By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications
PORTLAND, Ore. – Western Oregon plays host to a pair of pivotal Great Northwest Athletic Conference women’s soccer matches this week, highlighting a full slate of conference games.
The Wolves (2-3-4, 2-1-1 GNAC) enter the week in fourth place in the GNAC standings with seven points and will host fifth-place Montana State Billings (4-3-1, 1-2-1) on Thursday with a 2:30 p.m. (PT) kickoff. The Wolves are looking to secure their second straight trip to the GNAC Championships, while the Yellowjackets, who sit three points back of WOU with four points, are seeking their first tournament berth since 2015. After a match that will have a significant impact on the middle of the standings, WOU welcomes first-place Seattle Pacific (5-1-2, 3-0-1) which enters the week top of the table at 10 points. That match is set for a 10 a.m. (PT) kickoff on Saturday morning.
| This Week’s GNAC Women’s Soccer Schedule |
| Date |
Away |
Home |
Time |
| Thursday, Oct. 10 |
Montana State Billings |
Western Oregon |
2:30 p.m. PT |
| Thursday, Oct. 10 |
RV Seattle Pacific |
Saint Martin's |
2 p.m. PT |
| Thursday, Oct. 10 |
RV Simon Fraser |
Northwest Nazarene |
7 p.m. MT |
| Thursday, Oct. 10 |
Western Washington |
Central Washington |
7 p.m. PT |
| Saturday, Oct. 12 |
RV Seattle Pacific |
Western Oregon |
10 a.m. PT |
| Saturday, Oct. 12 |
RV Simon Fraser |
Central Washington |
Noon PT |
| Saturday, Oct. 12 |
Western Washington |
Northwest Nazarene |
1 p.m. MT |
| Saturday, Oct. 12 |
Montana State Billings |
Saint Martin's |
1 p.m. PT |
GOALS GALORE LAST WEEK: The conference’s eight teams combined to score 23 goals in last week’s eight GNAC matches, with every match except one featuring at least two goals. The offensive outburst was led by Simon Fraser, which netted nine goals in two victories en route to being named
GNAC Team of the Week.
YELLOWJACKETS GAIN MOMENTUM: After going 0-2 on the opening week of conference play, Montana State Billings hoisted itself up the league table by collecting four points at home last week. The ‘Jackets settled for a 1-1 draw against Central Washington, before a convincing 3-0 blanking of Northwest Nazarene to get their season back on track. Seniors
Kendall McGraw and
Liberty Palmer are tied for fifth in the GNAC with three goals apiece this fall to lead the MSUB offense. Senior
Jackie Sharpe has two goals and two assists this season and leads the GNAC with 3.13 shots per game. The ‘Jackets have had 10 different goal scorers in 2024, and their 16 total goals rank third in the conference. Defensively, seniors
Sunny Bennion and
Megan Mendenhall pilot the MSUB back line and have started all eight matches. In goal, freshman
Claire Brogdon is the reigning GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after allowing just a penalty-kick goal and recording her conference-leading fourth shutout of the year.
MSUB senior Jackie Sharpe leads the GNAC with 3.13 shots per game (Shi Robison Photography).
RED LEAFS BACK IN RANKINGS: After holding on for a 2-1 win over Western Oregon and blasting Saint Martin’s 7-0, Simon Fraser received votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches national rankings. The Red Leafs (7-1, 3-1) carry a three-match winning streak into a big four-game road stretch, starting on Thursday night with a 6 p.m. (MT) kickoff at Northwest Nazarene (1-7, 1-3). SFU will then travel to Ellensburg, Wash., to face Central Washington (1-4-2, 0-3-1) on Saturday at Noon (PT).
Isabella Muzzolini is tied for second in the GNAC with four goals this fall and contributed a goal and an assist in last week’s wins. Freshman standout
Dariella Lopez has scored in three consecutive games, while
Sarah Caravatta and
Mikayla Tupper are tied for second in the conference with three assists apiece. Senior captain
Kate Cartier converted a game-winning penalty kick in the win over WOU, upping her career goals total to 12 which ranks third among active GNAC players.
| GNAC Women’s Soccer Active Career Goals Leaders (as of Oct. 9) |
| Rank |
Player |
Goals |
School |
Career |
| 1 |
Morgan Manalili |
17 |
Western Washington |
2022-24 |
| 2 |
Emily Darcy |
13 |
Central Washington |
2020-24 |
| 3 |
Kate Cartier |
12 |
Simon Fraser |
2021-24 |
| 4 |
Liberty Palmer |
11 |
Montana State Billings |
2021-24 |
| 5 |
Kayla Wallace |
10 |
Seattle Pacific |
2022-24 |
(L to R): MSUB's Liberty Palmer (11 goals), SFU's Kate Cartier (12 goals), WWU's Morgan Manalili (17 goals), SPU's Kayla Wallace (10 goals) and CWU's Emily Darcy (13 goals).
While SFU’s attack garnered headlines last week, breaking the GNAC single-game record with 47 shots and featuring eight different goal scorers, the Red Leaf back line has been equally impressive this fall. SFU enters the week having conceded just three goals in eight matches and ranks 10th nationally with a goals-against average of .375. Senior captain
Katie Richardson is integral on the back line, starting every match and playing a team-high 622 minutes. Senior
Emily Smith (535 minutes) and junior
Elyse Beaudry (467 minutes) are SFU’s other key defensive figures.
Sarah Loewen leads the GNAC with a .448 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage, and fellow goalkeeper
Kelsey Fisher recorded her first shutout of the year in the Red Leafs’ win over Saint Martin’s.
Of Note: Simon Fraser plays at Tomlinson Stadium on Saturday, marking its return trip to the site of its first-ever GNAC Championships title. The Red Leafs walked off the field in Ellensburg, Wash., on Nov. 11, 2023
wearing GNAC Champion t-shirts and hats after upsetting Western Washington 2-1 in the tournament title match.
Senior Katie Richardson captains an SFU defense that has conceded just three goals in its first eight matches of 2024 (Photo: Oscar Coffey).
FALCONS FLYING: Reigning GNAC champion SPU (5-1-2, 3-0-1) beat NNU 2-1 and CWU 2-0 last week, extending its unbeaten streak to five matches. After going 9-0-5 in conference play last year, the Falcons have now gone unbeaten in GNAC play since Nov. 3, 2022, a string of 18 consecutive conference matches. SPU makes the short trip to Saint Martin’s (1-8, 1-3) on Thursday (2 p.m. PT) before Saturday’s showdown at Western Oregon.
Kayla Wallace leads the GNAC with five goals and reigning GNAC Offensive Player of the Week
Taylor Krueger has a conference-high four assists to go with four goals.
Moira MacKay has found the net three times, contributing to a formidable offense that ranks third in the GNAC with 18 goals scored.
Seniors
Landrey McCann and
Kathryn Nyone help anchor the defensive unit, each having started all eight games.
Ashlyn Valdovinos,
Kailalani Ahuna,
Maya Parman and
Lauren Snedeker are the other SPU players to have started every match thus far.
Mercedes Cullen and
Landry Schoennauer have split time in goal, with the former making 30 saves and the latter owning a 0.73 goals-against average.
Read More: Falcons blank Wildcats, complete weekend sweep (SPU Recap)
Ashlyn Valdovinos has started every match this fall for the Falcons (Photo: Rio Giancarlo).
VIKINGS SET FOR ROAD TRIP: Western Washington (3-2-4, 2-0-2) is the other team unbeaten in conference play, entering the week one point behind SFU in third place with eight points. The Vikings head east Thursday for a 7 p.m. (PT) kickoff at Central Washington and continue the venture on Saturday with a 1 p.m. (MT) kickoff at Northwest Nazarene. Although only one ball found the net, WWU thoroughly dominated in its 1-0 victory over Saint Martin’s last Thursday. The Vikings then played WOU to a 1-1 draw at home last Saturday.
Jane Hmura scored her second collegiate goal and first of the season in the win over the Saints, tapping home a shot by
Myka Carr that rattled off the right goal post.
Lydia Myers is the team leader with two goals, while
Morgan Manalili,
Kyrsten McGuffey and
Sophie Bearden Croft have each found the net once. Senior
Halle Noel and junior
Asia Hardin continue to captain the back line for WWU, each having started all nine matches.
Olivia Connell and
Mie Cairns meanwhile have started every match in the midfield.
Abigail Trengove needed to make two saves to pick up her fourth shutout of the year in the SMU match, one of them being a crucial hold on a strong free kick with a trailing attacker bearing down from point-blank range inside the box.
Read More: Vikings gain 3 points with 1-0 victory over SMU (WWU Recap)
Abigail Trengove has logged four shutouts for Western Washington this season (Photo: WWU Athletics).
WOU READY FOR HOME TEST: Western Oregon started its conference slate off with a bang, beating Saint Martin’s 1-0 on Sept. 26 and topping Northwest Nazarene 4-2 on Sept. 28. The Wolves shook off a 2-1 road loss to the Red Leafs by battling the Vikings to a 1-1 stalemate in two more tough road matches last week. UC Colorado Springs transfer
Ciara Garcia continued to put her abilities on display, scoring her fourth goal of the year to move to second on the GNAC stats leaderboard. Garcia raced past the SFU back line on a long goalkeeper punt, getting on the end of a loose ball and temporarily pulling her team even with the Red Leafs early in the second half.
Olivia Fothergill has also started all nine games for WOU and has scored a pair of goals.
Leah Heugly and
Lulu Sadler are two key defensive pieces, having started all nine matches. In goal,
Sophia Pierce is fourth in the GNAC with a goals-against average of 1.18 and has recorded a pair of shutouts this fall.
Read More: Wolves pick up draw at Western Washington (WOU Recap)
Olivia Fothergill has scored a pair of goals for Western Oregon this fall (Photo: Clayton Jones).
NIGHTHAWKS LOOK TO SNAP SKID ON HOME TURF: Northwest Nazarene will look to break free from a three-match losing skid this week, playing with home-field advantage against Simon Fraser and Western Washington. The Nighthawks started their conference slate with a 1-0 win over Central Washington on Sept. 26, but have since dropped three games in a row.
Abbey Blancett leads the team with two goals, while senior captain
Alejandra Jaramillo has started all eight matches and has a goal and an assist. Reigning GNAC Freshman of the Year
Nicole Lewis and defender
Kate Bleffert are the other two Nighthawks to have started every game this fall.
Read More: Late goal not enough as NNU falls at SPU (NNU Recap)
Gracie Mares and the Nighthawks are set for home matches this week.
CWU SET FOR 4 STRAIGHT AT HOME: Like the Nighthawks, Central Washington (1-4-2, 0-3-1) will look to the friendly confines of Tomlinson Stadium with a four-match home stand over the next two weeks. CWU rallied to draw the
Emily Darcy and the Wildcats begin a stretch of four
straight matches at home this week.
Yellowjackets 1-1 before a 2-0 loss to the Falcons on the road last week. The ‘Cats open against Western Washington on Thursday night before welcoming Simon Fraser on Saturday.
Jordan Bartlow paces the squad with a pair of goals and
Peyton Wilson has also found the net for CWU this season.
Read More: Wildcats return to Ellensburg for home stand (CWU Preview)
SAINTS SET TO BOUNCE BACK AT HOME: SMU is just two games removed from battling powerhouse Western Washington in a 1-0 defeat, as it looks to shake off last Saturday’s lopsided loss to Simon Fraser. The Saints are at home in Lacey, Wash., for the next two weeks, opening up against Seattle Pacific on Thursday (2 p.m. PT).
Inara Lopes De Andrade,
Rachel Kimura,
Hinata Kojima and
Lia Lopez are the four goal scorers for SMU this season, while returning second-team all-GNAC defender
Payton Aselton has started all nine matches and contributed an assist. Senior goalkeeper
Flavia Burrell was outstanding in the battle against the Vikings, helping keep her team in the match with six saves while facing a barrage of 17 shots.
Read More: Women’s soccer loses tightly-contested match to Vikings (SMU Recap)
Thursday’s match between the Yellowjackets and Wolves is an intriguing one on many fronts, and featured among the lineups are a pair of veteran seniors who figure to have a major impact on the match.
Liberty Palmer – Montana State Billings
Palmer’s career has been far from ordinary, as she has battled through a pair of knee injuries and become one of the top offensive threats in the conference. After taking the league by storm and scoring five goals in 2021, Palmer was dubbed the GNAC co-Freshman of the Year. Injuries limited the Maple Valley, Wash., native to just 13 total matches across the next two seasons, but Palmer finished the 2023 campaign strong with three more goals. Now in her fourth year on the pitch, Palmer has already equaled that goal total with three tallies through the first eight games of 2024. Palmer ranks fourth among active GNAC players with 11 career goals, and is on the hunt for her first GNAC finish of the season this week.
Lulu Sadler – Western Oregon
A mainstay in the WOU lineup over the last three seasons, Sadler is a two-time all-conference midfielder including earning first-team honors a season ago. The senior from Vancouver, Wash., captains the Wolves having started all 46 of the team’s matches since arriving on campus in the fall of 2022. Sadler is an integral piece of WOU’s tactical play, maintaining the team’s shape and facilitating ball movement throughout the team. She was a key factor in the Wolves earning a third-place finish in last year’s GNAC standings and a berth into the 2023 GNAC Championships. Look for Sadler to continue to draw the assignment of marking the opponents’ top players, a role she has filled as well as any GNAC player over the last three years.
WOU captain Lulu Sadler is one of the top midfielders in the GNAC (Photo: Clayton Jones).
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 |
|
| Week 5 (10/8) |
RV SPU |
RV SFU |
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 |
| 10/7 |
Taylor Krueger, Seattle Pacific |
Claire Brogdon, Montana State Billings |
Oct. 7 GNAC Women’s Soccer Players of the Week
WOMEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Taylor Krueger – Seattle Pacific University
Second-career player of the week, first this season
The Falcons (5-1-2, 3-0-1 GNAC) stayed at the top of the GNAC standings thanks in large part to major contributions from the reigning GNAC co-Newcomer of the Year. In a tightly-contested, 2-1 win over Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, Krueger set the tone by punching in a loose ball in the 68th minute to give her team a lead it would never relinquish. On Saturday against Western Oregon, the Falcons found themselves in a 0-0 deadlock with just 15 minutes left on the clock. Krueger provided two assists within the span of 70 seconds, setting up goals for
Nora Patterson and
Andie Buckley that sealed a 2-0 triumph and a six-point weekend for SPU. Krueger’s four total points last week were tied for the most among any GNAC player. Krueger leads the GNAC with four assists and 12 points, and is tied for second in the conference with four goals so far in 2024.
SPU Head Coach Arby Busey: “Taylor was fantastic again last week and she made huge contributions in both games. Playing up front for us, she initiated our defending and finished our attacking consistently all weekend. She scored a big goal on Thursday by being alert and ready, and being in the right place at the right time. On Saturday, she got on the ball a ton and created so many great chances for our team which helped us achieve another result.”
Also Nominated: Jordan Bartlow, Central Washington; Monica Brown, Montana State Billings; Payton Aselton, Saint Martin’s; Isabella Muzzolini, Simon Fraser.
WOMEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Claire Brogdon – Montana State Billings
First-career player of the week.
The Yellowjackets (4-3-1, 1-2-1) completed a big four-point week at home to pull themselves up the conference standings, and Brogdon was instrumental in the effort. The freshman from Gilbert, Ariz., allowed just one goal in 180 minutes played, while making the second-most saves of any GNAC goalkeeper last week with 13 total. Brogdon started her week by facing 15 shots in MSUB’s 1-1 draw against Central Washington, and made five crucial saves to help her team to its first point of the conference season. The only goal she allowed on the week was a penalty kick against the Wildcats. In Saturday’s 3-0 triumph against Northwest Nazarene, Brogdon delivered a season-high eight saves while facing 16 more shots. She completed her fourth shutout of the season and first of her GNAC career, moving her into a tie for most shutouts in the conference this fall. Brogdon also ranks third in the league with a 0.75 goals-against average, and fourth in the league with 4.25 saves per game.
MSUB Head Coach Abiye Jack: “I’m very excited for Claire. She has been a solid presence in net from day one. She has had an incredible start to the season and is still always looking to make small improvements to her game. It is great to see her receive recognition for her play.”
Also Nominated: Danika Galbraith, Central Washington; Flavia Burrell, Saint Martin’s; Landry Schoennauer, Seattle Pacific; Elyse Beaudry, Simon Fraser; Sophia Pierce, Western Oregon.