MSUB reaches GNAC Final; Montana, Idaho State to meet for Big Sky title

Shot from Richter (left) led to MSU-Billings winner from Mancilla (right) in GNAC semifinal

Montana State University-Billings upset second-seeded Seattle Pacific in the semifinals of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Thursday evening while Idaho State and Montana advanced from their respective semifinals Friday afternoon.

College Recap - GNAC: Simon Fraser win men's title; MSU-Billings women make playoffs

With Western Washington and Seattle Pacific running away with the top two seeds in the women's table, the weekend was primarily about determining the final two participants. Saint Martin’s draw on Friday put MSU-Billings into the playoffs and their draw Saturday allowed Western Oregon to claim the final spot. The two leaders squared off in a potential championship match preview and nearly played to a stalemate. With a commanding advantage in the table, Simon Fraser locked up a third consecutive men's conference title with a 7-1 drubbing of Saint Martin’s Thursday and a loss later that evening by Seattle Pacific, sending the Canadians to the NCAA tournament in their first year of eligibility after two years of provisional status.

College Recap - GNAC: Lindsay lights it up for Seattle Pacific; MSUB blanks Simon Fraser

Spokane's Megan Lindsay caught fire, scoring a pair of braces on the weekend to guide Seattle Pacific to a pair of victories to keep them in the race for the regular season title with Western Washington and their record-holding goalkeeper Jamie Arthurs (Richland, WA). On the men's side, MSU-Billings had quite the weekend, downing Western Washington in overtime and taking Division II scoring leaders Simon Fraser all the way in a scoreless stalemate.

INW Collegiate Recap - GNAC: Stalemate for Northwest Nazarene, Seattle Pacific men

MSU-Billings remains in the top three on the women's side after a split on the weekend that included a 3-0 loss to second-place Seattle Pacific, who are led by Megan Lindsay (Spokane, WA). Meanwhile, Jamie Arthurs (Richland, WA) continues to dominate, keeping Western Washington in first. On the men's side, the trio of Simon Fraser, unbeaten Northwest Nazarene and Seattle Pacific are running away from the pack. NNU and SPU battled to a draw.

Week 6 Collegiate INW Best XI – Men

For games through Sunday, September 23. Vote for the Player of the Week on the INW Facebook page. If you Like the INW page, the vote counts double. Deadline is Wednesday, 8:00 pm PT.

Week 5 Collegiate INW Best XI – Women

For games through Sunday, September 16. Next week a new feature will debut, giving you an opportunity to select the Players of the Week via Facebook.

INWsoccernews.com WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE WEEK

F - Cassie Black (Battle Ground, WA) – Eastern Washington :: It was difficult to choose over Montignani’s pair of hat-tricks, but Black was crucial against two quality opponents. She struck for a goal and an assist as the Eagles defeated the University of Idaho Friday and tallied the game-winner in a 2-1 victory against the University of Hawaii Sunday.

Around the Rankings - September 18

 A number of Inland Northwest teams highlight the national rankings for the various collegiate divisions. Here is a look around at the three main polls/rankings from the NSCAA, Soccer America, D3soccer.com and Top Drawer Soccer, which incorporates its projection of the tournament fields into its ranking.

Conference Play Preview – Great Northwest Conference - DII

Conference play kicked off Thursday evening for both the men’s and women’s schedules.

On the men’s side, the INW schools Northwest Nazarene and MSU-Billings kicked things off on the road. The Crusaders played to a scoreless draw at Western Washington in Bellingham while the Yellowjackets fell north of the border to Simon Fraser, 2-0.

It was the opposite for the women as the Lady Jackets won 2-1 at home against Seattle Pacific and Northwest Nazarene was blanked at home by Central Washington, 3-0.

Week 4 Collegiate INW Best XI – Women

For games through Sunday, September 9.

INWsoccernews.com WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE WEEK

F - Cassie Black (Battle Ground, WA) – Eastern Washington – The sophomore striker scored two unassisted goals to lead the school to its first-ever victory against Boise State, defeating the Broncos, 3-1, at Portland State’s Viking Classic. She struck for the opener 20 minutes and capped the victory with three seconds remaining. 

Week 4 Collegiate INW Best XI – Men

For games through Sunday, September 9. It was a light week in the schedule, giving the few teams in action the benefit of a few extra players on the list.

INWsoccernews.com MEN’S PLAYER OF THE WEEK

F – Oliver Gore (Stafford, England) – Rocky Mountain College – Playing on the road, Gore provided two equalizers in the contest. He answered University of Mary’s opening strike in the 15 minute a less than two minutes later as RMC would go on to lead 2-1 at the intermission. Mary, however, rallied themselves to reclaim the advantage with two strikes in the first 11 minutes of the second half, forcing Gore to level terms again with eight minutes left for the 3-3 draw.

Week 3 Collegiate INW Best XI – Women

For games through the Labor Day holiday September 3.

INWsoccernews.com WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE WEEK

M – Kasey Rubosky (Spokane, WA) – Gonzaga – Scored the two 1-0 game-winning goals in trip to Tennessee to play Austin Peay and Vanderbilt. In the opening game Friday against Austin Peay a long ball out of the back from a Cricket Harber free kick came to Emma Dolcetti, who headed back across the six to Rubusky in the ninth minute of the game. The team went on to outshoot the hosts 14-8. Rubosky got a little lucky for the second winner Sunday, scoring again in the first half by sending her shot off a Tori Lee free kick in off the back of a defender.

Week 3 Collegiate INW Best XI – Men

For games through the Labor Day holiday September 3.

INWsoccernews.com MEN’S PLAYER OF THE WEEK

M - Nick Heffernan – Rocky Mountain – In their second game of the road trip to the Puget Sound, Heffernan let loose with a goal and four assists in a 6-3 win at Evergreen. He scored the second goal in the 20th minute and set up Oliver Gore a minute later. He set up Brandon Loeffler’s second goal of the game in the 26 for what proved to be the winner. He went on to provide help on the two second half goals in the 52nd and 61st.   

INW player highlights around the nation; Frontier results

The following is a recap, mostly highlights, of how players from around the Inland Northwest  did this weekend around the nation outside the region along with recaps for Montana schools MSU-Billings, Rocky Mountain College and the University of Great Falls.

MSU-Billings win over ranked side leads Montana & Idaho Friday INW college recap

Fifth career shutout for Hoon as Montana ends three-game losing streak | Photo: Gerald Barnhart

It was all good news on Friday for the state of Montana, starting with an upset victory over a nationally ranked school by MSU-Billings. The University of Montana picked up a road win over Bronco Invitational host Boise State as well and Rocky Mountain College's two teams swept with a pair of 2-1 wins against Trinity Lutheran. In a battle for state pride, Idaho State blanked Idaho.