NAMA, Idaho - The Northwest Nazarene men's soccer team will travel to Salem, Ore, to play their final two games on non-conference play against West Texas A&M and St. Mary's (Texas). Kickoff against West Texas A&M is scheduled for 1 PM PT, and kickoff against St. Mary's is scheduled for 11 AM PT.

There will be no livestream for either game.

The Nighthawks

NNU enters the final two games of non-conference play with a 2-1-3 overall record. After a polarizing week that saw the Nighthawks upend No. 12 ranked Fort Lewis but fell to winless Colorado Mesa just two days later, NNU is looking to gain some momentum heading into their GNAC opener a week from tomorrow.

NNU opened the season with three straight draws against Westminster (1-1), MSU Denver (1-1), and Cal Poly Humboldt (2-2), before earning their first win over Menlo College, 1-0. NNU followed the strong road performance with a strong home performance in a 1-0 win over No. 12 Fort Lewis. They closed out the home stand with a disappointing 2-0 loss to Colorado Mesa.

Northwest Nazarene has proved to be a strong defensive unit, averaging just one goal per game, leading the GNAC through six games. On the offensive side of the ball, the Nighthawks have scored six goals and are averaging one goal per game. NNU has taken 64 shots and is averaging 10.7 shots per game. 28 of those 64 shots have been on goal with a shots on goal percentage of 43.8.

Caleb Putney has had a tremendous start to the year, accounting for half of NNU's goals. Putney has scored three goals with two assists for eight points this year. Alex Barragan, Elijah Grimaldo, and Rylan McPherson have each scored one goal, while Carson Din and Abdullahi Sharif have each assisted a goal.

Elijah Brockl has stepped into the starting goalkeeper role after an injury and has delivered. Brockl has conceded five goals in five games but has secured 17 saves with a 77.3 save percentage. Brockl has two shutouts to his name and leads the GNAC in goals against average with 1.03 and third in saves with 16 and a save percentage of 80.

West Texas A&M

West Texas A&M enters with a 2-3 overall record after a 1-0 win over Newman. The Buffaloes opened the year with a 4-0 win over Adams State before dropping three straight against Fort Lewis (7-0), Colorado Christian (3-0), and Southern Nazarene (1-0).

West Texas A&M has been outscored 11-5 on the season, averaging one goal per game but giving up 2.20 goals per game. They have outshot opponents 67-48 with 13.4 shots per game. They have tallied 30 shots per game with a shots on goal percentage of 44.8.

Felix Casas, Myles Taylor, Alon Ben Ami, Oumar Berete, and Ben Scotford have each scored for the Buffaloes while Edward Acosta, D'Jonte Davis, and Ido Einstein each have an assist.

Bryce Cottle and Luke Southerington have split time in goal, with Southerington playing the bulk of the minutes. Southerington has conceded 10 goals with five saves for a 33.3 save percentage while Bryce Cottle has conceded one goal wiht seven saves for a save percentage of 87.5.

All-time vs West Texas A&M

The series between NNU and West Texas A&M is knotted up 2-2-1. NNU won the last matchup in 2024, 2-1 at home. Jonathan Cardona scored two second-half goals in comeback fashion.

St. Mary's

St. Mary's brings a 3-2 record into their final two non-conference matches. The Rattlers opened the year with two straight losses to Colorado State Pueblo (1-0) and No. 18 UC Colorado Springs (3-0). They have since racked up three straight wins over Texas A&M - San Antonio (3-1), Sul Ross State (10-0), and Rogers State (2-1).

St. Mary's has scored 15 goals thanks in part to a 10-goal performance against Sul Ross State. The Rattlers are averaging three goals per game while giving up 1.20 goals per game. They have tallied 78 total shots, 15.6 per game, while giving up 57 total shots, 11.4 shots per game. St. Mary's has totaled 37 shots on goal with a shots-on-goal percentage of 47.4.

The Rattlers are led in scoring by Eduardo Fernandez with five goals, two assists, and 12 points. Fernandez scored a hat trick against Sul Ross State and one against Rogers State. Lewis Boney and Sebastian Poblete have each scored two goals with one assist. Ricky Alvarez leads the team with three assists and has scored one goal himself. Sean Borland, Kai Louviere, Jad Basma, Mekhi Carwise, and Oriol Perez Gazquez each have one goal.

Nichita Misac has started all five games and has given up five goals with 20 saves for a save percentage of 77.8. Fabian Enriquez has played 13 minutes this season and has given up one goal with one save.

All-Time vs St. Mary's

NNU and St. Mary's have played one time before that ended in a 2-2 draw. They played on Sept. 27, 2025, in Frisco, Texas, where Jorge Gonzalez and Rylan McPherson each scored for the Nighthawks.