A clean sheet, an outstanding performance off the bench and a sweep of RMAC teams highlight the first weekend of women’s soccer action in the Pacific West Conference.

Holy Names' goalkeeper Alexis Aguilar is the Defender of the Week, while Azusa Pacific’s Evelina Von Euler redefined the term “super sub” to earn Player of the Week. Chaminade, picked to finish 7th in the preseason poll, went unbeaten in Colorado and New Mexico to claim the Team of the Week.

2022 Results/Schedule
2022 Standings
2022 Statistics
2022 USC National Poll
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Azusa Pacific’s Evelina Von Euler, F, 5-7, Jr., Nortalje, Sweden
Von Euler entered a 0-0 match against Cal State Dominguez Hills at 73:47, hoping to provide an offensive spark in a scoreless contest. Two minutes later she did, putting the first goal of the night into the goal (75:57) to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead. The former University of Charleston transfer added insurance less than two minutes later with a header that found the back of the net to seal the 2-0 win. Earlier in the week, APU tied Cal State San Marcos (0-0), a match in which Von Euler played just one minute. 

DEFENDER OF THE WEEK: Holy Names’ Alexis Aguilar, GK, 5-9, Sr., San Jose, Calif.
Aguilar had a perfect weekend as the Hawks’ stopper, playing a big part in a pair of shutout victories. Holy Names scored 2-0 victories over both Lincoln (Calif.) and Northwest Nazarene (Idaho) to start at 2-0. Aguilar, a transfer from Cal Poly Humboldt, faced 17 shots including 12 on goal and saved them all (12 saves). Aguilar started in 2021 for the Lumberjacks and also played two seasons as a starter for former PacWest member Notre Dame de Namur.
 
TEAM OF THE WEEK: The Chaminade Silverswords
The PacWest Team of the Week would be the Chaminade Silverswords. CUH swept through a tough slate of road games in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, defeating Fort Lewis (Colo.) 1-0, Western Colorado (3-1) and New Mexico Highlands (5-1). Head coach Michelle Richardson’s squad was balanced, with Hoku Schatz scoring the lone goal against Fort Lewis, while Ruby Burroughs, Caili Cain, Asya Holt and Lela Gi (twice) scored versus New Mexico Highlands as the 'Swords tied the school mark for most goals in a match. Three different players got past the goalkeeper against Western Colorado—Gracie Bowers, Holt and Lece Aviles. Goalkeeper Naomi Takata gave up just two goals and totaled eight saves in the three outings. It is the program’s first-ever 3-0 start to a season, and the first time that they have been three games over .500 in the 17-year existence of the program.

PACWEST NEWS AND NOTES 
The Pacific West Conference sports a 9-4-6 record after the opening weekend of women’s soccer. The league went 4-2-5 against the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), 3-0 against the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and 1-0 versus the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC). They went 1-2-1 against teams from other divisions…APU’s Evelina Von Euler, Holy Names’ Zinet Siddiqi and Chaminade’s Lela Gi and Asya Holt are the early season PacWest scoring leaders with two goals apiece…Four PacWest goalkeepers have yet to give up a goal this year (90 minutes minimum played). Maddie Williams (APU) and Monique Neverez (Fresno Pacific) lead the way with 180 minutes each and no scores, followed by Alexis Aguilar (Holy Names) with zero in 135 minutes. Hawaii Pacific’s Sophia Garrido is next with 90 minutes and zero balls past her.

LOOKING AHEAD 
Another heavy slate of games is on tap, this time from Tuesday (Aug. 30) through Labor Day (Sept. 5). Academy of Art hosts defending CCAA champion and No. 20 nationally ranked Sonoma State on Tuesday, and Concordia travels to Bellingham to face No. 10 Western Washington (also on Tuesday) to kick the week off. 2021 PacWest co-title winner Hawai`i Hilo finally gets underway on Thursday, taking on Cal State East Bay in Honolulu. No. 22 nationally ranked Point Loma takes on Cal Poly Pomona (picked to finish second in the CCAA) in a big regional match-up on Thursday, and Dominican gets their turn with Sonoma State on Monday. Looking one day further ahead (Tues., Sept. 6), Point Loma hosts Western Washington in a rematch of a 2021 west region semifinal.