Box Score Oct. 6, 2016 Box Score
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - The fifth-ranked Western Washington University women's soccer team scored twice in the first half and added a third goal after halftime to remain unbeaten with a 3-0 win over visiting Montana State Billings on a rainy and windy Thursday evening at Harrington Field.
WWU (10-0-1, 5-0-0 GNAC) won its 10th game in a row and extended its home winning streak to 21 consecutive matches with its eighth shutout of the season. The Vikings will have a chance to tie the GNAC record for consecutive wins at home, set by Seattle Pacific in 2004, when WWU faces Northwest Nazarene on Saturday night at Harrington Field. MSU Billings fell to 2-6-2 overall and 2-2-1 in GNAC action with the loss.
Junior defender Sierra Shugarts (Federal Way, WA/Decatur) scored the first WWU goal for the second match in a row, putting away a rebounded shot that had deflected off the crossbar in the 32nd minute. Sophomore forward Gabriela Pelogi (Federal Way, WA) assisted the goal with her header that bounced to Shugarts from the crossbar. The goal was Shugarts' second of the year.
Freshman midfielder Jordyn Bartelson (Puyallup, WA) doubled the WWU lead to 2-0 with a buzzer-beating goal just before the first half ended. WWU earned a corner kick in the waning seconds of the half and junior Emily Webster (Bellingham, WA/Sehome) delivered a corner kick that Bartelson was able to head into the net from close range just a second before the halftime buzzer sounded for her second goal of the season.
Senior midfielder Becca Cates (Poulsbo, WA/North Kitsap) upped the lead to 3-0 during the 58th minute, scoring on a penalty kick to the lower-left corner of the net for her first goal of the season.
"It took us about 15 minutes to get used to the surface when it was this wet - it played really fast but once we got over that we started clicking and creating chances and got the goals we needed," said 14th-year head coach Travis Connell.
The Vikings produced a dominant match defensively, holding the Yellowjackets to a single shot and no shots on goal. WWU held a 22-1 advantage in shots and put 11 of those shots on frame. The Vikings also took 14 corner kicks and held MSU Billings to 1 corner kick.
"They were great," Connell said of the defensive effort. "With a team that counters, you have to be able to defend at the point of when you lose possession and we did a really good job of that."
Junior goalkeeper Ashley Homer (Puyallup, WA/College of Saint Rose) and freshman goalkeeper Hillary O'Connor (Los Angeles, CA/The Archer School) combined to record the shutout. MSU Billings goalkeeper Lili Delgadillo made 8 saves.
WWU faces Northwest Nazarene at 7 pm on Saturday night before beginning a stretch of three straight matches on the road.
Game Notes: WWU is now undefeated in its last 35 GNAC regular-season matches (31-0-4)...home winning streak reaches 21 consecutive matches (12-0-0 in 2015, 9-0-0 in 2016)...have scored in 24 consecutive GNAC matches (regular and postseason matches)...unbeaten in 26 consecutive regular-season matches (24-0-2).
