found the back of the net in the lopsided win over Saint Martin’s, with
Andrew Rotter supplying a pair of goals in the closing two minutes. Rotter leads the team with three goals this season, while
Albin Jonsson leads the squad with seven points on two goals and three assists.
Eric Bunnell has contributed a pair of goals and assists, and
Reiley Buri-Brown and
Kaydin Wall have each added three assists.
Read More: Vikings record lopsided 7-2 road win (WWU Recap)
Krubelle Tesfaye and Western Washington host Montana State Billings Saturday in their lone game of the week (Photo: Jack Nelson).
Pablo Gonzalez – Northwest Nazarene University
A mainstay in the Nighthawk lineup the last two seasons, Gonzalez has been a player that NNU has counted on for rock-solid performances on a daily basis. Since arriving at NNU, Gonzalez has started all 27 of the team’s matches. A midfielder from Valladolid, Spain, the 6-foot-2 Gonzalez provides NNU with a commanding presence in the center of the pitch. Gonzalez provided his first assist of the season in the Nighthawks’ 4-0 triumph over Saint Martin’s on Oct. 5. Primarily providing consistency on the ball in the midfield, Gonzalez will make occasional attacking contributions after scoring a goal and adding an assist last season. With two big home matches looming, look for Gonzalez to be a key part of NNU continuing its recent success of two wins in its last three matches.
At 6-foot-2 NNU's Gonzalez is among the most physical midfielders in the conference (Gordon Kalisch/Fast Track Photography).
The United Soccer Coaches weekly rankings are released every Tuesday throughout the 2024 season.
| Poll |
Team 1 |
| Preseason |
None |
| Week 1 (9/10) |
None |
| Week 2 (9/17) |
None |
| Week 3 (9/24) |
None |
| Week 4 (10/1) |
25. Western Oregon |
| Week 5 (10/8) |
24. Western Oregon |
| Week 6 (10/15) |
15. Western Oregon |
| Date |
Offensive Player of the Week |
Defensive Player of the Week |
| 9/9 |
Andrew Rotter, Western Washington |
Jordan Thorsen, Simon Fraser |
| 9/16 |
Yahir Ocampo Navarro, Western Oregon |
Andrew Schoenen, Montana State Billings |
| 9/23 |
Michael Divano, Western Oregon |
Pierluca Carnovale, Seattle Pacific |
| 10/7 |
Connor Tollan, Seattle Pacific |
Andre Schlaefli, Western Oregon |
| 10/14 |
Sam Kemmer, Montana State Billings |
Andre Schlaefli, Western Oregon |
Oct. 14 GNAC Men’s Soccer Players of the Week
MEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sam Kemmer – Montana State Billings
First-career player of the week.
Kemmer claimed the first hat trick of the 2024 men’s soccer season, finding the net three times in the Yellowjackets’ 5-0 shutout of Saint Martin’s last Thursday. The sophomore from Littleton, Colo., made the most of his team’s only game last week, breaking a 0-0 stalemate in the 26th minute with his first goal of the evening. He followed by converting a penalty kick just before halftime, and completed the hat trick with a final finish in the 58th minute. Kemmer upped his season goal tally to four, tying him for fifth-most among GNAC players. His opener against the Saints was his first-career game-winner. He scored one goal in his freshman season in 2023, giving him five-career goals after last week’s breakout performance.
MSUB Head Coach Paul Cuevas: “Sam had a great performance last week. We talked about being effective and dangerous in front of goal, and he did just that. As a sophomore he continues to push his limits and is constantly putting in extra work. I have enjoyed seeing his growth so far in the beginning of this season, and I can’t wait to see even more from him in the coming weeks.”
Also Nominated: Jonathan Cardona, Northwest Nazarene; Angel Alvarado-Fajardo, Saint Martin’s; Connor Tollan, Seattle Pacific; Mads Poulsson, Simon Fraser; Abraham Villalobos, Western Oregon; Edgar Serrano, Western Washington.
MEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Andre Schlaefli – Western Oregon University
Second-career player of the week, second this season.
Schlaefli made it back-to-back weekly awards, propelling the Wolves to a pair of decisive wins last week. The senior from Houston, Texas led all GNAC goalkeepers with nine saves last week, while allowing just one goal across 180 minutes of action. He earned every ounce of his shutout against reigning GNAC champion Simon Fraser last Thursday, the highlight being an 82nd-minute penalty-kick denial that brought a roar from the Wolves’ bench and preserved the 3-0 result. He followed by making six important saves in WOU’s resounding 4-1 win at Seattle Pacific last Saturday. Schlaefli leads the GNAC in shutouts (4), goals-against average (0.90) and save percentage (.804).
WOU Head Coach Michael Behonick: “Ever since he stepped foot on campus he has been a student of the game, and he prepares himself the right way on and off the field. The way he eats, studies the game and his attitude in training every day continue to push him to the next level. He has shown in matches when he is called upon the ability to make saves to both win and stay in games.”
Also Nominated: Kolja Thomas, Montana State Billings; Gerardo Fonte, Northwest Nazarene; Maddox Colligan, Simon Fraser; Sebastiano Silvetti, Western Washington.