By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications
PORTLAND, Ore. – The second week of Great Northwest Athletic Conference women’s soccer action kicks off on Thursday afternoon, with eight total matches on tap this weekend.
Seattle Pacific was the lone GNAC team to appear in this week’s United Soccer Coaches national rankings, receiving votes and making it a fourth appearance in five weeks in the poll.
| This Week’s GNAC Women’s Soccer Schedule |
| Date |
Away |
Home |
Time |
| Thursday, Oct. 3 |
Central Washington |
Montana State Billings |
3 p.m. MT |
| Thursday, Oct. 3 |
Northwest Nazarene |
RV Seattle Pacific |
4 p.m. PT |
| Thursday, Oct. 3 |
Western Oregon |
Simon Fraser |
6 p.m. PT |
| Thursday, Oct. 3 |
Saint Martin's |
Western Washington |
7 p.m. PT |
| Saturday, Oct. 5 |
Northwest Nazarene |
Montana State Billings |
Noon MT |
| Saturday, Oct. 5 |
Western Oregon |
Western Washington |
2 p.m. PT |
| Saturday, Oct. 5 |
Saint Martin's |
Simon Fraser |
4 p.m. PT |
| Saturday, Oct. 5 |
Central Washington |
RV Seattle Pacific |
4:30 p.m. PT |
This Week’s Storylines
FIRST-PLACE WOLVES HIT THE ROAD: The lone team to emerge with six points on opening week of conference play, Western Oregon will look to keep the momentum going with a pair of road matches this week. The Wolves (2-2-3, 2-0 GNAC) play at Simon Fraser (5-1, 1-1) on Thursday evening (6 p.m. PT) before taking on Western Washington (2-2-3, 1-0-1) on Saturday afternoon (2 p.m. PT). The Wolves got their conference slate started on the right foot last week, shutting out Saint Martin’s 1-0 before a 4-2 triumph over Northwest Nazarene.
Ciara Garcia earned GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after scoring twice and providing an assist, upping her season goal count to three to lead the team.
Olivia Fothergill had a game-winning goal last week, giving her two tallies on the season. WOU has relied on consistency among its starting lineup, with defenders
Leah Heugly and
Lulu Sadler, and midfielders
Haley King and
Briana Kubli joining Garcia and Fothergill in starting all seven matches this fall. In goal,
Sophia Pierce has played all but one half and has logged a pair of shutouts.
Read More: Wolves explode for 4 goals in win at NNU (WOU Recap)
Leah Heugly has started all seven matches for the Wolves this fall (Photo: Clayton Jones).
VIKINGS KEEP GOOD VIBES GOING: Western Washington put forth a good showing on its opening weekend of conference play, topping a Simon Fraser side that received votes in the national poll 1-0 before salvaging a 1-1 draw against reigning GNAC champion Seattle Pacific. The Vikings will host Saint Martin’s (1-6, 1-1) on Thursday at 7 p.m. PT before welcoming the Wolves on Saturday.
Sophie Bearden Croft was the hero last time out, scoring in the 90th minute to rescue WWU in the 1-1 tie against the Falcons.
Lydia Myers scored her team-leading second goal of the season, finding the game-winner against Simon Fraser last week. Reigning GNAC Defensive Player of the Week
Asia Hardin and senior
Halle Noel have each started all seven matches while captaining the WWU back line.
Abigail Trengove has started 6 of 7 matches in goal and has recorded three shutouts this season.
Read More: Last minute heroics net Vikings 1-1 tie (WWU Recap)
Mie Cairns and the Vikings are at home this week after starting GNAC play with a win and a draw (Photo: WWU Athletics).
FALCONS ON THE HUNT: Seattle Pacific (3-1-2, 1-0-1) continues its quest to defend last year’s GNAC title this week, hosting Northwest Nazarene (1-5, 1-1) on Thursday (4 p.m. PT) and Central Washington (1-3-1, 0-2) on Saturday (4:30 p.m. PT). Before the tie against the Vikings, SPU handled Montana State Billings 2-1 in a tightly contested road match last week. Reigning GNAC co-Newcomer of the Year
Taylor Krueger found the back of the net in each of SPU’s matches last week, upping her goal total to three on the season.
Kayla Wallace leads the GNAC with five goals on the campaign, and
Moira MacKay also has three goals.
Maya Parman has supplied two goals and two assists for the Falcons, who lead the conference with 14 goals across their first six matches. Senior defenders
Landry McCann and
Kathryn Nyone and midfielder
Kailalani Ahuna have each started all six matches, and
Mercedes Cullen ranks third in the GNAC with 5.00 saves per game.
Read More: Cullen makes history as Falcons and Vikings tie (SPU Recap)
Moira MacKay has three goals in six games for the Falcons this fall (Photo: Rio Giancarlo).
SIMON CONTINUES HOMESTAND AFTER SPLIT: Simon Fraser shook off a 1-0 defeat to the Vikings by shutting out MSU Billings 2-0 in its most recent match last Saturday. The Red Leafs will host the Wolves on Thursday evening and the Saints on Saturday afternoon (4 p.m. PT). Reigning first-team all-conference selection
Isabella Muzzolini scored her second goal of the season in the win over MSU Billings, moving into a tie for second place on the GNAC stats leaderboard. Freshman
Dariella Lopez had the assist on Muzzolini’s goal, after netting her first collegiate finish earlier in the match in what stood as the game-winner. Senior midfielder
Kate Cartier and sophomore midfielder
Alyssa Clark have each started all six matches, while
Katie Richardson and
Emily Smith have made six starts each on the back line.
Sarah Loewen leads the GNAC in save percentage (.917) and goals-against average (.351) across her first six matches of the year.
A second-team all-GNAC selection in 2023, Simon Fraser's Emily Smith has been a mainstay on the back line once again this fall (Photo: Oscar Coffey).
NIGHTHAWKS SEEK MOMENTUM ON ROAD: Northwest Nazarene picked up a solid 1-0 shutout of Central Washington for its first GNAC points of the season, before falling 4-2 at the hands of Western Oregon last week. The Nighthawks will start their week against the Falcons, before returning to the Mountain time zone for a Saturday (noon MT) affair at Montana State Billings. Redshirt freshman
Abbey Blancett scored the game-winner against the Wildcats, securing her first collegiate finish. She became the fourth Nighthawk to score this season, joining
Alejandra Jaramillo,
Elliana Kimball and
Attie Jo Westbrook. Senior
Kate Bleffert has paced the NNU back line this fall, starting all six matches. Reigning GNAC Freshman of the Year
Nicole Lewis has also made six starts, and has contributed an assist thus far. The Nighthawks have relied on
Alex Barrass in goal for every minute of the season, and she is tied for fourth in the GNAC with 3.67 saves per game.
Read More: NNU defeats Central Washington in GNAC opener (NNU Recap)
Freshman Attie Jo Westbrook's first collegiate goal was a game-winner in the Nighthawks' 1-0 blanking of Central Washington last Thursday.
SAINTS SECURE FIRST WIN: Behind a 28th-minute goal from
Inara Lopes De Andrade, Saint Martin’s secured its first victory and GNAC points of the season with a 1-0 triumph against Central Washington last Saturday. The win came after a 1-0 loss to Western Oregon, as SMU split its first conference week of the season. The Saints will face a challenge this week, playing at Western Washington Thursday and at Simon Fraser on Saturday. Lopes De Andrade became the fourth Saint to score this season, joining
Rachel Kimura,
Hinata Kojima and
Lia Lopez. Goalkeeper
Flavia Burrell ranks second in the conference with 5.33 saves per game, and reigning second-team all-conference defender
Payton Aselton is the lone Saint to have started all seven matches.
SMU goalkeeper Flavia Burrell ranks second in the GNAC with 5.33 saves per game (Photo: Ron Smith).
‘JACKETS LOOK FOR FIRST GNAC POINTS AT HOME: Montana State Billings (3-3, 0-2) will look to take advantage of its home field as it hosts Central Washington Thursday (3 p.m. MT) and Northwest Nazarene Saturday (Noon MT). The ‘Jackets stuck with Seattle Pacific in a 2-1 defeat, before falling short 2-0 at the hands of Simon Fraser on the opening weekend of conference play.
Sunny Bennion had MSUB’s lone goal last week, as the senior scored her first of the season and second of her MSUB career against the Falcons.
Liberty Palmer leads the team and ranks second in the conference with three goals, while senior
Jackie Sharpe has two goals and two assists this fall. Freshman goalkeeper
Claire Brogdon is tied for the GNAC lead with three shutouts and is fourth in save percentage (.808) and goals-against average (.833).
Sunny Bennion's first goal of the season came in MSUB's 2-1 loss to Seattle Pacific last week (Shi Robison Photography).
WILDCATS SEARCH FOR BREAKTHROUGH: Central Washington lost by the narrowest of margins in each of its games last week, falling 1-0 at Northwest Nazarene and 1-0 against Saint Martin’s. CWU is on the road this week, playing at the Yellowjackets Thursday before a date with the Falcons on Saturday in Seattle.
Jordan Bartlow and
Peyton Wilson are the two Wildcats who have scored this fall, while
Danika Galbraith (two starts, 1.00 GAA) and
Leighton Menge (three starts, 0.67 GAA) have split time between the posts.
Lydia Myers – Western Washington University
One of the GNAC’s new faces this fall, Myers has had an immediate impact on the Vikings’ lineup after transferring from NCAA Division I Kansas State. Her first big moment came on Sept. 8 against No. 6 UC Colorado Springs, as she scored her first goal in a Viking uniform and third of her collegiate career in the 63rd minute to help secure the 2-0 victory. The Colbert, Wash., native struck again last week, tucking away the game-winner against Simon Fraser in the 58th minute of action. An early candidate for GNAC Newcomer of the Year, Myers has started all seven matches for the Vikings this fall and leads the GNAC in shots (22) and shots on target (11).
Kansas State transfer Lydia Myers has scored two goals in her first seven matches with the Vikings this fall (Photo: Ubayy Elnogoumi).
The United Soccer Coaches weekly rankings are released every Tuesday throughout the 2024 season.
| Poll |
Team 1 |
Team 2 |
| Preseason |
14. SPU |
|
| Week 1 (9/10) |
8. SPU |
20. WWU |
| Week 2 (9/17) |
RV SPU |
RV WWU |
| Week 3 (9/24) |
RV SFU |
|
| Week 4 (10/1) |
RV SPU |
|
The 2024 GNAC Women's Soccer Championships will be held Nov. 14-16 at Interbay Stadium on the campus of Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Wash. The top four teams in the final GNAC regular-season standings will advance to the single-elimination tournament.
| Date |
Offensive Player of the Week |
Defensive Player of the Week |
| 9/9 |
Kayla Wallace, Seattle Pacific |
Kate Smith, Simon Fraser |
| 9/16 |
Jensa Napier-Ganley, Simon Fraser |
Leighton Menge, Central Washington |
| 9/30 |
Ciara Garcia, Western Oregon |
Asia Hardin, Western Washington |
Sept. 30 GNAC Women’s Soccer Players of the Week
WOMEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Ciara Garcia – Western Oregon University
First-career player of the week.
Garcia helped the Wolves start their conference slate with a pair of victories, impacting her team’s 1-0 win over Saint Martin’s last Thursday and its 4-2 triumph over Northwest Nazarene last Saturday. Racking up two goals and an assist across the two games, Garcia’s five total points were the most of any GNAC player last week. The sophomore from Flagstaff, Ariz., started her week by supplying the assist on
Olivia Fothergill’s game-winning goal in the fourth minute against the Saints. She followed by collecting a brace in the win over NNU, helping her team overcome an early 1-0 deficit and move to the top of the GNAC table with six points. Garcia struck in the 28th minute and quickly doubled her tally in the 37th minute to put her team ahead 2-1 before halftime in its final win of the week. The sophomore transfer from UC Colorado Springs leads her team and ranks second in the GNAC with three goals this fall.
WOU Head Coach Kacey Bingham: “Cici had a great week last week. She was a huge piece of our success. Cici is a player who can make big plays in key moments.”
Also Nominated: Sami Huber, Central Washington; Liberty Palmer, MSU Billings; Attie Jo Westbrook, Northwest Nazarene; Taylor Krueger, Seattle Pacific; Dariella Lopez, Simon Fraser; Sophie Bearden Croft, Western Washington.
WOMEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Asia Hardin – Western Washington University
First-career player of the week.
Hardin was instrumental in each of the Vikings’ results last week, helping WWU shut out Simon Fraser 1-0 before a 1-1 draw against reigning GNAC regular-season champion Seattle Pacific. Starting their conference slate against a team that received votes in last week’s United Soccer Coaches national poll, the Vikings relied on a 90-minute effort by Hardin on the back line to seal their third shutout of the season against the Red Leafs. She followed with another full-90 effort against the Falcons, and made perhaps her most important contribution in the final minute of the weekend. With WWU trailing 1-0 and less than 60 seconds remaining, Hardin fed an assist to
Sophie Bearden Croft who punched home the equalizer to salvage the draw. It was the first-career assist for the junior defender, who has started all 52 of WWU’s matches since making her debut as a freshman in 2022.
WWU Head Coach Travis Connell: “Asia is a leader on and off the field for us. This last week our team was balancing a lot with three games and the start of class, so we leaned on her a lot. She was a rock in the back and helped the players around her play at a high level.”
Also Nominated: Danika Galbraith, Central Washington; Sunny Bennion, MSU Billings; Mercedes Cullen, Seattle Pacific; Emily Smith, Simon Fraser.