By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

SEATTLE – Kiera Scott delivered her third goal of the 2024 GNAC Women’s Soccer Championships in the 50th minute of Saturday’s title tilt at Interbay Stadium, and No. 3 seed Simon Fraser shut down No. 1 seed Western Washington 1-0 to claim its second straight conference tournament title.
 
Scott, who scored both goals in SFU’s 2-0 semifinal win over No. 2 seed Seattle Pacific on Thursday, was named GNAC Championships Most Valuable Player. “We know she has that type of quality, and she is such a dynamic player in those 1v1 situations,” SFU head coach Carlo Basso said on Scott’s goal, which was her third game-winner of the year and fourth of her career. “When she gets across the shoulder it’s very difficult to deal with her. Today she once again proved to be the difference maker and had a fantastic finish to get us the trophy.”
 
SFU goalkeeper Sarah Loewen made a season-high eight saves behind a well-organized back line that drew WWU offside six times on a chilly, overcast afternoon. Emily Smith, Kate Smith, Elyse Beaudry and Katie Richardson played the full 90 minutes on the defensive unit, which was the fourth since the tournament was formed in 2012 to keep clean sheets in both matches. “We really have a good connection in the back line, and Sarah is really good at talking and keeping us in place,” said Beaudry, who was an honorable mention all-conference selection after starting 16 matches in her first year on the team. “We played with no fear today, as well as on Thursday. I’m really happy to be part of this team.”
 
Simon Fraser (14-3-3) punched its ticket to the 2024 NCAA West Region Championships, earning the conference’s automatic berth for the second straight season. Western Washington (13-3-5), which won the GNAC regular-season title going 11-0-3 in league play, maintains hope for an at-large berth into the NCAA playoffs. The championship field will be announced on Monday afternoon at 4 p.m. (Pacific).  “In our time here from day one, we have built our program into something that we are really proud of,” said senior captain Kate Cartier. “It has taken a lot of work and a lot of time, and this senior class has been there since the beginning. Getting rewarded for those moments and being where we are now is something really special. It means more than people could understand.”
 
 
Scott’s winning goal was set up by Alyssa Clark in the midfield, as she gathered possession and delivered a well-weighted through ball that played her teammate into the goal box. With WWU goalkeeper Abigail Trengove moving forward to close the angle, Scott confidently tucked a left-footed strike into the side netting attached to the far post from her spot on the left side of the box. “Alyssa and I have been playing soccer together since we were 10 years old, and this is something we have been doing for years,” Scott said on Clark, her fellow Coquitlam, B.C., native. “I’m glad we finally got to bring it to university, and I am just so proud of her. She has been such an impactful player for us last year and this year again. It’s been really good to bring our connection up to SFU.”
 
Simon Fraser possessed momentum well after taking the lead, limiting the Vikings to just five shots over the final 40 minutes and no attempts in the last 15 minutes of the match. “They were fantastic,” Basso said on the defensive unit. “Top to bottom we were so organized today. We trained yesterday to make sure we were prepared and connected in our block, knowing that they like to threaten the space beyond. They have been brilliant all year long.”
 
The title tilt got off to a blazing start, with WWU unleashing the first of its 16 shots just 20 seconds into the match. It was a sign of things to come in a rollercoaster of a first half, that featured 17 combined shots between the sides. The Vikings’ best chance of the game came midway through the first half, when GNAC Newcomer of the Year Kyrsten McGuffey found herself with space atop the left side of the box. Her shot attempt was knocked down by Loewen and fell to the foot of an unmarked Sophie Bearden Croft who stood four yards from the goal line. Loewen reacted quickly to smother the follow-up attempt, as SFU dodged what proved to be the biggest threat the Vikings would pose on Saturday. “We just needed to communicate on the back line, and all of our defenders are pretty calm on the ball,” Beaudry said describing the unit’s approach to closing out the second half. “We just keep tight together and keep trying to put our best out there.”
 
WWU had an equally nervy moment defensively just before halftime, when 2023 GNAC Championships MVP Raegan MacKenzie got her foot on a low pass directly in front of the goal. Trengove knocked away the attempt, and managed to get on top of the ensuing loose ball before the Red Leaf striker could tap it home.
 
Cartier put forth a monstrous effort in the midfield, hardly losing a challenge and constantly opening up space and possession across a full-90 performance. GNAC co-Player of the Year Isabella Muzzolini also never left the pitch, and had the honors of carrying the final ball down towards the corner to ice the victory as time ran out. “I can’t put it into words,” said Cartier. “We talk constantly in the locker room and in our pregame huddles about how this group is something special. We believe in everything we are doing, we have stuck to the process and it has paid off two years in a row now.”
 
 
McGuffey and Lydia Myers each put two of their three shots on frame for the Vikings, and Morgan Manalili matched them for the match high with three attempts. “The first half was the most open game we played with Western this year, and they had a couple of chances at the start,” said Basso. “I thought we were fantastic from about 1:10 onwards in the first half. We generated a lot of good looks against a very good defensive unit. To be brave on the ball, play with no fear and trust each other in possession was really special. In the second half when we needed to dig deep, we dug deep. This team continues to show us every day why they are elite people, and it’s because they have the habits in order to succeed not only on the pitch but in life.”
 
GAME NOTES: SFU’s shutout was its 12th of the season…Scott is the second Red Leaf to earn GNAC Championships MVP honors and the eighth forward among the 12 total selections…Scott upped her season goal count to seven, which is the second most of any GNAC player in 2024…Western Washington had a 15-match unbeaten streak, which spanned back to Sept. 22, snapped with Saturday’s defeat…the Vikings defeated the Red Leafs 1-0 on two occasions during the regular season…Saturday was the fifth time a team posted a shutout in the title match, with SFU joining WWU (2012, 2017, 2022) and Seattle Pacific (2021)…it was the sixth time the teams met in the postseason, with WWU winning the first four and SFU winning each of the last two matches…it was the 61st overall meeting between the teams in a series that began in 1986, with WWU holding a 39-19-3 advantage.
 

2024 GNAC Women's Soccer Championships - All-Tournament Team
Player	School	Position	Year	Hometown (Previous School)
Kiera Scott (MVP)	Simon Fraser	Forward	Sophomore	Coquitlam, B.C. (Centennial)
Emily Holdridge	Western Washington	Forward	Freshman	Ferndale, Wash. (Ferndale)
Ciara Garcia	Western Oregon	Forward	Sophomore	Flagstaff, Ariz. (UCCS)
Myka Carr	Western Washington	Midfielder	Senior	Newcastle, Wash. (Highline CC)
Lauren Snedeker	Seattle Pacific	Midfielder	Senior	Washougal, Wash. (Washougal)
Kate Cartier	Simon Fraser	Midfielder	Senior	Kelowna, B.C. (Okanagan Mission)
Alyssa Clark	Simon Fraser	Midfielder	Sophomore	Port Coquitlam, B.C. (Riverside)
Olivia Connell	Western Washington	Defender	Sophomore	Woodinville, Wash. (Woodinville)
Elyse Beaudry	Simon Fraser	Defender	Junior	Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu,Que. (Radford)
Emily Smith	Simon Fraser	Defender	Senior	Coquitlam, B.C. (Centennial)
Sarah Loewen	Simon Fraser	Goalkeeper	Junior	Burnaby, B.C. (Burnaby Mountain)