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Oct. 16, 2012

NSCAA Top 25 Coaches' Poll

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Having won its last six games, all of them shutouts, the nationally ranked and league-leading Western Washington University women's soccer team makes its last road trip of the regular season this week, traveling to Montana State Billings on Thursday (1 p.m.), Oct. 18, and to Northwest Nazarene on Saturday (12 noon), Oct. 20.

The Vikings, who have outscored their opponents 19-0 during that stretch, rank No.25 in this week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America/NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll. They are 12-2-0 overall and lead the GNAC standings at 9-1-0, one and one-half games ahead of second-place Seattle Pacific (7-1-2, 10-2-2).

THE LAST MEETING Montana State-Billings 0 Western Washington 3 September 29, 2012 BELLINGHAM WWU hands No. 23 MSUB first loss, 3-0, moves into first-place tie in GNAC Forward Joana Houplin scored in the eighth minute to stake Western Washington University to an early lead as the Vikings defeated previously unbeaten and nationally ranked Montana State University Billings, 3-0, in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's soccer game Saturday at Orca Field on the campus of Whatcom CC. Recap | Box Score

THE LAST MEETING Northwest Nazarene 0 Western Washington 4 September 27, 2012 BELLINGHAM WWU runs home shutout string to 10 with 4-0 win over NNU Freshman forward Stephanie Hamilton scored the first two goals of her collegiate career less than five minutes apart in the first half as Western Washington University defeated Northwest Nazarene University, 4-0, in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's soccer game Thursday night at Orca Field on the campus of Whatcom CC. Recap | Box Score

WWU has a plus 29 (33-4) goal differential this season. Its only losses have been on the road to No.4-rated Chico State, 1-0, to open the season, and to Seattle Pacific, 2-1.

Last week, the Vikings, coached by Travis Connell (10th year, 114-57-19), posted two home triumphs over Saint Martin's, 1-0, and Western Oregon, 2-0. The two shutouts allowed senior goalkeeper Jamie Arthurs (Richland) to take over the national lead in goals against average at 0.29. With 31 saves in 1,260 minutes, her save percentage of .886 ranks 17th nationally, and she is currently working on a scoreless string of 630 minutes and 15 seconds.

Arthurs has 11 shutouts this season, tying the school record of 11 she set in each of the last two years. Arthurs also upped her four-year career record shutout total for both the Vikings and the GNAC to 34.

WWU leads the nation in both GAA and shutout percentage (.786) and is seventh in save percentage (.892). It has a shot advantage of 220-105, leading the GNAC in points (96, 6.86), goals (33, 2.36), assists (30, 2.14), least goals against and shutouts.

The Vikings, who are averaging 2.36 goals per game, have the top two scorers in the GNAC. Freshman forward Catherine Miles (Anacortes) and junior forward Kristin Maris (Issaquah) are tied, each with 18 points (1.29 per game).

Maris, who was named Red Lion/GNAC Offensive Player of the Week for her performance last week, is tied for first in goals (0.50, 7) and game-winning goals (3), and Miles is tied for the lead in assists (0.43, 6). Maris has four assists and Miles six goals.

Junior Brina Sych (Vancouver/Union) has 11 points with three goals and five assists. Last week, she had the only goal in the Saint Martin's game and an assist in the Western Oregon contest.

MSUB is third in the GNAC standings at 7-3-0 and 11-3-0 overall. The Yellowjackets, who are 6-1 at home, have lost three of their last five games after opening the season with nine wins.

WWU won the first meeting this season, 3-0, snapping a four-game winless streak in the series, and holds a 9-3-2 series advantage,

NNU, which hosts Simon Fraser on Thursday, is 3-7-0 in league play and 6-8-0 overall. The Crusaders have lost 10 of their last 13 after a 3-1 start.

WWU is unbeaten in its last 18 meetings (17-0-1) with NNU dating back to 2003 and has a 24-1-1 series lead.

Notes: The last time that WWU appeared in the NSCAA Top 25 prior to last week was in October of 2009 when the Vikings were No.9 ... Freshman forward Jessica Bertucci (Bellingham/Sehome) suffered a season-ending torn ACL in her right knee against Western Oregon on Sept. 13. She had scored a goal in each of WWU's first three wins, two of them game winners, and earned GNAC Offensive POW honors ... Receiving conference defensive POW accolades this season are Arthurs and junior midfielders Sych and Ashton Griffen (Jr., Duvall/Cedarcrest) ... Seattle Pacific scored twice in the final 10 minutes in its 2-1 win over WWU, the game winner coming with 15 seconds remaining ... The Vikings are working on a string of 13 consecutive home shutouts, seven of them this season during which they have outscored the opposition, 20-0. WWU has lost just once (14-1-4) in its last 19 matches at Whatcom CC's Orca Field, 17 of the wins or ties being whitewashes.

Great Northwest Athletic Conference

2012 Women's Soccer Report Week 7 (Oct. 16, 2012)

		        Conference			                All
	                W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts	W	L	T	GF	GA
Western Washington      9       1	0	25	3	27	12	2	0	33	4
Seattle Pacific         7       1	2	20	8	23	10	2	2	28	12
MSU Billings            7       3	0	12	9	21	11	3	0	 20	10
Western Oregon          5       4	1	14	12	16	7	6	1	20	16
Saint Martin's          4       6	0	11	14	12	6	8	0	15	22
Central Washington      3       6	1	11	12	10	4	8	2	15	22
Northwest Nazarene      3       7	0	10	23	9	6	8	0	18	27
Simon Fraser            0      10	0	2	24	0	1	12	0	3	28

LAST WEEK: Thursday - MSU Billings 2 at Central Washington 0; Northwest Nazarene 1 at Seattle Pacific 4; Western Oregon 1 at Simon Fraser 0; Saint Martin's 0 at Western Washington 1. Saturday - Northwest Nazarene 0 at Central Washington 2; MSU Billings 0 at Seattle Pacific 3; Saint Martin's 2 at Simon Fraser 0; Western Oregon 0 at Western Washington 2.

THIS WEEK: Thursday - Western Oregon at Central Washington, 3 p.m.; Western Washington at MSU Billings, 1 p.m.; Simon Fraser at Northwest Nazarene, 2 p.m.; Seattle Pacific at Saint Martin's, 2 p.m. Saturday - Saint Martin's at Central Washington, noon; Simon Fraser at MSU Billings, 3:30 p.m.; Western Washington at Northwest Nazarene, noon; Western Oregon at Seattle Pacific, 1 p.m.

POLLS: NSCAA National (Oct. 16) - 25. Western Washington. NSCAA West Region (Oct. 16) - 3. Western Washington; 5. Seattle Pacific; 6. Montana State Billings.

NCAA National Statistics (Oct. 14): Team (Top 30): Goals Against - 1. Western Washington 0.29. Shutout PCT. - 1. Western Washington .786; 16. MSU Billings .571. Save PCT. - 7. Western Washington .892. Individuals (Top 30): Goals Against - 1. Jamie Arthurs, WWU, 0.29. Save PCT. - 17. Jamie Arthurs, WWU, .886.

GNAC RED LION PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Offense - Kristin Maris, Western Washington (F, 5-9, Jr. Issaquah, WA) scored the game-winning goal as the Vikings extended their win streak to seven, all by shutouts, and snapped Western Oregon's win streak at four with a 2-0 victory. Maris, the Red Lion Offensive Player of the Week, opened the scoring in the 56th minute with her team-leading seventh goal of the year and her third game-winner, taking a deflected pass from Catherine Miles with her back to the goal, turning and firing a shot from 28 yards that hit the crossbar and went in. Maris also played a key role in Thursday's 1-0 win against Saint Martin's. Defense - Emma Holm, Seattle Pacific (M, 5-4, Fr., Kirkland, WA - Lake Washington) led the Falcons, who are unbeaten in their last eight games (6-0-2) to two victories, a 4-1 win against Northwest Nazarene and a 3-0 shutout of MSU Billings to earn Red Lion Defensive Player of the Week honors. "Emma was incredible this week," SPU coach Chuck Sekyra said.. "I thought that she was one of the top three players on the field in both games against Nazarene and Billings. She was steady and made some game-changing plays." Honorable Mention - Heidi Greenback, MSU Billings; Whitney Siler, MSU Billings; Carson McKole, Central Washington; Jamie Arthurs, Western Washington.

NATIONAL LEADER: Western Washington goalkeeper Jamie Arthurs is the national leader in goals against average, allowing 0.29 per 90 minutes. Her save percentage of .886 ranks 17th nationally. She is the only GNAC player to rank in the Top 30 in any statistical category. Team wise, the Vikings rank No. 1 in both goals against (0.29) and shutout percentage (.786) and seventh in save percentage (.892). Montana State Billings ranks 16th in shutout percentage (.571).

SHUTOUTS, ETC: Western Washington has won seven consecutive games, all by shutouts, and hasn't allowed a goal in 630 minutes, 15 seconds which is the fifth longest streak in GNAC history. Goalkeeper Jamie Arthurs has 11 shutouts this season, tying her own school record mark. Arthurs also had 11 shutouts in 2010 and 2011. Her career total of 34 is a GNAC record and her season total is two shy of the GNAC record of 13.The Vikings have posted 13 consecutive home shutouts dating back to its final six home games of the 2011 season.

GAME WINNERS: Brina Sych scored in the 68th minute, lifting Western Washington to a 1-0 victory over Saint Martin's Thursday. The goal was Sych's third of the season and her second game-winner ... Marina Austin scored in the 31st minute to give Western Oregon a 1-0 win at Simon Fraser Thursday, earning the Wolves a school-record fourth consecutive shutout victory. Lindsay Bauman set up the game-winner with a corner kick. Austin has four goals this season, three of them game-winners.

AROUND THE GNAC: Heidi Greenback had two first-half goals in MSU Billings' 2-0 road win at Central Washington. CWU's Carson McKole matched that feat Saturday against Northwest Nazarene scoring a goal in each half in a 2-0 victory.

PREVIOUS RED LION PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Week of Aug. 25-Sept. 2: Offense - Chelsea Shuman, Montana State Billings (M, 5-2, So., Kalispell, MT - Flathead) scored the game's only goal as the Yellowjackets nipped nationally fifth-ranked Colorado Mines 1-0 Thursday. "Chelsea had an amazing game in the middle and scored a beautiful goal from 25 yards out," MSUB head coach Wojceich Krakowiak said. "She also connected on a lot of passes from our forwards." Defense - Jennifer Larsen, MSU Billings (D, 5-4, Sr., Mesa, AZ - Mountain View) was instrumental in the Yellowjackets' 1-0 shutout of nationally fifth-ranked Colorado Mines Friday. Larsen also scored two goals in a 3-0 shutout of Northern State on Saturday. She was the lone GNAC player to score twice during the opening weekend. "Jennifer was very solid in the back and won a lot of headers," Krakowiak added.

Week of Sept. 3-9: Offense - Jessica Bertucci, Western Washington (F, 5-8, Fr., Bellingham, WA - Sehome) had the game-winning goals as the Vikings swept Hawaii Pacific and Azusa Pacific by identical 2-0 scores. She also had an assist on WWU's clinching goal against APU. Defense - Natalie Harold, Seattle Pacific (GK, 5-3, Jr., Vancouver, WA - Heritage) had five saves, including one to preserve a 1-0 shutout of Azusa Pacific as the Falcons won a pair of home contests. "Natalie took away a sure goal from Azusa with an amazing save," SPU coach Chuck Sekyra said. "Natalie has been strong in the net. We have not given up a lot of chances, but when we have, she has come up huge."

Sept. 10-16: Offense - Heidi Greenback, MSU Billings (F, 5-7, Jr., Woodinville, WA) scored both of the Yellowjackets' goals as MSUB handed Seattle Pacific its first-ever loss at Billings 2-1. She also turned in a solid performance in Saturday's 2-0 shutout of Central Washington as MSUB improved to 6-0 on the season. Defense - Brina Sych, Western Washington (M, 5-6, Jr., Vancouver, WA - Union) played excellent defense from her right back position as the Vikings allowed just one goal in road wins at Western Oregon (2-0) and Saint Martin's (3-1). Sych also contributed offensively, scoring the first goal against the Saints and then earning an assist

Sept. 17-23: Offense - Carson McKole, Central Washington (Sr., Oak Harbor, WA) scored two goals and also had an assist as the Wildcats earned four points during a two-game road trip. McKole had a goal and assist in Thursday's 3-1 win at Simon Fraser, then scored a goal in the 74th minute earning CWU a 1-1 draw at Seattle Pacific. Defense - Jennifer Larsen, Montana State Billings (Sr., Mesa, AZ) helped limit Saint Martin's and Northwest Nazarene to just 18 shots in a pair of 1-0 victories. MSUB goalie Alexandria Johnson needed to make just four saves in recording her fifth and sixth shutouts of the season. Larsen scored MSUB's lone goal against the Saints on a penalty kick.

Sept. 24-30: Offense - Shayla Page, Seattle Pacific (D, 5-6, Fr., Redmond, WA - Eastlake) scored the game-winning goal with 10 seconds remaining in overtime as the Falcons edge Saint Martin's 2-1 Saturday at Interbay Stadium to avoid their third consecutive 1-1 draw. Page has scored goals in three of SPU's final four games, including the first goal in a 2-1 win against Western Washington on Sept. 19 and their lone goal in Thursday's 1-1 draw with Western Oregon. Defense - Ashton Griffen, Western Washington (M, 5-4, Jr., Duvall, WA - Cedarcrest) had a pair of assists and also contributed to two more home shutouts while playing right back and center mid. The Vikings have outscored their opponents 17-0 in five home games this fall and have posted 11 consecutive home shutouts dating back to a 1-0 win over Central Washington on Sept. 17, 2011. "Ashton's work ethic and fitness level is fantastic," WWU coach Travis Connell said. "This past weekend she covered so much ground, tirelessly closing down the ball, dominating in the air and winning knockdowns. Her commitment to the team was inspiring."

Week of Oct. 1-7: Offense - Lindsay Bauman, Western Oregon (M, 5-4, Sr., Portland, OR) contributed to all three goals as the Wolves earned a pair of shutout victories, blanking Saint Martin's 2-0 at home, then beating Montana State Billings 1-0 in Billings. Bauman scored one goal and earned an assist on the other against the Saints, then scored the game-winning goal against MSUB with less than two minutes remaining in overtime as she collected the ball about 15 yards from the goal and fired a shot over the arms of MSUB keeper Alexandria Johnson and into the net. "Lindsay had an incredible strike to give us the win," WOU coach Steve Ancheta said. Defense - Jamie Arthurs, Western Washington (5-8, Sr., Richland, WA) had six saves in recording wins against Simon Fraser and Central Washington increasing her career shutout total to a GNAC and school-record 32. Arthurs has nine shutouts this season including five in a row and hasn't allowed a goal over the past 450 minutes, 15 seconds. She currently leads the conference in goals against average (0.33), save percentage (.862) and shutouts.

GNAC TEAMS OF THE WEEK: Aug. 27-Sept. 2 - Montana State Billings (Women's Soccer). Sept. 3-9 - Western Washington (Volleyball). Sept. 10-16 - Northwest Nazarene (Men's Soccer). Sept. 17-23 - Central Washington (Volleyball). Sept. 24-30 - Central Washington (Football). Oct. 1-7 - Western Oregon (Women's Soccer). Oct. 8-14 - Simon Fraser (Men's Soccer).