Box Score

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Western Washington University struck quickly with two goals in the opening 10 minutes of the game and continued a dominant offensive attack with three more goals, a third before halftime and two in the second half, en route to a commanding 5-0 victory over visiting Bridgeport on Thursday evening at Harrington Field in a matchup streamed nationally on ESPN3/WatchESPN.

The contest featured a showdown of two nationally-ranked teams who both reached the NCAA Division II tournament semifinals last season. The Vikings, ranked No. 7 nationally, remained undefeated and improved to 6-0-1 with their sixth shutout of the season and 18^th consecutive win at Harrington Field. No. 10 Bridgeport dropped to 3-3-0.

WWU displayed a balanced attack with goals from five players in the match. Sophomore forward Gabriela Pelogi (Federal Way, WA) and senior forward Elise Aylward (Renton, WA/Lindbergh) each recorded a goal and an assist to help lead the offense.

Pelogi put the Vikings ahead in the 6^th minute, firing a goal to the lower-left corner of the net while sandwiched between a pair of defenders at the top of the 18-yard box. A through-ball pass from junior defender Sierra Shugarts (Federal Way, WA/Decatur) assisted the goal, which was Pelogi's third of the season.

Fewer than two minutes later, Aylward doubled the lead, scoring on a cross from Pelogi with a one-touch finish from 10 yards away for her second goal of the year.

"It's a huge help," said 14^th-year head coach Travis Connell of the early offensive success. "We knew that when a team travels as far as Bridgeport did to get here, and then playing on our home field, we had to get off to a quick start. Part of that is our energy and our pressure but when you can score a goal, and two goals like that, that puts so much pressure on the opponent and that was really helpful today."

Senior defender Erin Russell (Brier, WA/Mountlake Terrace) upped the WWU lead to 3-0 in the 27^th minute with her second goal of the season, firing a well-placed strike from outside the 18-yard box to the top corner of the net after corralling a rebounded loose ball that deflected to her from a cross.

WWU controlled possession and the majority of the offensive opportunities in the opening half and the trend continued during the second half. Senior midfielder Caitlyn Jobanek (Springfield, OR/Thurston) increased the lead to 4-0 in the 56^th minute and junior midfielder Colleen Lindsay (Spokane, WA/Gonzaga Prep) added a goal in the 73^rd minute.

Jobanek headed home her first goal of the season from five yards away off a cross from Aylward and Lindsay built the advantage to 5-0 by finishing a botched save from close range with an assist credited to freshman defender Lindsey Fujiwara (Sammamish, WA/Skyline).

The WWU defense held the Purple Knights without a single shot attempt until the 37^th minute of the first half and finished the game with an 18-8 advantage in shots, including an 11-1 edge in shots on goal. WWU took 7 corner kicks compared with only 2 for Bridgeport.

"Bridgeport is a great team - a stronger team than the score showed tonight," Connell said. "We had a good scheme - we had to defend high up the field and disrupt their flow, rhythm and their passing game - and we were able to do that at the beginning of the match. The goals really helped because then they had to take chances and it made it harder for them."

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. Homer made the lone save of the night for WWU while Bridgeport utilized three goalkeepers who combined to make 6 saves.

The Vikings return to GNAC action on Saturday, traveling to face Simon Fraser (4:30 pm).