By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications
PORTLAND, Ore. – The second week of Great Northwest Athletic Conference men’s soccer action kicks off on Thursday afternoon, with six conference matches on the docket.
Western Oregon (6-1-1, 2-0 GNAC) climbed one spot to No. 24 in the latest United Soccer Coaches national poll, after extending its unbeaten streak to seven matches and opening its conference slate with a pair of victories. The Wolves are set to host reigning GNAC champion Simon Fraser (1-4-2, 0-1) on Thursday at noon (PT) in Monmouth, Ore.
| This Week’s GNAC Men’s Soccer Schedule |
| Date |
Away |
Home |
Time |
| Thursday, Oct. 10 |
Simon Fraser |
#24 Western Oregon |
Noon PT |
| Thursday, Oct. 10 |
Saint Martin's |
Montana State Billings |
7 p.m. MT |
| Thursday, Oct. 10 |
Northwest Nazarene |
Western Washington |
7 p.m. PT |
| Saturday, Oct. 12 |
Northwest Nazarene |
Simon Fraser |
11:30 a.m. PT |
| Saturday, Oct. 12 |
Western Washington |
Saint Martin's |
3:45 p.m. PT |
| Saturday, Oct. 12 |
#24 Western Oregon |
Seattle Pacific |
7 p.m. PT |
WOLVES GAINING STRENGTH: Since a season-opening 3-0 loss to No. 2 Colorado State Pueblo, Western Oregon has gone 6-0-1 and asserted its dominance at the top of the GNAC standings with six points. The Wolves shut out Western Washington 1-0 at home last week, before a solid 3-1 road victory against Montana State Billings. After narrowly finishing second to Simon Fraser in last year’s GNAC standings, the Wolves will host the Red Leafs to kick off this week’s slate of GNAC matches. WOU will then head north for a prime-time match at Seattle Pacific (4-2-2, 1-0-1) on Saturday night (7 p.m. PT).
Yahir Ocampo Navarro scored his GNAC-leading fifth goal of the season last week, as the 2023 first-team all-GNAC pick has headlined the Wolves’ offense. Freshman
Michael Divano is close behind with four goals this fall, while
Jacob Garcia and
Diego Andrade have each found the net twice for the Wolves. WOU’s stingy defense, which has allowed just five goals in its last seven matches, is highlighted by junior
Harper Neubeck and sophomore
Ethan Fisher who have each started all eight matches. Senior midfielder
Moises Cisneros and junior defender
Caleb Kiner are the other two WOU players to have started every game this fall.
Andre Schlaefli, the reigning GNAC Defensive Player of the Week, has played every minute in goal for WOU and ranks second in the league in goals-against average at 1.00.
Read More: WOU men’s soccer moves up a spot in national rankings to No. 24 (WOU Release)
Senior midfielder Donovan Hesselmeyer and the Wolves are unbeaten in their last seven matches (Photo: Clayton Jones).
FALCONS UNBEATEN IN LAST 5: Goals from reigning GNAC Offensive Player of the Week
Connor Tollan and GNAC scoring leader
Raymundo Mendez helped the Falcons draw Western Washington 2-2 last Saturday, extending SPU’s unbeaten streak to five matches. Tollan had three goals and two assists in SPU’s two games last week, finding the net twice in the team’s 6-1 win over Saint Martin’s last Thursday. SPU enters the week in second place with four points, setting up a high-stakes match hosting WOU on Saturday evening at Interbay Stadium. Mendez (five goals) is tied with WOU’s Ocampo Navarro for the GNAC lead in goals, while Tollan leads the league in assists with four and is tied for second in goals with four.
Judah Johnston,
Carter Gay and
Diego Pena-Salgado have each scored twice for the Falcons, who lead the GNAC with 17 goals scored. Defensively,
Jackson Goode has started all eight matches and senior captain
Evan Aune has made seven starts but missed Saturday’s match against the Falcons.
Pierluca Carnovale leads GNAC goalkeepers with four shutouts and owns a 1.41 goals-against average.
SPU's Raymundo Mendez, the 2023 GNAC Newcomer of the Year, is tied for the conference lead with five goals this fall (Photo: Rio Giancarlo).
NIGHTHAWKS HIT ROAD AFTER RESOUNDING WIN: Northwest Nazarene (2-4-1, 1-0) kicked off its conference season with a decisive 4-0 shutout of Saint Martin’s in its lone match last week. The Nighthawks will travel to Western Washington (2-3-3, 0-1-1) on Thursday (7 p.m. PT) and Simon Fraser on Saturday (11:30 a.m. PT) this week.
Jonathan Cardona,
Jim Wagenaar and
Caleb Putney have each scored a pair of goals this fall, while
Johnny Ramirez ranks second in the GNAC with three assists. Veteran
Pablo Gonzalez and newcomer
Ousman Garba have worked in tandem starting all seven matches in the midfield, while senior defenders
Kobe Avila (seven starts) and
Raoul Barragan (six starts) have been the steadiest figures on the back line. Goalkeeper
Gerardo Fonte picked up his first shutout of the season in the win over the Saints.
Read More: Nighthawks open GNAC play with rout of Saint Martin’s (NNU Recap)
Northwest Nazarene shut out Saint Martin's 4-0 in its GNAC opener last week.
YELLOWJACKETS SPLIT OPENING GNAC MATCHES: Montana State Billings (2-3-3, 1-1) got its conference slate started on the right foot, shutting out Simon Fraser 2-0 last Thursday. The ‘Jackets couldn’t overcome the nationally-ranked Wolves on Saturday, enduring a 3-1 setback at home. MSUB hosts Saint Martin’s on Thursday night (7 p.m. MT) in its lone match this week. Junior forward
So Nagano scored in each game last week, moving into a tie for third in the GNAC with four goals this season.
Bjarne Fedkenhauer and
George Jones are MSUB’s other top scorers with a pair of goals each, and
Guillermo Gonzalez leads the team with two assists. Seniors
Ryan Hanley and
Jack Jarrett have started all eight matches, and hometown freshman defender
Davis Boogman has had a strong start to his career with four complete-game efforts thus far in 2024. Freshman
Fred Reiter picked up his first collegiate shutout against the Red Leafs, making three saves.
Read More: ‘Jackets open GNAC play w/2-0 win over SFU (MSUB Recap)
Senior Ryan Hanley and the Yellowjackets host Saint Martin's on Thursday (7 p.m. MT) (Shi Robison Photography).
VIKINGS SEEK 1ST GNAC W: Coming off a 1-0 loss to Western Oregon and a 2-2 draw against Seattle Pacific, Western Washington had a pair of hard-fought matches against the toughest opponents of any GNAC team on opening week. The Vikings are set to host Northwest Nazarene on Thursday night (7 p.m. PT) before traveling south for a Saturday afternoon (3:45 p.m. PT) kickoff at Saint Martin’s. Reigning first-team all-GNAC forward
Albin Jonsson scored his second goal of the season last time out, a crucial finish in the 80th minute that salvaged the draw against the Falcons.
Eric Bunnell,
Lucas Hakamada,
Frank Miedema and
Andrew Rotter have each also scored for WWU.
Charlie Dyer leads the GNAC in goals-against average (.875) and save percentage (.811) and has played every minute for the Vikings this fall.
Read More: Vikings and Falcons play to 2-2 tie (WWU Recap)
Albin Jonsson rescued the Vikings with an 80th-minute goal in last week's 2-2 draw at Seattle Pacific (Photo: Rio Giancarlo).
RED LEAFS CHALLENGE WOLVES, HOST NIGHTHAWKS: Simon Fraser (1-4-2, 0-1) came up short 2-0 against MSUB in its conference opener last week in its only match. The Red Leafs begin their week with a tough test at No. 24 WOU on Thursday afternoon (Noon PT) before crossing back across the border to host Northwest Nazarene on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. (PT). Six different Red Leafs have found the back of the net this season, with reigning GNAC Freshman of the Year
Michael Hennessy having a goal and an assist on his stat line. Midfielder
Brandon Torresan is tied for second in the conference with three assists on the campaign.
Freshman midfielder Kundalini Dominique and Simon Fraser face No. 24 Western Oregon on Thursday afternoon (Photo: Katie Silva/Fort Lewis Athletics).
Bjarne Fedkenhauer – Montana State Billings
Fedkenhauer has become a staple in the Yellowjacket lineup since arriving in the Magic City in the fall of 2022. Since then, the Ahrensburg, Germany, native has started 36 matches and played in 38 while glueing together the MSUB midfield. Fedkenhauer’s facilitation was evidenced by nine assists across his first two seasons, and this fall he has continued the production in the form of goals. His first collegiate finish was the game-winner in MSUB’s 3-0 triumph over Sul Ross State on Sept. 12, and he followed with his second of the year in the team’s 2-2 draw against Fort Lewis on Sept. 21.
A threat on set pieces and in the run of play, MSUB's Bjarne Fedkenhauer (8) has a pair of goals this fall (Shi Robison 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 |
| 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 |
Oct. 7 GNAC Men’s Soccer Players of the Week
MEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Connor Tollan – Seattle Pacific University
First-career player of the week.
Tollan had a breakout offensive week, scoring three goals and adding two assists to lead all GNAC players with eight total points in two matches. In SPU’s 6-1 rout of Saint Martin’s, Tollan notched his first-career brace as he found the net in the 59th minute and the 66th minute. He followed with a key opening goal in Saturday’s match against Western Washington, finding the net in the 23rd minute to give the Falcons the lead. His second assist of the week came on
Raymundo Mendez’s 69th-minute tally, proving monumental in the eventual 2-2 stalemate. The junior from Tacoma, Wash., who entered the season with two career goals and seven career assists, now leads the GNAC with four assists and is tied for third with four goals this fall. The four points for SPU (4-2-2, 1-0-1) moved it into second place in the GNAC standings.
SPU Head Coach Kevin Sakuda: “Connor was fantastic last week. He is a talented player and plays a big role in how we play, especially in the way we want to attack. Those qualities were on full display in both games. He was able to impact the game in so many different ways: Service from set pieces, facilitating and scoring goals in the run of play, running and scoring in transition. He stepped up in some really key moments last week.”
Also Nominated: So Nagano, Montana State Billings; Jim Wagenaar, Northwest Nazarene; Judah Straight, Saint Martin’s; Yahir Ocampo Navarro, Western Oregon.
MEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Andre Schlaefli – Western Oregon University
First-career player of the week.
Western Oregon (6-1-1, 2-0) upped its winning streak to three matches and its unbeaten streak to seven as Schlaefli helped the Wolves beat Western Washington 1-0 and Montana State Billings 3-1 last week. The junior from Houston, Texas, allowed just one goal while playing all 180 minutes, and ranked second among GNAC goalkeepers with seven total saves last week. Schlaefli started his week by making three key stops in the tight win over Western Washington, collecting his third shutout of the 2024 campaign. He followed with four more saves in the win over the Yellowjackets on the road. In his first year with Western Oregon, Schlaefli ranks second in the GNAC with a goals-against average of 1.00 and third in the GNAC with .778 saves per game.
Also Nominated: George Jones, Montana State Billings; Gerardo Fonte, Northwest Nazarene; Zack Martin, Saint Martin’s; Pierluca Carnovale, Seattle Pacific.