By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications
PORTLAND, Ore. – The latest United Soccer Coaches women’s soccer national poll contained the lone undefeated Great Northwest Athletic Conference team, with Simon Fraser receiving votes for the first time this season.
The Red Leafs are off to a 4-0 start this fall, and will headline an exciting opening weekend of conference play with a championship rematch. SFU will host preseason favorite Western Washington (1-2-2) in a 6 p.m. (PT) match on Thursday night on Burnaby Mountain. The last time the two teams met, the fourth-seeded Red Leafs
upset the second-seeded Vikings 2-1 in the championship match of the GNAC tournament on Nov. 11, 2023.
The Vikings will then cross the border to host reigning conference champion Seattle Pacific (2-1-1) on Saturday night (7 p.m. PT) at Harrington Field in Bellingham.
| This Week’s GNAC Women’s Soccer Schedule |
| Date |
Away |
Home |
Time |
| Thursday, Sept. 26 |
Saint Martin's |
Western Oregon |
1 p.m. PT |
| Thursday, Sept. 26 |
Seattle Pacific |
Montana State Billings |
2 p.m. MT |
| Thursday, Sept. 26 |
Western Washington |
RV Simon Fraser |
6 p.m. PT |
| Thursday, Sept. 26 |
Central Washington |
Northwest Nazarene |
7 p.m. MT |
| Saturday, Sept. 28 |
Saint Martin's |
Central Washington |
Noon PT |
| Saturday, Sept. 28 |
Montana State Billings |
RV Simon Fraser |
Noon PT |
| Saturday, Sept. 28 |
Western Oregon |
Northwest Nazarene |
1 p.m. MT |
| Saturday, Sept. 28 |
Seattle Pacific |
Western Washington |
7 p.m. PT |
UNDEFEATED RED LEAFS FRESH FOR GNAC PLAY: Simon Fraser was last in action on Sept. 15, beating Colorado Christian 2-1 to cap a perfect non-conference slate. The goal against the Cougars was the only one the Red Leafs conceded over the first two weeks of the season, out-scoring their opposition 8-1 to begin 2024.
Isabella Muzzolini is coming off a two-goal performance in SFU’s 3-0 win against Regis, marking the first-career brace for the 2023 first-team all-GNAC selection.
Sarah Caravatta also scored a pair of goals for SFU and
Jensa Napier-Ganley has two assists and a goal through the first four matches of the year. Returning second-team all-conference goalkeeper
Sarah Loewen has made 16 saves while allowing just one goal, collecting a pair of shutouts thus far in 2024. The reigning GNAC Championships winners kick off a four-match homestand with Thursday’s match against the Vikings.
Simon Fraser received votes in the latest USC national poll.
VIKINGS LOOKING FOR VENGEANCE: WWU will need little further motivation for Thursday night’s season opener other than the fact that last year’s defeat to SFU ended the Vikings’ 2023 campaign. The nine-time GNAC champion and two-time NCAA Division II champion will start a stretch of three straight home matches after the border clash against SFU. WWU is coming off a 1-0 loss to Azusa Pacific and a 2-0 loss to No. 3 Colorado Mines last week. First-team all-GNAC selection
Morgan Manalili and newcomer
Lydia Myers have each scored for the Vikings, while junior captain
Asia Hardin has played every minute of the season on the back line.
Read More: Vikings drop battle of perennial national powers (WWU Recap)
Western Washington plays at Simon Fraser Thursday before hosting Seattle Pacific Saturday.
FALCONS BEGIN TITLE DEFENSE: SPU won its record 10th GNAC regular-season title last fall, cruising through conference play with an undefeated 9-0-5 league record. The Falcons will make the journey to Billings for a Thursday afternoon (1 p.m. MT) kickoff against the Yellowjackets, before heading north to Bellingham for a primetime match against the Vikings on Saturday. The Falcons were last in action on Sept. 14 with a 2-2 draw against Chico State. SPU’s
Kayla Wallace leads the GNAC and ranks seventh nationally with five goals through her team’s first four matches of the year.
Moira MacKay has added three goals and 2023 GNAC co-Newcomer of the Year
Taylor Krueger and
Maya Parman each have a pair of assists.
SPU's Taylor Krueger has a goal and two assists this fall.
YELLOWJACKETS OPEN WITH BIG TEST: After a strong non-conference performance, allowing just one goal in four matches, Montana State Billings (3-1) will face a mighty test to open its conference schedule. After hosting the Falcons on Thursday, the ‘Jackets will go international to face the Red Leafs on Saturday. A pair of 5-0 triumphs over Carroll College and Black Hills State highlighted MSUB’s non-conference schedule, and the ‘Jackets were last in action on Sept. 13 with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Minot State. MSUB has hopes of making its first GNAC Championships appearance since the 2015 season. Junior
Liberty Palmer leads the team with three goals on the season, while senior
Jackie Sharpe has two goals and two assists and senior
Kendall McGraw has a pair of goals. Freshman shot-stopper
Claire Brogdon has played every minute of the season, notching three shutouts and just one goal allowed in her first four collegiate matches.
Read More: Yellowjackets conclude non-conference play with hard-fought loss (MSUB Recap)
Fifth-year senior Jillian Hust and the Yellowjackets host reigning champion Seattle Pacific on Thursday.
WILDCATS HUNGRY IN 2024: Like the Yellowjackets, Central Washington has endured a GNAC Championships tournament drought with its last berth coming in the fall of 2019. CWU (1-1-1) performed well during its non-conference slate, with its only loss being a 1-0 setback against reigning NCAA DII national champion No. 1 Point Loma on Sept. 7. Most recently, the Wildcats battled Chico State to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 12. CWU opens against Northwest Nazarene (0-4) on the road Thursday (6 p.m. MT) before hosting Saint Martin’s (0-5) on Saturday (noon PT).
Jordan Bartlow and
Peyton Wilson have scored the Wildcats’ two goals this fall, while freshman goalkeeper
Leighton Menge earned the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week nod after making 10 saves in the draw against the Wildcats.
Read More: Wildcats begin GNAC competition on the road (CWU Preview)
Central Washington's only loss in non-conference play was 1-0 to reigning national champion Point Loma.
HUNTING SEASON FOR WOU: Coming off a third-place finish in the GNAC standings in 2023, Western Oregon (0-2-3) will be looking to make consecutive GNAC Championships for the first time since 2012-13. The Wolves fell 2-0 against Hawaii Hilo on the road in their lone match last week, and will begin conference play at home against Saint Martin’s on Thursday afternoon (1 p.m. PT).
Olivia Fothergill and
Ciara Garcia have each scored for WOU, which has battled to three draws in its opening five matches of the season.
Sophia Pierce has started all five matches in goal, accumulating 18 saves and logging one shutout.
Senior Haley King and the Western Oregon Wolves will seek to make the GNAC Championships for the second straight season (Photo: Clayton Jones).
NIGHTHAWKS, SAINTS IN SEARCH OF FIRST WINS: Both Saint Martin’s and Northwest Nazarene endured difficult starts to the season, going winless across non-conference play. Both sides will look to start fresh at the outset of conference play this week. The Nighthawks will host Central Washington on Thursday night (7 p.m. MT) and Western Oregon on Saturday afternoon (1 p.m. MT). Saint Martin’s will play the same two opponents in a pair of road matches, as they begin their GNAC schedule with four straight away from Lacey.
Alejandra Jaramillo owns NNU’s lone goal of the season while
Rachel Kimura,
Hinata Kojima and
Lia Lopez have each scored for the Saints.
Kathryn Nyone – Seattle Pacific University
A trusty presence on the SPU back line, senior defender Kathryn Nyone is in her fifth season on the pitch for SPU. An honorable mention all-conference pick last fall, Nyone has seen action in 62 matches in her career and has started 25 of the last 26 for the Falcons dating back to the start of 2023. Last fall, she not only anchored a defense that went undefeated in league play, but also contributed a pair of goals and an assist offensively. Through her first four matches of 2024, Nyone has logged 254 minutes including a 90-minute performance in the team’s 4-0 shutout of Cal Poly Humboldt. If the Falcons are destined for a successful title defense, the Happy Valley, Ore., product will likely play a key part in it.
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 |
|
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 |
Sept. 16 GNAC Women’s Soccer Players of the Week
WOMEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jensa Napier-Ganley – Simon Fraser University
First-career player of the week.
Napier-Ganley played a big role in each of Simon Fraser’s wins last week, helping her team improve to 4-0 on the young season. The sophomore from Cobble Hill, B.C., had her first-career assist in the Red Leafs’ 3-0 blanking of Regis on Thursday. She followed that by impacting both goals in her team’s 2-1 triumph over Colorado Christian to stay undefeated. In the 28th minute, she slotted her second assist of the week to
Sarah Caravatta to give her team a 1-0 lead. She followed by scoring her first-career goal – a game-winner in the 31st minute. Napier-Ganley has played in all four of SFU’s matches as a substitute this fall, after seeing action in 14 matches with three starts as a freshman in 2023.
SFU Head Coach Carlo Basso: “Jensa showcased her ability to impact the game with her high I.Q., and quality of pass in both matches this weekend. She was decisive in critical moments and really helped push the group to success. I am so pleased for Jensa as she is a player who consistently works on improving her game and delivering in big moments.”
Also Nominated: Peyton Wilson, Central Washington; Liberty Palmer, Montana State Billings; Moira MacKay, Seattle Pacific.
WOMEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Leighton Menge – Central Washington University
First-career player of the week.
The true freshman from Kingston, Wash., was instrumental in the Wildcats’ lone game last week, coming up big in her team’s 1-1 draw against Chico State. Menge had 10 saves in the match – tied for the most among any GNAC player in last week’s games – and posted a GNAC-leading save percentage of .909. Facing 23 shots in the match, Menge kept her team in it until the end including making a pair of big saves in the final 10 minutes. Coming off a shutout in her collegiate debut on Sept. 5, Menge has now made 15 saves while allowing just one goal in her first 180 minutes of college soccer.
CWU Head Coach Lindsey Lee: “Leighton has been fantastic for us the past few weeks. This past weekend, her shot-stopping ability was critical for us against Chico. She was just a calming and powerful presence on the field. Her shot stopping as well as her ability to play out of the back allowed us to stay in the game on Thursday.”
Also Nominated: Megan Mendenhall, Montana State Billings; Mallory Patzer, Saint Martin’s; Sarah Loewen, Simon Fraser; Sophia Pierce, Western Oregon.