Nampa, Idaho – The University of Jamestown men's soccer team will face their first future GNAC-foe, Northwest Nazarene University, as they head to Idaho for a clash with the Nighthawks on Saturday.
"This will be a huge game for us," said head coach
Justin Gilfert. "This is a conference opponent so to kickoff GNAC conference play will be exciting but also tough."
Game Information
The Teams
The Jimmies enter Saturday's contest against the Nighthawks at 1-3-3 overall. Last Saturday, Dakota Wesleyan University spoiled the Jimmies senior day and final home game with a 3-0 victory at Charlotte and Gordon Hansen Stadium.
Joshua Jackson and
Finley Comstock had the two shots on net for the Jimmies while
Valon Ismaili made five saves in between the pipes. Total shots in the contest were won 16-8 by the Tigers with shots on net at 8-2.
Nuutti Norhomaa leads the Jamestown offense with seven points (3G, 1A) while
Andrei Filho is right behind him with three points on one goal and one helper.
Valon Ismaili has defended the net for every minute in all seven games so far, posting a .731 save percentage, a 2.57 goals-against average, and two clean sheets.
Northwest Nazarene sits at 5-1-3 overall coming into the game against Jamestown. The Nighthawks are just coming off a huge upset win at home against No. 10 Seattle Pacific University on Thursday in their GNAC opener. The Falcons got on the board in the 44
th minute, then early again in the second half in the 50
th minute, but the Nighthawks scored three unanswered in the 52
nd, 67
th, and 77
th minutes as they beat the preseason favorites in the conference. Caleb Putney scored twice for NNU while Rylan McPherson had the game-winner as the their third goal. Nighthawks netminder Elijah Brockl had two saves on four shots faced with each team notching five shots on goal in the contest. This was the second-ranked win for the Nighthawks after they shutout No. 12 Fort Lewis College 1-0 in non-conference play.
In 2025, the Nighthawks finished at an even .500 at 7-7-4 and 3-5-2 in the GNAC. They finished fifth out of six teams in the GNAC and were in the preseason this year, selected to finish in a tie for fourth while receiving one first place vote in the GNAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Caleb Putney is the catalyst for the offense, scoring five goals and notching two assists as well. The junior from Washington ranks second in goals scored and third in points across the GNAC so far. McPherson has four points on two goals and six other Nighthawks have earned at least one point so far this season.
NNU is the best team in the GNAC in goals-against average with only eight goals surrendered in nine games this season (.89 per game). This is in large part thanks to Brockl at backstop. The local product from Boise owns a .794 save percentage as part of his 5-1-2 record. Before allowing two goals against SPU, he had back-to-back shutouts with a combined eight saves in wins against West Texas A&M University and St. Mary's (Texas), earning himself GNAC Defensive Player of the Week. He ranks first in the GNAC and eight nationally with four shutouts.
"Northwest Nazarene is very good all across the field and they have some fantastic players," Gilfert said. "We'll have to work for the win but the boys believe we have what it takes to compete at this level."
Historical Matchups
Jamestown met NNU last season for the first-ever clash between the two men's soccer programs. The beginning of UJ's final game of the season did not go so hot with the Nighthawks scoring five times in the first half, including two by McPherson. The Jimmies did outscore Northwest Nazarene 2-1 in the second half but dropped the game 6-3 in Idaho. Ismaili notched five saves in the loss. Total shots were 22-12 in favor of NNU while shots on net were 12-7.
Team Stats
|
Jamestown |
Northwest Nazarene |
| Record |
1-3-3 |
5-1-3, 1-0-0 GNAC |
| Goals / Game |
1 |
1.3 |
| Goals Against Average |
2.6 |
.9 |
| Shots / Game |
6.9 |
9.7 |
| Shots on Goal / Game |
2.7 |
4.6 |
| Save Percentage |
.731 |
.784 |
| Corner Kicks / Game |
3.1 |
4.3 |
After the Nighthawks, the Jimmies will head back to the Midwest where they will play another GPAC foe, Briar Cliff University, on Wednesday, September 30 at 1 p.m.
