BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's soccer team plays a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference matches this week and has a chance to clinch its eighth regular-season GNAC title in program history.

 

WWU travels to play Concordia in a Halloween match Thursday night in Portland and hosts Northwest Nazarene Saturday night at Harrington Field for Senior Night. WWU is 13-2-0 overall and leads the GNAC with a perfect 9-0-0 record (27 points). A win over the Cavaliers can clinch at least a tie of the conference regular-season title. WWU is the defending GNAC regular-season champion, having won the title in six of the last seven seasons.

 

The Vikings enter the week with a nine-game winning streak and is ranked No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches Division II Poll. The NCAA released its first of three regional rankings on Wednesday, with WWU listed No. 5 in the West Region.

 

In the penultimate week of the conference regular season, WWU has already locked up a spot in the GNAC Championships where the top four teams in the league standings will battle for the automatic bid to the NCAA II Championships. The conference tournament will be held November 14-16 at Interbay Stadium in Seattle hosted by SPU. WWU has advanced to the GNAC Championships in all eight seasons of the event.

 

 

The Vikings have secured one of the four spots in the 2019 GNAC Women's Soccer Championships that will be held Nov. 14-16 at Interbay Stadium in Seattle. WWU extended its streak of appearing in all eight of the GNAC Championships since the event debuted in 2012. The Vikings have advanced to the championship game every season of the tournament, winning the postseason league title four times (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017). Seattle Pacific (2) and Concordia (1) have claimed the three other GNAC Tournament titles. More information with information on how to purchase tickets is available atGNACSports.com.

 

Saturday's game vs. Northwest Nazarene will be the regular-season home finale, with kickoff slated for 7 pm at Harrington Field. Prior to the start of the game, WWU's nine seniors will be honored on the field with their families. The nine seniors that will be recognized are the following:

 

»      Jordyn Bartelson

»      Emily Nelson

»      Annaliese Laurila

»      Lindsey Fujiwara

»      Liv Larson

»      Peyton Chick

»      Karli White

»      Tivona Tinsley

»      Erin Smith

 

WWU is now unbeaten over its last 20 regular-season GNAC games going back to last season, with a 19-0-1 mark during this stretch. The last loss in regular-season conference play was Sept. 15, 2018 at Concordia (1-0).

 

Including the 6-2-0 start to this season, WWU is 75-13-8 (.823) in games away from Bellingham over the last eight seasons (9-3-2 last season, 12-1-0 in 2018). The Vikings have played eight of their 15 games this season on the road, including two separate trips to Colorado and one to Los Angeles.

 

In nine GNAC contests so far, WWU is perfect at 9-0-0, out-scoring opponents 37-2. During the nine-game stretch in conference play the Vikings have out-shot opponents 235-42, held a 103-16 advantage in shots on goal and dominated corner kicks 86-10.

 

With 37 goals over the last nine games (six goals in first six games of the season), WWU is now ranked 14^th nationally with 2.87 goals per game and tied for 12^th with 8.13 points per game (goals + assists). Western's defense has been even more dominating, ranking 9^th with a 0.332 goals against average with only 5 goals allowed in 15 games. Of the Vikings 13 wins, 11 have come in shutout fashion to rank tied for 4^th nationally.

 

Since debuting at Harrington Field in 2014, the Vikings are 55-2-1 (.957), including a perfect 9-0-0 record last season and off to a 7-0-0 start this season. The Vikings have a current 17-match home winning streak dating back to their last loss at home on Oct. 28, 2017 vs. Concordia.

 

WWU has allowed only 5 goals in 15 games this season and ranks 9^th in NCAA Division II with a 0.332 goals against average. Here is a look at the national GAA leaders for NCAA II (as of 10/30/19):

 

 

WWU head coach Travis Connell recorded his 250th head coaching victory last Thursday in the 3-0 win over Seattle Pacific. In his 17 seasons leading the WWU women's program, Connell owns an all-time 251-71-28 record (.757) at the helm of the women's program, and adds in 125 more victories in his 14 seasons also coaching the WWU men's program (375 total WWU wins).

 

For the second consecutive season, 10 members of the WWU women's soccer team have been selected to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic Team. The Vikings tied the program record for most GNAC Academic All-Stars, matching the 10 selections from last season. The previous high mark for the WWU women's program was eight from the 2017 season. Seniors Jordyn Bartelson, Liv Larson, Annaliese Laurila and Emily Nelson headlined WWU's selections as three-years All-Academic team members. The four are part of select company in WWU program history, now with 18 players earning three GNAC Academic awards in a career. WWU also won the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award in each of the last two seasons.

 

 

Of the Vikings 13 wins this season, 11 have come in shutout fashion, including three consecutive 1-0 shutouts to open the season. WWU is tied for 4^th nationally in NCAA Division II with 11 shutouts, trailing only 12 shutouts by UC San Diego, Concordia-St. Paul and Grand Valley State.

 

WWU allowed its first goal in GNAC play in its last game vs. Simon Fraser at the 7:55 mark, snapping a string of 621:44 consecutive scoreless minutes dating back to the Sept. 25 game at Colorado School of Mines.

 

The Vikings moved up three more spots from No. 10 to No. 7 in this week's edition of the United Soccer Coaches Division II Poll. WWU moved to No. 17 after a 2-1 defeat against No. 9 Colorado School of Mines (yeah, we don't get it either), but has moved up each of the last five weeks to the current spot at No. 7. WWU entered the season at No. 11 in the nation, the same spot where the team finished in the final 2018 rankings. WWU has a current streak of being ranked in each of the last 61 national polls dating back to midway through the 2014 season, and has at least received votes or been ranked in each of the last 86 polls going back to the 2012 season.

 

The Vikings have scored 32 goals over the last seven games and have out-scored GNAC opponents 37-2 while off to a 9-0-0 start in conference play. Here are some quick facts on the Vikings recent offensive surge:

 

»    Goals by the Dozen – Out-scored GNAC opponents 37-2 in 9 conference games.

»    No Holding Back – Out-shot GNAC opponents 235-42, with a 103-16 advantage in shots on goal.

»    Team Effort – 12 players have combined for the 37 goals in GNAC play, led by 6 from Zoe Milburn and 4 each from Jenna Killman, Grace Eversaul and Estera Levinte.

»    Rankings – WWU leads the GNAC and is 13^th in NCAA II averaging 2.87 goals per game…in six non-conference games, scored 6 goals.

»    Big Numbers – Scored 25 goals over a four-game stretch Oct. 5-15.

 

The Vikings have picked up nine of the 16 GNAC Player of the Week awards so far this season, and won the defensive honor in five of the first eight weeks of the season. Freshman forward Estera Levinte is the latest Viking to win the weekly honor securing the Offensive Player of the Week award for Oct. 21-27. The nine GNAC Player of the Week awards have set a single-season program record, passing the seven selections by the 2017 squad. Even more amazing than the nine GNAC Player of the Week selections, is that eight different players have earned the awards.

 

 

Here are some quick notes on the Vikings heading this week's action vs. Concordia and Northwest Nazarene:

 

»    National Poll – WWU moved up to No. 7 in this week's national coaches poll, and has been ranked in each of the last 61 polls dating back to midway through the 2014 season.

»    National Champions – WWU won the 2016 NCAA II National Championship with a 24-0-1 record.

»    GNAC Champions – WWU has won six GNAC regular-season titles over the last seven seasons.

»    Players of the Week – WWU has set a program record with 9 GNAC Player of the Week selections this season, with 8 different players earning a weekly honor.

»    Everyday Annaliese – Senior defender Annaliese Laurila has started every match (83 of 83) of her career…currently ranks 13^th in program history in games played, 8 short of the all-time record of 91 games played by Catherine Miles and Caitlyn Jobanek.

»    Assist Leader – Karli White leads the GNAC and ranks in the top 20 nationally with 7 assists…also scored 4 goals for team-high-tying 15 points (T-3^rd in GNAC).

»    Eversaul Does it All – Grace Eversaul has scored 5 goals and also contributed 5 assists to tie for the team lead with 15 points (tied for 3^rd in the GNAC)…she has started all 15 matches this season.

»    Hat Trick +1 – Zoe Milburn tied the GNAC single-game record with 4 goals vs. MSUB on 10/5…Milburn leads the team with 6 goals on the season.

»    Stingy Defense – WWU has allowed only 5 goals in its 15 matches this season (.332 GAA).

»    Thin Margin – Both of WWU's losses this season have been decided by one goal, and both are against teams that have been ranked in the national top 25 (Cal State LA, Colorado School of Mines).

»    Clean Sheets – Junior goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx has 7 clean sheets to her credit this season to lead the GNAC, and has recorded a shutout in 15 of 37 starts for the Vikings (9^th in program history).

»    Liv's Assists (and Goals) – Senior Liv Larson has recorded 24 career assists, tied for 5^th-most in WWU history…Larson also recorded her third career 2-goal game vs. Texas Woman's and has 18 goals in 76 career games as a Viking (60 points, 15^th in WWU history).

»    Points for Karli – Senior forward Karli White has recorded 43 total points in 32 matches with the Vikings (31 starts)…has at least a goal or an assist in 16 of 32 matches (14 goals, 15 assists).

»    Eight is Enough – WWU's 8 goals in the 8-0 victory over MSUB are the second-most during the GNAC era (since 2001), trailing only 9 goals vs. Central Washington in 2005.

»    Spreading the Wealth – WWU's 43 goals have been scored by 12 different players, with 10 players scoring multiple goals.

»    A Team Effort – A total of 24 players have seen action on the pitch this season for the Vikings, including six freshman (true freshman or redshirts).

»    Corner Advantage – The Vikings have held a 125-29 advantage in corner kicks this season, including 86-10 in GNAC play.

»    Coach Connell –WWU head coach Travis Connell recorded his 250^th win as the leader of the WWU women's program last Thursday vs. SPU…Connell now has 251 wins with the program and 376 all-time wins when adding in his 125-123-17 record while helping lead the men's program from 1999-2011.

 

Junior forward Zoe Milburn scored four goals in the Vikings 8-0 victory over Montana State Billings on October 5 at Harrington Field. Here are some quick facts on the amazing scoring performance by Milburn:

 

»    GNAC Royalty – Tied the single-game record in GNAC history, matching the four goals scored by NNU's Rikki Myers earlier this season (9/14 vs. Cal State East Bay)….most goals by a player in a GNAC conference game.

»    WWU Rarity – First 4-goal game by a WWU player since Shonna Hall in 1995 vs. Evergreen State College.

»    Hat Trick (+1) – 32^nd instance in 40 years of WWU soccer history that a player recorded a hat trick, and only the eighth time to reach the 4+ goal territory.

»    NCAA Ledger – One of 17 instances in NCAA Division II this season a players has scored at least 4 goals in a game.

 

Here is a look at the all-time series between WWU and its two opponents this week:

 

»    Concordia – WWU and Concordia meet for the first time this season, after the two schools played four times last season (2-2-0)…WWU beat the Cavaliers 2-1 in Bellingham, but lost 1-0 in Portland during the regular season…CU won the GNAC Championships title with a 1-2 golden goal victory, but WWU topped that with a come-from-behind epic 3-2 win in the second round of the NCAA Championships…WWU leads the all-time series 8-3-1.

»    Northwest Nazarene – WWU is 35-1-1 all-time vs. NNU, including a current 29-game unbeaten streak (28-0-1) dating back to 2003 and an active 16-game winning streak (since 2010)…defeated the Nighthawks twice last season, both by 2-0 scores.

 

Senior forward Liv Larson has recorded 4 assists this season to rank tied for 4^th in the GNAC. Larson now has 24 assists in 76 career games in her WWU career, tying for 5^th-most in program history with former All-American Emily Webster (2014-17). Larson's 24 assists are also tied for 12^th-most in GNAC history. In addition to the 24 career assists, Larson has also scored 18 goals (5 this season) and has 60 career points to move into the top 15 in program history.

 

 

All of WWU's home games will stream live online with links available via WWUVikings.com/Live. All conference games can be followed via webcast and live stats at GNAC.tv. All WWU home games at Harrington Field will feature an HD webcast that will simulcast on GNAC.tv and WWU's YouTube channel. 

 

Fans can watch all WWU home games, most GNAC road games, and a handful of non-conference road games not only on their phone, computer or tablet, but also on a big-screen television. All games that stream on GNAC.tv are also easily viewed on Roku players, AppleTV, Android TV and Amazon Fire TV (just search for GNAC). WWU's home games also stream on YouTube for a great viewing experience with rewind capability. 

 

Tickets for all of WWU's home matches can be purchased online in advance by visitingWWUVikings.com/WS_Tickets. The box office at Harrington Field will also open one hour prior to kickoff for each home game. All seats are general admission at Harrington Field ($5 – WWU student/faculty/staff/senior 60+, $8 – Adult). The complete 2019 schedule and additional information on the Vikings can be viewed at WWUVikings.com/WSOC.

 

Here is an updated look at the GNAC Women's Soccer standings heading into matches this week:

 

 

WWU has won 73 of its last 83 games dating back to the start of the 2016 national championship season, going 73-7-3 (.898) 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.

 

Dating back to the start of the 2013 season (the seven season), WWU has compiled an impressive 128-12-9 record for a .889 winning percentage. During this 149-game span WWU has won the GNAC regular-season title five times, combining to go 75-3-5 (.934) in league play and won three postseason GNAC Championships. Among all NCAA Division II programs, the winning percentage since the start of the 2013 is the SECOND-BEST IN THE NATION, trailing only Grand Valley State (150-11-6/.916).

 

 

WWU women's soccer is in its 40th varsity season in 2019 and owns an all-time record of 478-209-60 for a .680 winning percentage. In 22 seasons playing at the NCAA Division II level, the program has recorded a 300-113-21 record and advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships nine times. Over the last eight seasons (since 2012), has combined to go 149-16-9 (.882) with a 89-5-5 (.924) record in conference play, and over the last five seasons (since 2015) has gone 94-9-4 (.897) with a pair of trips to the NCAA Championships Final Four.

 

Headlining WWU's list of returning players includes junior All-American goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx (0.53 GAA, 8 shutouts in 2018), senior forward Karli White (injured in 2018, 10 goals, 8 assists in 2017), junior midfielder Grace Eversaul (First Team All-GNAC, All-West Region), 2018 GNAC Freshman of the Year Dayana Diaz (7 goals) and three of four starting defensive players – seniors Annaliese Laurila, Emily Nelson and Lindsey Fujiwara that helped form one of the best back lines in the nation.

 

Here is a look at the 2019 GNAC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll. WWU received all nine first-place votes for a perfect total of 81 poll points. WWU has won the GNAC regular-season title in six of the last seven seasons (2012-16, 2018) and seven times overall. 

 

 

The Vikings won their seventh GNAC regular-season title and advanced to the NCAA II Championships for the ninth time in program history in 2018. WWU finished with a 18-3-2 overall record and were 10-1-1 in conference play. A seventh consecutive trip to the NCAA II Championships led to a fourth straight trip to the NCAA II West Regional championship game for the fourth consecutive season (6th in last 7 seasons). Had season come to a close in a game decided on penalty kicks in a 0-0 tie vs. UC San Diego in the West Regional championship in Canyon, Texas. Eight players earned All-GNAC honors, five named All-West Region and three players were selected as All-Americans. Set program record with 10 selections to the GNAC All-Academic team. Earned a final national ranking of No. 11 in the United Soccer Coaches Division II Top 25, extending string of consecutive polls to be ranked in to 52 straight, and the seventh consecutive season to end the season ranked nationally (combined to go 136-14-9/.884 during this stretch). Had 13-game unbeaten streak from Sept. 19-Nov. 1, going 12-0-1 during this stretch. Listed by the NCAA as having the 2nd-toughest schedule in the nation.

 

WWU won its seventh GNAC regular-season championship, and sixth in the last seven seasons finishing with 31 points in the conference table at 10-1-1 in league play in 2018. Also won GNAC regular-season titles in 2008 and five consecutive seasons from 2012-16. Over the last eight season (since 2012), the Vikings are 89-5-5 (.924) in GNAC play.

 

The  Vikings have made seven consecutive trips to the NCAA Division II Championships and nine overall trips to the NCAA postseason. Overall own an all-time 17-7-1 record in NCAA Championships play, winning at least one game in 7 of 9 trips to the NCAA postseason. WWU was crowned national champions after in 2016 with a 24-0-1 record, capped by a 3-2 victory over Grand Valley State in Kansas City, Missouri.

 

The Vikings established a program and state of Washington collegiate record with their 39th consecutive victory on Oct. 26, 2017 at Northwest Nazarene. The 39-game winning streak broke the previous record of 38 consecutive wins set by the 1982-84 Vikings (10 games in 1982, 14 in 1983 and 14 games in 1984) and is the 4th-longest in NCAA II history and the 40-game unbeaten streak is tied for 4th-longest.

 

Travis Connell is in his 17th season leading the women's program as head coach and 24th overall as a coach at WWU. Owns a 251-71-28 (.757) record leading the women's program and entered the season listed as the 6th-winningest active coach amongst NCAA Division II head coaches. Overall he is 10th among all-time winningest NCAA Division II coaches, with a minimum of 10 years as a head coach at a DII school. Recorded his 250^th win leading the women's program on October 24 vs. Seattle Pacific.

 

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).

 

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 87-5-5 (.923) in league play during this stretch (since 2012), and has won three of the last four GNAC Championships titles (2005, 2016, 2017). Head coach Travis Connell is in his 17^th season leading the program in 2019, and has led the Vikings to nine trips to the NCAA Championships and 15 consecutive winning seasons.