#15 WOU MEN'S SOCCER (8-1-1, 4-0)
GNAC STANDINGS | GNAC STATS | WOU STATS | WOU STAT RANKINGS
 
SCHEDULE
THURSDAY
at Saint Martin's (0-10, 0-4), 3:30 p.m.
Lacey, Washington
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THE WOLVES HEADING INTO THE WEEK
The No. 15 Western Oregon men's soccer team moved its unbeaten streak to nine (8-0-1) last week with a 3-0 home win over Simon Fraser on Thursday and a 4-1 win at Seattle Pacific on Saturday. WOU keeper Andre Schlaefli for the second week in a row earned GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after picking up nine saves and allowing just a single goal.

Schlaefli leads the GNAC in goals against average (.900), save percentage (.804) and shutouts (4). The Wolves - the conference's top scoring team - feature the top goal scorer in the conference in Yahir Ocampo Navarro with six (his 14 points is tied for first in the GNAC as well). Abraham Villalobos and Michael Divano have four goes apiece as well for WOU. Ocampo Navarro, Diego Andrade, Jacob Garcia and Evan Huber each have a team-best two assists.

THE OPPONENT HEADING INTO THE WEEK
Saint Martin's has had a rough 2024 thus far with an 0-10 overall record and 0-4 start to conference play, having been outscored 43-6 on the season (and 22-3 in GNAC play). Last week, the Saints lost 5-0 at Montana State Billings on Thursday before dropping a 7-2 decision at home to Western Washington. 
 
SERIES HISTORY
Saint Martin's
ALL-TIME: 3-1
STREAK: Won 3
LAST WIN: Oct. 28, 2023 - 4-0 in Lacey, WA
LAST LOSS: Oct. 1, 2022 - 5-2 in Lacey, WA
LAST DRAW: N/A
 
NOTES
Wolves leap to No. 15 in latest national poll
After being ranked for the first time in program history two weeks ago at No. 25 and moving up a spot last week to No. 24 - Western Oregon leaped to No. 15 in the Unites Soccer Coaches Top 25 when it was released on Tuesday.

Let's go streaking!
The Wolves continued a trio of streaks this past week:

• Unbeaten streak: 9 (8-0-1, program record)
• Win streak: 5 (program record)
• Home unbeaten streak: 10 (8-0-2) / Last home loss: Nov. 3, 2022 (713 days ago as of Wednesday)

Wolves selected GNAC Team of the Week
The No. 24 Western Oregon men's soccer team outscored defending GNAC champ Simon Fraser and Seattle Pacific by a combined score of 7-1 during the week of Oct. 10-12 and was named the GNAC Team of the Week on Oct. 14. The Wolves with the victories moved their unbeaten streak to nine games (8-0-1) and their winning streak to five games - both records for the third-year program. During the unbeaten streak, WOU has outscored its opponents 22-6. WOU's 3-0 shutout win over the Red Leafs on Thursday moved their home unbeaten streak to 10 matches (8-0-2).

Schlaefli named GNAC Defensive Player of the Week ... again (Oct. 14)
Western Oregon goalkeeper Andre Schlaefli for the second week in a row was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 14. The senior from Houston allowed just one goal, picked up nine saves - including one on a penalty kick - as the 24th-ranked Wolves defeated Simon Fraser 3-0 on Thursday and Seattle Pacific 4-1 on Saturday. In the win over SFU, Schlaefli had his fourth shutout of the season and had three saves (one on a PK) to help WOU win 3-0. Against SPU, the senior faced a season-high 22 shots and made six saves in helping the Wolves win 4-1.

Schlaefli named GNAC Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 7)
Western Oregon goalkeeper Andre Schlaefli was named the GNAC Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 7. Schlaefli allowed one goal and had seven saves while facing 20 shots in helping the 25th-ranked Wolves start GNAC play 2-0 and move their unbeaten streak to seven (6-0-1). Schlaefli - a 2022 All-American for St. Mary's (TX) - picked up his third shutout of the year in a 1-0 win over Western Washington at home Thursday, collecting three saves. The senior allowed just one goal and had four saves in the Wolves' 3-1 win at MSU Billings.

Divano named GNAC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 23)
Western Oregon's Michael Divano was named the GNAC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 23 after a breakout week for the freshman. Divano scored three goals (on just five shots) in helping WOU go 2-0-1 on the week and move the Wolves' unbeaten streak to five. Divano scored the first goal of the game in a 2-0 win at home over Hawaii Hilo on Monday, Sept. 16, - a Vulcans team that is now nationally ranked. In WOU's 3-1 win over Newman on Sunday, Divano had his first collegiate multi-goal game - scoring two goals in the first 16 minutes of the match to propel WOU to victory.

Ocampo Navarro named GNAC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 16)
Western Oregon sophomore Yahir Ocampo Navarro was named the GNAC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 16 after scoring two goals in helping the Wolves defeat Azusa Pacific on the road 3-2 on Sept 12. Both goals for Ocampo Navarro, an All-GNAC First Teamer and all-region player as a freshman last season, came via penalty kicks and in the second half - including the game-winner in the 73rd minute. It is Ocampo Navarro's first multi-goal game of his young collegiate career.

Taking care of business at home under Behonick
With a win over Simon Fraser on Oct. 10 in Monmouth, the Wolves are now 8-0-2 at home under second-year head coach Michael Behonick. WOU has outscored its opponents 17-7 in those nine matches. As of Wednesday (Oct. 9), it's been 713 days since the Wolves last lost a home match (Nov. 3, 2022).

Villalobos becomes first WOU player to score goal in all three seasons
WOU junior Abraham Villalobos made a little history with his goal against Jessup (CA) on Sept. 7 as he became the first player to score a goal in three different seasons for the three-year-old Wolves program. The Salem now has five career goals (fourth on the all-time list) and 14 career points (also fourth on the WOU all-time list).

Wolves picked second in GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll
The Western Oregon men's soccer team picked up a pair of first-place votes and was voted to finish second in the GNAC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll. The Wolves - entering year three as a program - snagged two of the five first-place votes and finished with 41 points - two points behind Simon Fraser (which collected the other five first-place votes). Seattle Pacific and Western Washington tied for third with 32 points followed by Northwest Nazarene (25), Montana State Billings (13) and Saint Martin's (10).

The Wolves went from a 2-13-2 team (1-10-1 in conference) in their first season in 2022 to 11-3-3 overall and 8-1-3 in GNAC play last season in head coach Michael Behonick's first season at the helm. WOU finished just short of a GNAC title as with games in the conference canceled due to inclement weather, the standings came down to points per match. WOU finished at 2.25 points per match with its 8-1-3 conference record, .02 points behind Simon Fraser's 2.27 with a 8-2-1 record.