MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Washington University women's soccer team continued its recent offensive surge, defeating Western Oregon University 5-0 Saturday afternoon at WOU Soccer Field in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
The Vikings have now out-scored GNAC opponents 24-0 while getting off to a 5-0-0 start in conference play, out-shooting teams 141-19 with a 61-7 advantage in shots on goal during this stretch. Overall WWU is 9-2-0 on the season and has allowed only three goals for a .271 goals against average. Over its last three games vs. Montana State Billings, Saint Martin's and Western Oregon, WWU has scored 19 goals.
WWU again used a balanced effort and a quick start to dominate its opponent. Junior forward Jenna Killman (Olympia, WA/Univ. of New Mexico) scored just 1:06 into the match that would stand as the game-winner. The Vikings had four different players scored a goal, after six players found the back of the net on Thursday vs. Saint Martin's, and also benefited from a WOU own goal.
"Getting off to a quick start like we have been really turns the game in your favor, and the team was relentless from the kickoff," said WWU head coach Travis Connell, now 247-71-28 in 17 years at the helm of the program. "This team is very hungry and is taking challenges head on. We played a good team today that presented some difficult challenges…in what we thought was a playoff type atmosphere. And we enjoyed it and got better as the match went on."
Senior forward Karli White (North Bend, WA/Mount Si/Seattle U.) scored a goal, her fourth of the season, and had a pair of assists. White leads the team with 15 points on the season, adding seven assists to go with her four goals.
Junior midfielder Grace Eversaul (Vancouver, WA/Skyview) and junior defender Talia Daigle (Edmonds, WA/Archbishop Murphy) also scored goals for the Vikings.
"The most difficult thing to do in this game is score goals, and we had some challenges in that area early in the year," added Connell. "But sometimes that is the last thing to click. We have several new pieces. That combination of improvement and understanding your teammates tendencies takes time. We are really clicking at the moment, which is really fun to see. The team is enjoying themselves on the field and having fun, and providing great results…and that's what it is all about."
Junior goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx (Kirkland, WA/Inglemoor) recorded her sixth shutout of the season playing the full 90 minutes, making one save. Dierickx now has six shutouts this season and 14 in her career, ranking 9th in program history and 20th in GNAC history.
In Saturday's contest, the Vikings out-shot the Wolves 17-7 and had a 7-1 advantage in shots on goal.
Western Oregon had its mini two-game winning streak and three-game undefeated streak snapped to fall to 5-4-2 overall and 2-2-1 in GNAC play.
The Vikings (9-2-0, 5-0-0 GNAC) have a quick turnaround returning to Bellingham after the game and will host Saint Martin's (2-7-2, 0-4-0 GNAC) on Tuesday night at 7 pm at Harrington Field. The match vs. the Saints marks the first of three consecutive home games, with WWU also hosting Simon Fraser on Saturday (7 pm) and Seattle Pacific the following Thursday (Oct. 24, 7 pm).
WWU is now unbeaten over its last 16 regular-season GNAC games going back to last season, with a 15-0-1 mark during this stretch.
SERIES HISTORY VS. WESTERN OREGON
WWU now leads the all-time series vs. Western Oregon 37-6-1 with a current 10-game unbeaten streak (9-0-1). Dating back to the 2015 season, WWU has recorded seven consecutive shutout victories over the Wolves (22-0).
The Vikings have recorded five consecutive shutouts, all in conference play, while out-scoring teams 24-0 during that span. Going back to midway through the first half in the game at No. 9 Colorado School of Mines on September 25, WWU has as current string of 523:50 consecutive scoreless minutes.
#15 Western Washington 5, Western Oregon 0
Date: Oct. 12, 2019
Field: WOU Soccer Field Site: Monmouth, OR
Attendance: 185
Goals by Period 1 2 Tot
-----------------------------------------
Western Washington.......... 4 1 - 5
Western Oregon.............. 0 0 - 0
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 1:06 WWU Killman (White)
2. 8:19 WWU Own Goal by WOU
3. 13:21 WWU Eversaul (White)
4. 43:22 WWU Daigle (Levinte)
5. 85:39 WWU White
Shots: WWU 18, WOU 7
Shots on Goal: WWU 7, WOU 1
Saves: WWU 1 (Dierickx – 1), WOU 2 (Qualls – 2)
Corners: WWU 4, WOU 2
Fouls: WOU 17, WWU 7
Kits: WWU – Black; WOU - White
WWU has won 69 of its last 79 games dating back to the start of the 2016 national championship season, going 69-7-3 during this stretch. The program has won six of the last seven GNAC regular-season titles, three of the last four GNAC Tournaments and advanced to the NCAA Championships in each of the last seven seasons. During the seven-year stretch of consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, WWU has reached the West Regional Championship match six times and advanced to the NCAA II Final Four three times (2013, 2015, 2016). Western has a current streak of 15 consecutive winning seasons the 8th-longest active streak in NCAA II.
Fans can follow WWU women's soccer online at WWUVikings.com/WSoc, and via social media on Twitter (@WWU_WSoccer), Instagram (@wwu_wsoccer) and Facebook (@WWUsoccerwomens). All home matches feature a live webcast, as well as most road matches, with links on how to follow the games available at WWUVikings.com/Live.
The Western Washington University women's soccer program has risen to the top of the Division II ranks, with a string of seven consecutive appearances in the NCAA Championships. WWU has advanced to the NCAA II Final Four in three of the last six seasons and played for the West Region championship in six of the last seven seasons. The Vikings won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2016 with an undefeated 24-0-1 record, beating three-time defending national champion Grand Valley State 3-2 in the title game in Kansas City, Missouri. Including the national championship run, the Vikings put together a 39-game winning streak (4th-longest in NCAA II history) and a 40-game unbeaten streak. The program has claimed six of the last seven Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season titles, going 85-5-5 (.921) in league play during this stretch, and has won three of the last four GNAC Championships titles (2005, 2016, 2017). Head coach Travis Connell enters his 17th season leading the program in 2019, and has led the Vikings to nine trips to the NCAA Championships and 15 consecutive winning seasons.
