NAMPA, Idaho - The Northwest Nazarene men's soccer team will open up their regular season slate with a two-game road trip in Salt Lake City, Utah. They will play Westminster on Thursday with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. and MSU Denver on Saturday with kickoff scheduled for 12 p.m.

NNU is coming off a hard fought exhibition draw against NAIA rival College of Idaho. The Nighthawks dominated much of the exhibition but were unable to find the back of the net as the game would end 0-0. NNU would hold the visiting Yotes to just one shot all game while not allowing them to record a shot on goal while the Nighthawks put up 14 shots, six on goal. The Nighthawks are led by first year head coach Julio Castillo and have yet to record an official game after two scrimmages and an exhibition.

Castillo served as an assistant on the NNU staff in 2017 and 2018 before a stint with College of Idaho before returning as an assistant in 2021. A position he held until 2025 where he was elevated to Associate Head Coach. Castillo graduated from NNU in 2015 after becoming one of the best players in program history. Recording five goals and 23 assists in two years, including a 15 assist senior year that set the GNAC single-season record. He was named the 2015 GNAC Player of the Year and earned Second Team All-America honors form the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Additionally he was named the GNAC Newcomer of the year in 2014, earing NSCAA All-America First Team honors.

Last Season:

Northwest Nazarene finished the 2025 season with a 7-7-4 overall record and a 3-5-2 mark in GNAC play, placing fifth in the conference standings. The Nighthawks featured the GNAC's top-scoring offense, tallying 41 goals and averaging 2.28 goals per game. On the other end, NNU allowed 47 goals and 2.61 goals per contest. There were plenty of bright spots as Derek Johnson led the GNAC in shots per game with three and Rylan McPherson led the GNAC in goals scored with 11 in 17 games (0.647 per game). 

12 Nighthawks found the net last season, led by McPherson with 11. Derek Johnson scored seven, both Derek Remen and Baraka Dayi scored five, Caleb Putney and Abdullahi Sharif both scored three, while Carson Din and Kwame Kwakye each added a goal. Five of those 12 return to the 2026 squad, looking to return to the conference tournament for the first time since 2022 where they won the GNAC Championship and qualified for the NCAA Regional Finals. 

Gerardo Torres Fonte was the main main in goal for NNU, starting in 16 games. Torres Fonte recorded 52 saves with a 57.8 save percentage. Elijah Brockl also saw time with four games played and two starts. 

Ryaln McPherson was named to the All-West Region Second Team, and All-GNAC Second Team. Ousman Garba, Caleb Putney, and Illyés El Yansli all return as All-GNAC Honorable Mentions. 

NNU was tied for fourth place in the GNAC Preseason Poll with 17 points and one first place vote.

Westminster:

Westminster open's their regular season campaign against NNU after three scrimmages against Utah State Univeristy Eastern, Salt Lake Community College, and Colorado Mesa. Westminster is a member of the RMAC and finished last season with a 11-7-2 overall record, 6-2-2 in RMAC play. The Griffins qualified for the RMAC tournament, defeating No. 14 seeded Colorado State Pueblo before falling to No. 19 ranked Colorado at Colorado Springs, 2-1. Westminster netted 30 goals, averaging 1.50 goals per game while giving up 19 goals, 0.95 goals per game. 

15 different Griffens found the back of the net a season ago, with Jack Cardwell, Owen Gallo, James Miles, and Alejandro Puente leading the way with four goals each. Of those four, only Owen Gallo returns. He will be joined by redshirt sophomore Camer Neeley who scored three times in 2025. 

Tommy Manwaring and Oliver Olsen saw time at keeper with Manwaring seeing the bulk. Manwaring started 14 games, tallying 38 saves with a 73.1 save percentage. Olsen saw six starts with 11 saves and a 68.8 save percentage. 

Only one All-RMAC selection returns to the Griffins, and Broc Underhill earned Honorable Mention status a year ago.

Westminster was picked to finish in sixth place in the RMAC Preseason Poll.

All-time vs Westminster: 

Westminster leads the all-time series against NNU, 7-4. NNU's last win over the Griffins was a year ago where they defended home turf with a 4-2 win. 

MSU Denver:

MSU Denver will open up their 2026 regular season on August 27 against fellow GNAC member (RV) Western Oregon. The Roadrunners enter the 2026 season after going 10-5-5 overall last season and 7-2-1 in RMAC play, earning a share of the RMAC Championship.

The Roadrunners netted 36 goals, averaging 1.80 goals per game while allowing 23 goals, averaging 1.15 goals against per game. Led by Adan Perez with six goals and three assists, the Roadrunners saw production from most of the team with 19 players recording at least one point. Ryson Johnston and Max Farnum each had four goals followed by Matt Voegl and Dallas Baer with three. 

Nick McNiel was a steady force at keeper with 20 starts. McNiel recorded 55 saves with a 70.5 save percentage, en route to earning First Team All-RMAC honors and D2CCA All-South Central Region 2nd Team honors. 

Two All-RMAC selection return to MSU Denver as Robert Sumner earned All-RMAC Honorable Mention status along with McNiel on the First Team. 

All-time vs MSU Denver:

A scoreless draw last season was the only matchup between NNU and MSU Denver.