Nov. 3, 2009
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Riding a season-best, three-game unbeaten streak, the Western Washington University men's soccer team ends its season Thursday (7 p.m.), entertaining league champion Saint Martin's University in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest at Orca Field on the campus of Whatcom Community College.
The Vikings, 7-11-1 overall and second in the GNAC standings at 4-3-0, completed a string of eight road games Monday with a 1-1 tie in overtime against Mary ND at Billings, Mont. Last week, they won two contests, blanking Seattle Pacific, 4-0, on Thursday and prevailing 3-2 against Montana State Billings on Saturday.
The Saint Martin's game will be the last for four Western seniors. They are midfielder Mitch Barrows (Ferndale), goalkeeper Cameron Copps-Tilley (Vancouver/Fort Vancouver), defender Chris Jepson (Bellingham/Sehome) and defender Chris Shin (Vancouver/Skyview).
The Vikings' Kellan Brown (So., Tacoma/Bellarmine) upped his team-leading goal total to 10, scoring twice in the win over Seattle Pacific and netting the lone goal against Mary. Brown also has four assists for a team-best point total of 24.
Oscar Jimenez (So., Mount Vernon) is second with 17 points on six goals and five assists, and Copps-Tilley has 2.06 goals against average with 59 saves and a 63.4 percent save percentage.
Gibson Bardsley (Jr., Fall City/Mount Si) has scored twice in the last three games, giving him five goals this season. That upped his three-year career total to 23, tying him for fifth place among Western career leaders with 23. His overall point total of 57 ranks fourth.
Saint Martin's, ranked fifth in this week's official NCAA Division II West Region rating, already has clinched first place in the GNAC at 6-1-0 (school's first GNAC title in any sport) and is 11-6-0 overall. The Saints, who have won their last three games, notched their first victory over Western in five meetings, 2-1, on Oct. 5 at Lacey.
Travis Connell (11th year, 101-98-12) became the first Vikings' coach in program history to reach 100 career victories with the win over Seattle Pacific.
NOTES: Western has lost all five of its games this season against teams ranked among the Top 25 nationally ... The Vikings are the defending GNAC champions and were the unanimous choice in the preseason coaches poll to win this year's GNAC title ... Western is 1-3-1 in overtime games this fall.
