By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications
PORTLAND, Ore. – After a nearly 10-day break from action, Great Northwest Athletic Conference men’s soccer play resumes this week with the beginning of the conference slate.
Western Oregon made history by earning its first-ever national ranking, appearing at No. 25 in the latest United Soccer Coaches national poll. The Wolves are the first GNAC team this season to appear in the national rankings.
| This Week’s GNAC Men’s Soccer Schedule |
| Date |
Away |
Home |
Time |
| Thursday, Oct. 3 |
Western Washington |
#25 Western Oregon |
Noon PT |
| Thursday, Oct. 3 |
Seattle Pacific |
Saint Martin's |
2 p.m. PT |
| Thursday, Oct. 3 |
Simon Fraser |
Montana State Billings |
6 p.m. MT |
| Saturday, Oct. 5 |
Saint Martin's |
Northwest Nazarene |
1 p.m. MT |
| Saturday, Oct. 5 |
#25 Western Oregon |
Montana State Billings |
6 p.m. MT |
| Saturday, Oct. 5 |
Western Washington |
Seattle Pacific |
7 p.m. PT |
RANKED WOLVES READY FOR GNAC TEST: After coming within a whisker of last year’s GNAC title, No. 25 Western Oregon (4-1-1) is set to hit the ground running in its conference opener on Thursday at noon (PT) against Western Washington (2-2-2). The Wolves had the conference’s best record during the non-conference portion of play, with their only loss coming at the hands of No. 2 Colorado State Pueblo in the season opener. Since then, WOU has gone unbeaten in its last five matches. After hosting the Vikings on Thursday, WOU travels to Montana State Billings (1-2-3) for a Saturday match under the lights in the Magic City at 6 p.m. (MT).
Redshirt freshman
Michael Divano leads the conference with four goals through his first six collegiate matches, and is the most recent GNAC Offensive Player of the Week.
Yahir Ocampo Navarro is right behind with three goals and a pair of assists, as the duo co-leads the conference with eight points apiece. Veteran midfielder
Moises Cisneros and redshirt freshman midfielder
Marcus Vazquez have each started all six matches, while the defensive tandem of
Ethan Fisher and
Caleb Kiner have started every match on the back line. In goal,
Andre Schlaefli has played every minute collecting a pair of shutouts and holding a 1.17 goals-against average.
Read More: Wolves men’s soccer nationally ranked for first time (WOU Release)
Abraham Villalobos and the Wolves host Western Washington Thursday and travel to Montana State Billings Saturday (Photo: Clayton Jones).
VIKINGS START GNAC SLATE ON ROAD: Western Washington will get a crack at its third nationally ranked opponent this season on Thursday, after beating No. 18 Chico State 1-0 on Sept. 5 and falling 1-0 to No. 3 Cal State LA on Sept. 12. The Vikings have put together a strong resume through their first six games of the season, and will follow Thursday’s showdown in Monmouth with a Saturday night match at Seattle Pacific (7 p.m. PT). Four different Vikings have found the back of the net this season, including a goal and an assist from reigning first-team all-conference forward
Albin Jonsson.
Reiley Buri-Brown leads the team with a pair of assists, and
Eric Bunnell has a goal and an assist for WWU.
Sebastiano Silvetti, a second-team all-GNAC pick as a freshman in 2023, has started all six matches to help anchor the Viking defense. In goal sophomore
Charlie Dyer has been an early standout allowing no more than one goal in any match for a 0.67 goals-against average. Senior forward
Andrew Rotter, who scored the game-winning goal in WWU’s upset of Chico State, made an appearance on the latest episode of
GNAC Insider to discuss his career and provide an outlook for the Vikings’ season.
Sophomore Sebastiano Silvetti has been a stalwart on the back line for WWU this fall (Photo: WWU Athletics).
FALCONS ON FIRE ENTERING GNAC PLAY: Seattle Pacific (3-2-1) brings a three-match unbeaten streak into its conference schedule, which begins on Thursday (2 p.m. PT) at Saint Martin’s. Most recently, SPU was named the
GNAC Team of the Week after topping Westminster 3-0 and Regis 1-0 in a pair of road matches. The Falcons also battled No. 3 Cal State LA to a 0-0 draw on Sept. 14 at home. Goalkeeper
Pierluca Carnovale leads the conference with four shutouts this fall, while the defending tandem of senior
Evan Aune and freshman
Carter Gay has contributed heavily to the team’s three straight clean sheets. Last year’s GNAC Newcomer of the Year
Raymundo Mendez is tied for the conference lead with eight points, totaling three goals and a pair of assists to lead the SPU offense.
Judah Johnston is second on the team with two goals and an assist, and
Connor Tollan is tied for the GNAC lead with a pair of assists.
Freshman center back Carter Gay has helped lead a Falcon back line that has not conceded in its last three matches (Photo: Rio Giancarlo).
‘JACKETS AT HOME THIS WEEK: Montana State Billings (1-2-3) came close to a major upset its last time out, battling No. 9 Fort Lewis to a 2-2 draw on Sept. 21 in Durango, Colo. The Yellowjackets will host Simon Fraser (1-3-2) on Thursday (6 p.m. MT) before welcoming the 25th-ranked Wolves to Billings on Saturday (6 p.m. MT).
Bjarne Fedkenhauer,
George Jones and
So Nagano have each found the net twice for MSUB, which is tied for second in the conference with nine goals scored through its first six matches. The senior tandem of
Ryan Hanley and
Jack Jarrett has started all six matches this fall, and
Andrew Schoenen has started all six matches in goal while collecting a pair of shutouts.
Read More: ‘Jackets conclude non-conference play with a draw (MSUB Recap)
Bjarne Fedkenhauer and the Yellowjackets battled No. 9 Fort Lewis to a 2-2 draw last time out (Photo: Katie Silva, FLC Athletics).
NIGHTHAWKS HOST SAINTS SATURDAY: Northwest Nazarene (1-4-1) picked up its first win of the season on Sept. 19 with a 2-1 triumph over West Texas A&M at home. The Nighthawks have just one match on the calendar this week, hosting Saint Martin’s (0-6) on Saturday afternoon with a 1 p.m. (MT) kickoff.
Jonathan Cardona supplied all the firepower in his team’s first triumph of 2024, notching a brace against WTAMU before turning in an assist two days later in the team’s 2-1 loss to Lubbock Christian. The reigning first-team all-conference selection leads the team with five points and has started all six matches this fall.
Gerardo Fonte, a newcomer in goal, has played every minute of the season thus far and has totaled 22 saves for NNU.
Read More: Cardona’s brace leads Nighthawks to comeback victory (NNU Recap)
Jonathan Cardona netted a brace to help Northwest Nazarene to a 2-1, come-from-behind win over West Texas A&M.
The Saints are in search of their first win of the season, and are coming off their most competitive match yet with a 1-0 loss to Colorado Christian on Sept. 22. SMU opens at home against the Falcons on Thursday before heading east to face the Nighthawks Saturday.
Cole Sullivan leads the team with a pair of goals, while
Angel Alvarado-Fajardo has scored once and
Xander Koenig and
Judah Straight have each provided an assist.
Simon Fraser (1-3-2) is slated for just one match this week, paying a visit to Montana State Billings on Thursday evening. The Red Leafs played No. 9 Fort Lewis to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 19, before falling 5-0 at the hands of Colorado Mesa on Sept. 21 in Colorado. SFU caps its eight-match road stretch to start the campaign on Oct. 10 at No. 25 Western Oregon, before making its home debut on Oct. 12 against Northwest Nazarene. Six different Red Leafs have found the net this season, with reigning GNAC Freshman of the Year
Michael Hennessy recording a goal and an assist.
Brandon Torresan is the early GNAC leader in assists with three across his first six matches.
Jordan Thorsen has been the team’s top goalkeeper thus far, starting five matches and recording the team’s lone shutout in 2024.
Judah Johnston – Seattle Pacific University
A fifth-year standout for the Falcons, Johnston has come to be a player SPU has relied on since he debuted during the COVID-impacted 2020 campaign. Johnston has played in 62 matches throughout his career, starting 30 including all six games this fall. Entering the season with four career goals and four career assists, Johnston is already well on his way to eclipsing those figures with a pair of finishes and an assist in six matches. He found the net in the team’s season-opener against Sonoma State on Sept. 5, doubled his tally with a goal against Chico State on Sept. 7 and provided his first assist of the year on Sept. 12 against Cal State Dominguez Hills. The forward from Arvada, Colo., is projected to play an important role for the Falcons as they begin their conference schedule this week.
In his fifth year with the Falcons, Judah Johnston has 62 caps (Photo: Rio Giancarlo).
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 |
| 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 |
Sept. 23 GNAC Men’s Soccer Players of the Week
MEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Michael Divano – Western Oregon University
First-career player of the week.
Propelling the Wolves to a 2-0-1 record last week, Divano scored the game-winner in each of his team’s victories. His second goal of the season came in the 15th minute against Hawaii Hilo last Monday, proving to be the decisive strike in WOU’s 2-0 clean sheet against a team that received votes in last week’s
United Soccer Coaches poll. Divano struck again in WOU’s 3-1 win over Newman – another team receiving national poll votes – on Sunday. The redshirt freshman put his team up early with a goal in the fifth minute, before finding his brace in the 16th minute. His third goal of the week stood as the winner as WOU improved its record to 4-1-1 on the season. The Bremerton, Wash., native leads the GNAC with four goals this season, three of which have been game-winning finishes.
Also Nominated: Bjarne Fedkenhauer, Montana State Billings; Jonathan Cardona, Northwest Nazarene; Raymundo Mendez, Seattle Pacific; Alexandre Marcoux, Simon Fraser.
MEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Pierluca Carnovale – Seattle Pacific University
First-career player of the week.
Seattle Pacific had a dominant week with a pair of shutouts, thanks in large part to its last line of defense. Carnovale registered four saves while facing 10 shots in SPU’s narrow, 1-0 victory over Regis on Thursday. He followed that with five more saves while facing a dozen shots in the team’s 3-0 shutout at Westminster, which received votes in the most recent USC poll. The Falcon newcomer was the lone GNAC goalkeeper not to concede a goal last week, posting a perfect 1.000 save percentage. A Seattleite and transfer from Willamette University, Carnovale leads the GNAC with four shutouts thus far in 2024.
SPU Head Coach Kevin Sakuda: “He has been huge and has come up big with saves when we need them. He has also been a fantastic leader in terms of organizing in the back. The way he came into the team with his demeanor and his personality – right away he established himself as someone the guys can trust, support and fight for.”
Also Nominated: Arlo Follett, Montana State Billings; Andre Schlaefli, Western Oregon; Charlie Dyer, Western Washington.