Sept. 21, 2009
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Looking to snap a two-game losing streak, the Western Washington University men's soccer team begins Great Northwest Athletic Conference play this weekend, entertaining Montana State Billings on Thursday (7 p.m.) and Northwest Nazarene University on Saturday (7 p.m.) at Orca Field on the Whatcom Community College campus.
Saturday's game will be Washington Youth Soccer Day with all youngsters wearing their jerseys admitted free.
The Vikings, 3-5-0 overall, have dropped four of their last five games. Last week, they fell 4-0 at National Soccer Coaches Association of America/NCAA Division II nationally No.20-ranked Grand Canyon and were edged 3-2 in a home game with Simon Fraser.
Of Western's five losses, three have been to Top 25-rated teams.
Western, which has played six of its first eight games at Orca Field, is the defending league champion and the unanimous choice in the preseason coaches poll to win this year's GNAC title.
Sophomore midfielder Kellan Brown (Tacoma/Bellarmine) leads the Vikings with 10 points, having four goals and two assists. Another sophomore, Oscar Jimenez (Mount Vernon), is second with three goals and two assists.
Western's Travis Connell (11th year, 97-92-11) is three wins shy of becoming the program's first coach to reach 100 career victories.
MSU Billings, 5-2-1 overall and 0-0-1 league, has one of the league's all-time best players in senior forward Sam Charles, who holds GNAC records for goals (49), points (110) and game-winning goals (18). His four-year career totals are 56 goals and 126 points.
This season, Charles ranks fourth nationally with 11 goals (four game winners) and three assists for 25 points (fifth nationally). He has scored a goal in nine straight games and has a point in 11 consecutive contests, both GNAC records.
MSUB goalkeeper Matt Mitchell has a 0.83 goals against average with two shutouts. He has allowed just five goals and made 34 saves.
Northwest Nazarene, 3-4-0 overall, makes its conference debut at Saint Martin's on Thursday. The Crusaders are led by Alex Mangeac with five goals and one assist.
Western holds a 10-1-0 series advantage over MSU Billings with the Yellowjackets only victory being 2-1 at Billings last season. The Vikings have not lost in six meetings with Northwest Nazarene.
