By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications
PORTLAND, Ore. – All seven Great Northwest Athletic Conference men’s soccer teams have a loaded schedule this week, in the final slate of games prior to the conference portion of the 2024 season.
Teams will be in action Thursday through Sunday with games across Colorado, Idaho and Utah all in the Mountain time zone. All GNAC teams will have the following week off, before the 2024 conference schedule commences on Oct. 3.
| This Week’s GNAC Men’s Soccer Opponents |
| School |
Opponents |
Location |
Dates |
| Montana State Billings |
Colorado Mesa; #9 Fort Lewis |
Colorado |
9/19; 9/21 |
| Northwest Nazarene |
West Texas A&M; Lubbock Christian |
Idaho |
9/19; 9/21 |
| Saint Martin’s |
RV Newman; Colorado Christian |
Colorado |
9/20; 9/22 |
| Seattle Pacific |
Regis; RV Westminster |
Utah |
9/19; 9/21 |
| Simon Fraser |
#9 Fort Lewis; Colorado Mesa |
Colorado |
9/19; 9/21 |
| Western Oregon |
Colorado Christian; RV Newman |
Colorado |
9/20; 9/22 |
| Western Washington |
RV Westminster; Regis |
Utah |
9/19; 9/21 |
WOLVES LOOK TO CONTINUE STRONG START: Western Oregon (3-1) is on top of the early GNAC table, with its lone loss this fall coming against No. 2 Colorado State Pueblo in the season opener on Sept. 5. Since then,
Michael Behonick’s crew has strung together three straight wins including a convincing 2-0 result on Monday against a Hawaii Hilo team that received votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches national poll. After making their home debut to kick off the week, WOU heads to Lakewood, Colo., to face host Colorado Christian on Friday (10 a.m. MT) and another team receiving national poll votes in Newman University on Sunday (10 a.m. MT).
Read More: Wolves put 3-game win streak on the line in Colorado (WOU Preview)
Yahir Ocampo Navarro was recently
named GNAC Offensive Player of the Week, after scoring twice in last week’s 3-2 win over Azusa Pacific. The sophomore from Aloha, Ore., is among early GNAC leaders with his two goals this season.
Michael Divano is the other Wolf with multiple finishes thus far, finding the net for the second time in Monday’s win over the Vulcans.
Andre Schlaefli has played every minute in goal for WOU this season, picking up his second shutout on Monday.
WOU captain Harper Neubeck led his team to a 2-0 shutout of a strong Hawaii Hilo side on Monday in Monmouth, Ore. (Photo: Clayton Jones).
Joining the Wolves on the trip to Lakewood will be a Saint Martin’s side in search of its first win of the season. The Saints (0-4) will face Newman on Friday at 10 a.m. (MT) and Colorado Christian on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. (MT). SMU is coming off a 4-1 loss to Sonoma State and a 5-1 loss to Chico State in its two matches last week.
Cole Sullivan is tied for the GNAC lead in goals, having scored two of the Saints’ three this season.
SHOWDOWN AT 6,872 FEET: Two GNAC teams are headed to the Colorado mountain town of Durango (elevation 6,872 feet) this week, as Simon Fraser (1-2-1) and Montana State Billings (1-1-2) will face some top-tier Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference competition. Host school Fort Lewis (3-0-1) climbed to No. 9 in the latest USC poll, as the Red Leafs and Yellowjackets will have their hands full with both the Skyhawks and Colorado Mesa (1-1-1).
The preseason GNAC favorite, Simon Fraser will look to shake off losses to Chico State and Sonoma State on the road last week. SFU’s first win of the year was a 3-0 triumph over Stanislaus State on Sept. 7. Five different Red Leafs have found the back of the net this season, with the team’s lone goal last week coming from 2023 GNAC Freshman of the Year
Michael Hennessy. In goal,
Jordan Thorsen ranks second in the GNAC in goals against average (1.25), save percentage (.792) and saves per game (4.75). SFU will open against Fort Lewis on Thursday night (7 p.m. MT), and will play Colorado Mesa on Saturday afternoon (4:30 p.m. MT).
Brandon Torresan (14) and Simon Fraser are set for a Thursday night showdown at No. 9 Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo.
The Yellowjackets meanwhile will look to build momentum off a 3-0 win over Sul Ross State and a 0-0 draw against Texas A&M International in their matches last week. MSUB (1-1-2) will take on Colorado Mesa on Thursday afternoon (4:30 p.m. MT) before a Saturday night (7 p.m. MT) showdown against the No. 9 Skyhawks. Freshman
Andrew Schoenen was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week, after posting 13 saves and notching the first two shutouts of his collegiate career.
George Jones and
So Nagano have each found the net twice for MSUB, while veteran defender
Guillermo Gonzalez has a goal and an assist in his first four matches of the fall.
Guillermo Gonzalez is in his third season as a starter on the Montana State Billings men's soccer team.
VIKINGS/FALCONS HEAD TO SLC: Westminster (2-0-2) is set to host a four-team affair in Salt Lake City this weekend, with Western Washington (2-1-1) and Seattle Pacific (1-2-1) ready to try their hand against RMAC competition. The Vikings will take on the hosts, who received votes in the latest USC poll, on Thursday night at 7 p.m. (MT) before facing Regis (0-0-4) on Saturday at 11 a.m. (MT). The Falcons will open up the week against Regis on Thursday afternoon (3:30 p.m. MT) and will take on Westminster on Saturday with a 12:30 p.m. (MT) kickoff.
Western Washington has compiled an impressive resume over the first two weeks of the season, and is coming off a strong 2-1 result over Cal State Dominguez Hills at home last Saturday. WWU also has a 1-0 win over No. 18 Chico State and a 1-1 draw against Sonoma State under its belt, and its only loss was a narrow 1-0 defeat against No. 3 Cal State LA last Thursday. Four different Vikings have found the back of the net this fall, with
Andrew Rotter’s game-winner against Chico State being the biggest strike thus far.
Reiley Buri-Brown has a team-leading two assists, and is among a cast of six different Vikings to have helpers in the first four games.
Charlie Dyer has played every minute in goal for WWU, and enters the week leading the conference in goals against average (.750) and save percentage (.842).
WWU's Lucas Hakamada (2) greets Eric Bunnell after the latter's goal in Western Washington's 2-1 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills last Saturday (Photo: Imogene Eagan).
A scoreless draw against No. 3 Cal State LA on Saturday was the bounce-back that Seattle Pacific needed after enduring a 6-2 defeat at the hands of Cal State Dominguez Hills. The Falcons rode a memorable performance by goalkeeper
Pierluca Carnovale, who had seven saves in securing his second clean sheet of the season.
Judah Johnston and 2023 GNAC Newcomer of the Year
Raymundo Mendez have done the heavy lifting offensively over the first two weeks, each scoring a pair of goals and adding an assist.
Connor Tollan has started all of Seattle Pacific's last 21 matches dating back to the start of the 2023 season.
NIGHTHAWKS MAKE HOME DEBUT: Northwest Nazarene (0-3-1) will fire up the lights on Thursday night for its home opener against West Texas A&M (2-1-1) (6 p.m. MT) before facing Lubbock Christian (1-2-1) on Saturday at 6 p.m. (MT). NNU fell 3-1 to Colorado Mesa and 4-0 to Westminster in its two matches last week, and is in search of its first win of the fall season.
Alex Barragan and
Caleb Putney have scored the Nighthawks’ first two goals of the season.
Ethan Fisher – Western Oregon University
As center backs go, not many fit the bill better than the Wolves’ second-year No. 4 out of Federal Way, Wash. Coming off back-to-back 90-minute performances in his team’s last two games, the 6-foot-4 Fisher helped WOU secure the clean sheet in the triumph over Hawaii Hilo on Monday. Fisher’s back line drew the Vulcans offside three times, limited them to four shots on target and just one shot in the second half to finish the match with stifling defense. Fisher hasn’t looked back since setting foot on the pitch as a true freshman in 2023, starting all 21 of WOU’s matches since then and averaging 85 minutes per match. The GNAC coaches recognized his ability with honorable mention all-conference in 2023.
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 |
| 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 |
Sept. 16 GNAC Men’s Soccer Players of the Week
Yahir Ocampo Navarro – Western Oregon University
First-career player of the week.
Notching a brace in his team’s lone match last week, Ocampo Navarro found the net twice in the Wolves’ 3-2 win over Azusa Pacific. The reigning first-team all-GNAC midfielder put his team up 2-1 in the 60th minute, before sealing the victory with a game-winning goal in the 73rd minute on his second penalty-kick conversion of the day. Ocampo Navarro started 16 of 17 matches as a freshman in a 2023 season that saw him provide six assists, and his latest offensive output upped his collegiate goal total to five across his first 20 matches.
Also Nominated: So Nagano, Montana State Billings; Michael Hennessy, Simon Fraser; Eric Bunnell, Western Washington.
MEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Andrew Schoenen – Montana State University Billings
First-career player of the week.
Schoenen led all GNAC players last week with 13 saves and was the conference’s lone goalkeeper not to concede as he collected a pair of shutouts. The true freshman from Great Falls, Mont., came away with six saves on 14 shots faced to help the ‘Jackets to a 3-0 blanking of Sul Ross State on Thursday. He followed with a season-high seven saves against 18 shots faced on Saturday, with every one of them being crucial in a scoreless draw against Texas A&M International. Schoenen has played every minute of the season between the posts through the Yellowjackets’ first four matches.
MSUB Head Coach Paul Cuevas: “Andrew has been great in goal as a true freshman, and has really stepped up for us when the team has needed him. We saw that this last weekend with him making big saves and doing what needed to be done. His confidence and maturity continues to grow game by game, and I have no doubt he will continue playing a big role for us on the pitch.”
Also Nominated: Connor Leistiko, Saint Martin’s; Pierluca Carnovale, Seattle Pacific; Charlie Dyer, Western Washington.