WHAT’S ON TAP IN THE WACThe first weekend of conference play saw every home team win except Utah Valley which earned a draw against defending champion Seattle U. This weekend features two matches per school except for travel partners Incarnate Word and Houston Baptist who play in Houston on Saturday night. Seattle U hosts UNLV and Grand Canyon on Friday and Sunday, respectively. The Redhawks are 7-0-4 all-time in WAC play.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE – Incarnate Word’s Noah Keats, a junior midfielder from Exeter, England (The King’s School), played in two matches for the Cardinals last week and scored three goals and had one assist. He opened the week with a goal against Oral Roberts then assisted on the game-winner and scored two more goals in UIW’s 3-0 win over Houston Baptist in the WAC opener for both schools. He finished the week with seven points and had 10 shots in the two matches.
DEFENSIVE – UNLV’s Ryan Harding, a senior goalkeeper from Troutdale, Ore. (Central Catholic HS), earned his fifth shutout of the season, stopping all four of Grand Canyon’s shots on goal to lead UNLV to a 3-0 victory on Sunday afternoon. The game was scoreless through the first 60 minutes before the Rebels scored all three of their goals in a five-minute explosion. UNLV earned its seventh win of the season, matching last year’s total.
Others nominated on offense:
Julian Zamora, Fr., F, Bakersfield - came off the bench to score two goals in a 5-1 win over San Jose State. He now leads the WAC with seven goals on the season.
Julian Portugal, Sr., MF, UNLV - scored the game-winner and added an assist in a 3-0 victory over Grand Canyon. He had four shots in the game.
Hamza Haddadi, Jr., F, Seattle U - scored the only Redhawk goal in a 1-1 tie at Utah Valley.
Karson Payton, Fr., F, Utah Valley - scored Utah Valley’s only goal in the 1-1 draw against Seattle U.
Also nominated on defense:
A.J. Esparza, So., D, Air Force - scored the game-winning goal against UMKC on Saturday and also helped hold the ‘Roos scoreless on six shots.
Andrew Grossman, Jr., D, Incarnate Word - helped hold Houston Baptist scoreless while also scoring the game-winning goal off a corner kick in a 3-0 victory over the Huskies.
Shane Mahvi, So., D, Seattle U - helped limit Utah Valley to just one goal in a 1-1 draw on Saturday night.
Skyler Milne, So., MF, Utah Valley
FIVE TEAMS IN REGIONAL RANKINGS
The WAC has five teams in the top nine of the NSCAA West Regional Rankings including the number spot held by Seattle U. Air Force is second, Bakersfield fourth, UNLV sixth and Utah Valley eighth.
WAC’S NON-CONFERENCE RECORD MUCH IMPROVED
The WAC is 33-36-9 (.481) versus non-conference opponents this year. A year ago at this time, the WAC was 12-43-8 (.254) entering the conference season.
WAC STAT LEADERS
As a team, Bakersfield leads the WAC in shots (175), points (74), goals (27) and assists (20). Air Force leads the WAC in saves (55) and goal against average (0.41). UNLV has posted the most shutouts with six.
Individually, Utah Valley’s Matt Gay leads the WAC in shots (33). Bakersfield’s Julian Zamora leads the WAC with 15 points and seven goals. UNLV’s Julian Portugal and Bakersfield’s David Velasquez are tied for the WAC lead in assists with five each. Air Force’s Jake Schenk leads the WAC in goals against average (0.41), save percentage (.927) and saves (51). Houston Baptist’s Kevin Suarez leads the WAC in saves per game (6.40). UNLV’s Ryan Harding has posted the most shutouts with 5.1.
UTAH VALLEY IN TOP 10 OF ATTENDANCE
In its inaugural year, the Utah Valley men’s soccer team is averaging 2,552 fans per match, the 10th best in the nation. The Wolverines had a high of 3,209 against Gonzaga on Sept. 12.
TWO HAT TRICKS IN FIRST WEEK
After no WAC player recorded a hat trick in 2013, there have been two posted this season. UNLV’s Sal Bernal recorded the WAC’s first hat trick since 1999 with three goals at Bradley on Aug. 31. San Jose State’s Rory Knibbs added another three-goal match on Sept. 2 in the Spartans’ 4-1 victory over Massachusetts.
WAC MEN’S SOCCER EXPANDS TO 10 TEAMS
For the first time since 1999, the WAC sponsored men’s soccer during the 2013 season. Seattle U won the 2013 regular season title with an undefeated mark of 7-0-3 and earned the WAC tournament title to advance to the NCAA tournament where it won its first round game. For 2014, the WAC has added two more teams to expand to 10 this season. The league is made up of both full time members of the WAC and affiliates: Air Force (affiliate), Bakersfield, Grand Canyon, Houston Baptist (affiliate), Incarnate Word (affiliate), Missouri-Kansas City, San Jose State (affiliate), Seattle U and Utah Valley. New this season are Incarnate Word and Utah Valley. UIW comes to the WAC after starting its transition from Division II to Division I last season in which it played as an independent. Utah Valley begins its first season of sponsoring men’s soccer.
REGULAR SEASON FORMAT
Regular-season play consists of a single round-robin format between all 10 teams and an additional match against each team’s travel party for a total of 10 matches. The points system will be used to determine conference standings. Each team will receive three points for a win and one point for a tie.
2014 WAC TOURNAMENT
The WAC Men’s Soccer Tournament will be held at Seattle U, November 13-14 and 16. The top six eligible teams will participate (Grand Canyon and Incarnate Word are ineligible due to their transition from Division II to Division I).
FUTURE MEMBER
The WAC will expand its men’s soccer league next year with the addition of Texas-Pan American in 2015. The Broncs have hired Paul Leese as their head coach.