By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

Photography By: Gordon Kalisch/FastTrackSports Photograpy

BURNABY, B.C. – Michael Divano delivered the final blow on Saturday afternoon at Terry Fox Field, tapping home the winning goal in the 102nd minute to give Western Oregon a 2-1 win over Seattle Pacific at the inaugural Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Championships.
 
Getting free behind the SPU back line, Divano received a pass from Alex Grignon inside the goal box and put his touch over the head of Falcon goalkeeper Brian Lanier, off the bottom of the crossbar and into the back of the net to prompt a WOU celebration in the corner of the pitch.
 
The double-overtime thriller was a come-from-behind triumph for the Wolves, who trailed 1-0 at halftime after SPU’s Christopher Soto scored in the 30th minute. GNAC Player of the Year Yahir Ocampo Navarro pulled things level with a penalty-kick conversion in the 55th minute, scoring his sixth goal of the season to help get his side to overtime.
 
Divano was named Most Valuable Player of the first-ever GNAC men’s soccer tournament, the final of his team-high four shots proving to be the dagger. Western Oregon improved to 11-4-4 on the season and earned the GNAC’s automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA West Region Championships, which begin next week on campus sites.
 
Just as they did in the opening half of Thursday’s 5-3 semifinal win over Western Washington, Seattle Pacific had the upper hand in the opening 45 minutes. JP Guzman lofted a high ball towards the back post that might have been headed for the back of the net, but Soto left no doubt as WOU players scrambled in an attempt to clear as he punched it home for the game’s opening goal. It was just the second-career goal for Soto, a junior who played his 51st match for the Falcons on Saturday.
   
The Wolves came out of the halftime break with momentum, putting the Falcons under pressure with a stellar stretch of offense across the first 10 minutes. It culminated in a foul within the penalty area, and Ocampo Navarro calmly tucked the ball into the right corner of the net to pull things level.
 
Both sides relied on heroic defensive efforts to keep the scoreline level over the final 35 minutes of regulation, with SPU’s Lanier laying out for eight saves in the title match. Perhaps SPU’s best chance to win the title came in the waning minutes, when a cross found the foot of Connor Tollan inside the six-yard box. WOU goalkeeper Austin Valdez was off the line, and only the outstretched leg of senior defender Harper Neubeck prevented Tollan’s on-target strike from hitting the back of the net.
 
WOU out-shot SPU 21-12 overall in the match, landing 10 strikes on target compared with six on frame for the Falcons. Ocampo Navarro and Igancio Brandan matched their teammate Divano with four shots apiece. Brandan also had a prime chance to put WOU ahead late in the second half, but Lanier came away with a point-blank save to keep the score at 1-1. Brandan’s shot came after an unselfish effort by Divano, who elected for a brilliant square cross inside the box as opposed to taking on a defender 1v1 for a shot attempt.
 
The freshman center back tandem of Eli White and Pedro Monge-Munoz was outstanding for the Wolves as well, elevating to win countless headers in the box and helping the WOU back line remain sturdy with each playing upwards of 100 minutes.
 
GAME NOTES: The Wolves were without senior defender Caleb Kiner, who was required to sit out one match due to accumulation of yellow cards…Valdez finished with four saves in goal for WOU…JJ Diaz, who had a hat trick in the Falcons’ semifinal win on Thursday, was the lone SPU player to record more than one shot, finishing with a pair…the Wolves improved to 2-0-1 on the season against SPU, after the teams tied 1-1 in Monmouth, Ore., on Oct. 16 and WOU earned a 2-0 victory on Oct. 30 in Seattle…it was the third trophy claimed by WOU across its first four seasons of existence, with the Wolves winning back-to-back GNAC regular-season crowns in 2024 and as co-champions with SPU in 2025.
 
NEXT UP: The NCAA men’s soccer selection show is scheduled for 4 p.m. (Pacific) on Monday and will reveal the cast of teams in the 2025 national tournament. Western Oregon earned the GNAC’s automatic berth with Saturday’s win, and the Falcons will watch anxiously in hopes of an at-large berth.

 

2025 GNAC Men's Soccer Championships All-Tournament Team
GNAC Championships Most Valuable Player: Michael Divano, Western Oregon
Name	School	Position
JJ Diaz	Seattle Pacific	Forward
Michael Divano	Western Oregon	Forward
Lukas Shriner	Seattle Pacific	Midfielder
Christopher Soto	Seattle Pacific	Midfielder
Yahir Ocampo Navarro	Western Oregon	Midfielder
Alex Grignon	Western Oregon	Midfielder
Joar Tidblom	Western Washington	Defender
Eli White	Western Oregon	Defender
Harper Neubeck	Western Oregon	Defender
Pedro Monge-Munoz	Western Oregon	Defender
Austin Valdez	Western Oregon	Goalkeeper