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JACKSON AND NEFF NAMED WAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Grand Canyon's Niki Jackson and Utah Valley's Alex Neff have been named Western Athletic Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, for Oct. 26 - Nov. 1.
Jackson, a sophomore forward from Scottsdale, Ariz. (Cactus Shadows HS), posted a pair of two-goal matches to lead the Antelopes to a 1-1 record on the road. He scored both of GCU's goals in Friday's overtime loss at Air Force and then put the Lopes' first two goals into the net in a 3-2 win at Missouri-Kansas City on Sunday. The four goals on the weekend doubled his scoring total on the season as he is second on the team with eight goals.
Neff, a junior defender from South Weber, Utah (Northridge HS), helped the Wolverines clinch a bye in the upcoming conference tournament, helping to hold Incarnate Word to just three shots in a 4-1 win on Thursday. This is Neff's third player of the week honor this season, the most of any player in the WAC.
Other offensive nominees: Air Force's Ben Kern notched three assists on the weekend as the Falcons swept Grand Canyon and UNLV … CSU Bakersfield's Christian Duarte scored a goal in Friday's 4-2 win at Houston Baptist … Houston Baptist's Marcelo Acuna scored both of HBU's goal on Friday against CSU Bakersfield and assisted on the game-tying goal Sunday against San José State … Missouri-Kansas City's Wes White scored a goal to put UMKC ahead 2-1 on Friday against UNLV … Seattle U's David Olsen recorded his first hat trick as a Redhawk in Sunday's 4-2 win over Incarnate Word … UT Rio Grande Valley's Juanito Garcia scored his third goal of the season and his first game-winning goal on Sunday against CSU Bakersfield … Utah Valley's Aaron Meyer set a new school record with three assists in a 4-1 win over Incarnate Word.
Other defensive nominees: CSU Bakersfield's Jamie Carey-Morrell scored his first goal of the year and then led the defense in Friday's win at Houston Baptist … Houston Baptist's Sebastian Henke scored his first goal of the season on Sunday against San José State and anchored the defense to allow his team to earn the overtime win.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
With just one match remaing in the regular season, Seattle U leads the WAC in shots (316), points (105), goals (40), goals allowed (15), goals against average (0.83) and is tied with Utah Valley for the lead in shutouts (7). Incarnate Word, who wrapped up their season Sunday, leads the conference in assists with 28. UT Rio Grande Valley is tops in saves with 83.
Individually, Grand Canyon's Alberto Sanchez Garcia leads the conference in shots with 67. UNLV's Danny Musovski holds the league lead in points (28), goals (12) and game-winning goals (6). Utah Valley's Aaron Meyer is tops in assists with 11.
In goal, Seattle U's Shane Haworth has the best goals against average at 0.79, also leading the league in save percentage (.785). UTRGV's Leo Castillo has a WAC-best 75 saves while Haworth also leads the conference in shutouts with seven.
SETTING THE FIELD
Seattle U and Utah Valley have already punched their ticket to Kansas City and will be the number one and two seeds respectively but after that, there is still a lot to decided. CSU Bakersfield holds a one point lead for the third seed and four teams are tied in fourth place. Tournament host Missouri-Kansas City is three points back of that pack and could get in with a win over Air Force and some help from others in the conference table.
REPPING THE RPI RANKINGS
Seattle U is just one spot out of the top 10 in the latest NCAA RPI Rankings, announced on Monday. Utah Valley dropped two spots to 47 while UNLV took a hit, falling to 76. CSU Bakersfield also took a small slide, falling nine spots to 92. Air Force used two wins to climb up 33 spots to 107 while Houston Baptist also moved up to 122. Incarnate Word moved up 17 spots to 140, followed by Missouri-Kansas City (141), Grand Canyon (144), San José State (145) and UT Rio Grande Valley (191).
IN THE POLLS
With one game remaining in the regular season, Seattle U is up to 12th in both the Top Drawer Soccer Top 25 and the College Soccer News Top 30. The Redhawks are 13th in the National Soccer Coaches' Association (NSCAA) Top 25. Utah Valley is among those receiving votes in the CSN Top 30.
REGIONALLY RANKED
In the NSCAA West Regional Ranking, 13th-ranked Seattle U remains second behind No. 7 Denver. Utah Valley moved up to third while UNLV fell three spots to sixth. CSU Bakersfield remains at nine to round out the WAC representatitves in the poll.
AMONG THE BEST
When it comes to putting the ball in the net, the WAC is among the best conferences in the country, ranking second behind the Atlantic Coast Conference in total goals with 295 goals. The WAC is also second in assists (232), second in game-winning goals (91), third in goals allowed (268) and third in saves (709).
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Statistically one of the top men's soccer conferences in the country this season, the Western Athletic Conference is also shining in the classroom as 10 student-athletes have been honored as Academic All-District selections as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Houston Baptist led all teams with three players selected. Sophomore defender Bryan Brody, senior defender Sebastian Henke and senior forward George Kelley represented the Huskies. Incarnate Word had two players on the District 7 team as senior defender Andrew Grossman and senior forward Dylan Kelly were honored.
Utah Valley put two players on the District 8 team with the Wolverines represented by sophomore midfielder Paul Hoffmeister and junior midfielder Skyler Milne. UNLV senior forward Corey Ackley and senior defender Bradley Kamdem represented the Rebels while Seattle U senior forward Hamza Haddadi was also honored for outstanding achievement in the classroom.
SCORING IN THE CLASSROOM
Posting a team grade point average of 3.0 or higher, four WAC men's soccer teams have been honored by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America for success in the classroom.Houston Baptist, Grand Canyon, Seattle U and Utah Valley represented the WAC on the list of 305 spanning all divisions. It is the second time earning the honor for all four schools. In addition, the women's teams at all four schools were also honored by the NSCAA.
TOP OF THE CLASS
CSU Bakersfield midfielder Christian Duarte was selected as one of 30 men's soccer student-athletes listed as candidates for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athelte must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competiton.
GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL!
Seattle U forward Hamza Haddadi made the most of his season opener, tying the WAC record for goals in a game with four. The feat was last completed by New Mexico's Justin Sells on 1996 against Fort Lewis.
WAC MEN'S SOCCER EXPANDS TO 11 TEAMS
For 2015, the WAC will be expanding to 11 teams with the addition of UT Rio Grande Valley. The league is made up of both full time members of the WAC and affiliates: Air Force (affiliate), CSU Bakersfield, Grand Canyon, Houston Baptist (affiliate), Incarnate Word (affiliate), Missouri-Kansas City, San José State (affiliate), Seattle U, UTRGV and Utah Valley. Regular-season play will consist of a single round-robin format between all 11 teams 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. The top six teams will advance to the WAC tournament Nov. 12-13 and 15. Grand Canyon and Incarnate Word are ineligible due to their transition from Division II to Division I.
ONES TO WATCH
Three WAC men's soccer players have already found themselves among the top college soccer players in the country as CSU Bakersfield's Christian Duarte and Julian Zamora and UNLV's Rodrigo Fuentes were among 30 players mentioned on the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy watch list. The MAC Hermann Trophy goes to the top male and female college soccer players, as voted upon by coaches across the country.
REDHAWKS AND REBELS FAVORITES TO WIN WAC TITLE
Seattle U narrowly edged past UNLV in the preseason coaches poll with both the Redhawks and Rebels picking up five first-place votes. CSU Bakersfield earned the remaining first place vote as the Roadrunners were picked third in the preseason poll. Utah Valley earned the fourth place position ahead of fifth-place San José State. Missouri-Kansas City and Incarnate Word tied for sixth place followed by Grand Canyon, Air Force, Houston Baptist and first-year program UTRGV.
NCAA OPPONENTS
WAC teams will play in 14 matches against teams that played in the NCAA Tournament last year. Four of the matches will be played at WAC home sites with Seattle U hosting two and Missouri-Kansas City and Utah Valley each hosting one. Seattle U leads all teams with four matches against postseason participants, followed by two each for Utah Valley, Missouri-Kansas City and San José State. CSU Bakersfield, Grand Canyon, Houston Baptist and UTRGV will all play one.
Aug. 29 CSU Bakersfield at Denver
Sep. 3 Seattle U vs. Northwestern (at Spokane, Wash.)
Sep. 4 Missouri-Kansas City at SIU Edwardsville
Sep. 10 San José State at Stanford
Sep. 13 Houston Baptist vs. Hartwick (at Spokane, Wash.)
Sep. 27 Seattle U at Oregon State
Sep. 20 Dartmouth at Seattle U
Sep. 20 Utah Valley at Denver
Sep. 20 San José State at San Diego
Sep. 20 UTRGV at CSU Fullerton
Sep. 21 Tulsa at Missouri-Kansas City
Sep. 24 Washington at Seattle U
Sep. 24 CSU Fullerton at Utah Valley
Sep. 27 Grand Canyon at CSU Fullerton
2015 WAC TOURNAMENT
The WAC Men's Soccer Tournament will be held In Kansas City, Mo., November 12-13 and 15. The top six eligible teams will participate (Grand Canyon and Incarnate Word are ineligible due to their transition from Division II to Division I).