Defense has been the staple of the University of Montana game this season and the fifth seed Griz used three shutout performances to run the table at the Big Sky Tournament to win the league championship and a berth to the NCAA tournament, avenging their only two losses of the season in the process.
INWsn Player of the Week selection Taylor Hansen was at the heart of not only that defensive effort, but played a key role in the attack for the first two victories, registering assists on all three goals. She drove up the right side against Northern Arizona and struck a pinpoint ball to Janessa Fowler for the 1-0 winner. In the semifinals she sent a perfect ball forward from midfield to Alexa Coyle who spun and fired for the opening goal in a 2-0 win against Weber State in which she also helped set up the second, connecting with fellow back Taryn Miller (Spokane, WA), who delivered a long ball forward to Fowler in the box for the second goal.
Navarro helped Saint Martin's win twice in a bid to finish second in the GNAC only to come up a point short of Western Washington, which also finished the season on a winning run.
For games through Sunday, November 4
WOMEN
G - Claire Howard - Montana :: Two saves in their Big Sky tournament opener to blank Northern Arizona 1-0 and another five to shutout top seed and host Weber State in a 2-0 victory to advance to the final. (Santa Rosa, CA)
PLAYER OF THE WEEK :: D - Taylor Hansen - Montana :: In addition to helping lead the defense to 1-0 and 2-0 shutout wins over Northern Arizona and top-seeded host Weber State in the first two rounds of the Big Sky tournament, she registered assists on all three goals. (Cardiff by the Sea, CA)
D - Ariana Pumpelly - Gonzaga :: Led the back line for the Zags, and was also an offensive threat, in a shutout performance against Portland as they registered the program's first-ever victory over the Pilots, 1-0, after one draw and 25 losses in their previous 26 meetings. This is her second selection. (Tualatin, OR)
M - Kasey Ames (Liberty Lake, WA) - Concordia :: Scored the opening goal in a 2-1 victory for Concordia in the GNAC semifinals versus Seattle Pacific and struck the opening goal again in their 2-1 overtime victory against Western Washington in the GNAC championship. This is her second selection.
M - Janessa Fowler - Montana :: Scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Northern Arizona and the second goal in a 2-0 win against Weber State in the Big Sky tournament (Highlands Ranch, CO)
M - Lura Morton (Moscow, ID) - Puget Sound :: Scored equalizer and game-winner for 3-2 victory at Linfield that was a must-win contest for the Loggers, who finished tied with rival Pacific Lutheran for the league championship, but advanced to the NCAA DIII tournament via tiebreaker. This is her second selection.
F - Haley Berryman (Ephrata, WA) - Minot State :: Assisted on the game-winner for the Beavers to complete a comeback 3-2 win after trailing by two against St Cloud State and then tallied twice, including the winner, in a 3-1 victory against Mary in the NSIC semifinal. This is her third selection.
F - Alexa Coyle (Bozeman, MT) - Montana :: Scored the opening goal for the Griz in their 2-0 Big Sky semifinal win over top seed and host Weber State, and tallied the lone goal in their 1-0 victory against Northern Colorado in the Big Sky championship.
F - Pagan Hetherington - Whitman :: Scored a pair of go-ahead goals for the Blues on the road at Lewis & Clark only to suffer a loss, 3-2, in overtime. (Castro Valley, CA)
F - Maria Sanchez (American Falls, ID) - Santa Clara :: Set up four goals in a game - a program record - for the second time in her career as the Broncos blew out Pacific 7-0 to also tie the program record for assists in a single season (14). This is her fourth selection.
F - Morgan Weaver - Washington State :: Scored all three goals in a huge victory, 3-1, over rival Washington that helped the Cougars earn an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament. This is her third selection. (University Place, WA)
MEN
G - Christopher Kirby (Yakima, WA) - Columbia Basin :: Made four saves for a shutout performance as the Hawks upset Chemeketa on the road 1-0 in the first round of the NWAC playoffs.
D - Hunter VanCleave (Missoula, MT) - CC Spokane :: Scored the game-winner in a 1-0 victory against Portland to open up the NWAC postseason. This is his third selection.
M - Jacob Barsher - Whitman :: Tallied a goal and assist for the Blues as they downed Whitworth 3-1 to earn a share of the Northwest Conference championship, a first for the program since 1981. (Bellevue, WA)
PLAYER OF THE WEEK :: M - Sebastian Navarro (Yakima, WA) - Saint Martin's :: Scored a goal and set up two others for the Saints in a 6-1 road win at Northwest Nazarene. He also set up the game-winning goal for the Saints in a 2-1 win at Seattle Pacific. This is his second Best XI selection.
F - Luke Murdock (Boise, ID) - Puget Sound :: Scored the only goal of the contest to give the Loggers a win over rival Pacific Lutheran, spoiling the Lutes' bid to win the league title outright. This is his second selection.
** Not enough games / results for full men's list
About INWsn Best XI: Each week INWsoccernews will release lists of the week’s best performances for men’s and women’s soccer in the region, recognizing players at schools in the region or those from the area that play elsewhere in the nation. The list is extremely flexible and has no defined formation, despite featuring 11 players (when number of results/games allow). The Best XI was launched with the start of the site's collegiate coverage in 2012, continued through 2014 and was re-launched in 2017 after a two-year absence. The list is issued (typically) Tue-Wed during the college season.
