A PacWest statement in the Pacific Northwest, a flashy debut for a player on a team that already has mulitiple stars and a weekend to remember for a freshman goalkeeper highlight the PacWest awards for week number two.

Concordia traveled to northwest Washington to tie No. 10 ranked Western Washington, and then shutout Simon Fraser to earn Team of the Week honors. The Golden Eagles’ freshman goalkeeper Riley Urquiza gave up just one goal on the trip to earn Defender of the Week laurels, and Hawai`i Hilo’s Grace VerHage scored twice in the Vulcans’ season opener to help plant a 4-1 season-opening win over Cal State East Bay.

2022 Results/Schedule
2022 Standings
2022 Statistics
2022 USC National Poll
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Hawai`i Hilo’s Grace VerHage, F, 5-8, Gr., Otsego, Mich.
Heading into the opening of the 2022 season, UH Hilo already had the Preseason Player of the Year (Daelenn Tokunaga) and the Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year (Viviana Poli). But it was newcomer Grace VerHage that stole most of the limelight during Hawai`i Hilo’s dominating 4-1 win over Cal State East Bay—a team that came to Hilo 1-0-1 and were picked to finish fourth in the CCAA. VerHage, a graduate transfer from Ferris State, had four shots in just 62 minutes of play but scored twice (28^th and 65^th minutes). VerHage played four seasons at Ferris State, helping to lead them to a conference title while also earning all-conference and all-region honors.

DEFENDER OF THE WEEK: Concordia’s Riley Urquiza, GK, 5-5, Fr., Huntington Beach, Calif.
Concordia’s Riley Urquiza had a pretty stiff challenge in her first collegiate match, sitting in the goal against perennial power and No. 10 nationally ranked Western Washington. All the rookie did was ward off all but one challenge during the 1-1 tie. Two days later against Simon Fraser, she had four saves in a 1-0 shutout of the Canadian school, giving her five total saves for the week. The Huntington Beach High School alum now has eight saves on the year and has given up just the one goal.
 
GOLDEN EAGLES MAKE STATEMENT AT THE OTHER END OF THE COAST: The PacWest Team of the Week is the Concordia Golden Eagles. Concordia, picked to finish third in the PacWest Preseason poll, tied No. 10 Western Washington, who received four first place votes and was tabbed to finish second in the GNAC preseason poll. Layla Comeaux scored CUI’s lone goal against the Vikings, with an assist from Olivia Ocampo. Against Simon Fraser, it was Brianna Guerra with the score and Jadenn Carrillo with the assist. Concordia is now 2-0-1 on the season, one of four unbeaten teams in the PacWest.

PACWEST NEWS AND NOTES: After going 9-4-6 in the opening weekend of women’s soccer, the Pacific West Conference cooled off a bit last week. The league was 6-9-1 in the second week of play, including 4-9 against the CCAA…Included in those wins though were impressive outings by a pair of expected front runners. Point Loma nipped Cal Poly Pomona, who is picked to finish second in the CCAA, 1-0. The Sea Lions used a goal from Alana Diaz and shutout performance from Julia Pinnell (three saves) to gain the win…Azusa Pacific also had a 1-0 win over a CCAA team, topping Cal State LA. Bethany Tee had the goal and goalkeeper Maddie Williams posted the shutout with a weekend-high six saves…Biola had a wild 3-2 victory over Cal State San Bernardino, with two goals scored by freshman defender Marije Rechin. Rechin (Santa Rosa, Calif.) scored in the 28^th and 64^th minutes, the latter turning out to be the game winner. Abby Chavez had two assists in the match for the Eagles…In the latest national soccer poll, Point Loma is listed at No. 13.

LOOKING AHEAD: Another big week of non-conference matches dot the line-up, beginning with today’s (Tuesday) rematch of the 2021 west region semifinal, Point Loma vs. Western Washington.  Point Loma will also host Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday. Hawai`i Hilo heads to California to take on San Francisco State and unbeaten Stanislaus State. Overall, there are 12 matches scheduled between PacWest and CCAA teams this coming week.