BELLINGHAM, Wash. – A calling card of the 2019 Western Washington University men's soccer team all season long has been to never give up and play to the very end.

 

And they did just that Saturday night, literally, when senior defender Nick Morgan headed home the equalizer goal with just one second left on the clock in regulation as the Vikings settled for a 1-1 draw against Saint Martin's University in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action at Harrington Field.

 

Trailing 1-0 following a 51^st minute goal by SMU's Brandon Madsen, his 10^th of the season, the Vikings created a few chances down the stretch and were relentless over the last few minutes before Morgan connected on a looping header off a last-chance pass by junior midfielder Drew Farnsworth at the 89:59 mark.

 

"It was a crazy last minute…and I kind of thought the game was over, but the pass came my way from Drew and just put a good header on it and after that I kind of just blacked out," said Morgan after scoring his second career goal and first since his freshman season.

 

Both teams generated a few chances in both overtime period, but the game ended in a 1-1 tie with both teams earning a point in the GNAC standings. WWU is now 4-3-1 overall and in 2^nd place in the conference at 1-0-1 earning 4 points. Saint Martin's is 5-2-2 overall and 0-1-1 in GNAC play.

 

"I've seen a lot of things on the soccer field, but that has to be a first scoring a last second goal, but it shows how determined these guys are and how they have no give up in their fight," said WWU head coach Greg Brisbon. "I thought we played well in spurts, and did a great job against their top forward. The GNAC is going to be a wild conference this year, and although we left a few points on the table in a home game, it was a great effort to get that last second goal and earn a point."

 

The Saints scored their lone goal in the 51^st minute when WWU freshman goalkeeper Brandon Locke didn't connect with his clearance attempt, and Madsen was in the right spot to corral the loose ball and tapped it in from 6-yards out.

 

The game was otherwise even with the Vikings holding a 14-10 edge in shots and a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal. WWU generated seven corner kicks, compared to the three by SMU.

 

The last-second goal by Morgan was the Vikings second game-tying score in the final minute of regulation this season, as junior defender Camron Miller scored on a header with 31 seconds remaining against No. 3 Azusa Pacific to tie the game 1-1 and force overtime (lost 2-1 on a golden goal).

 

WWU (4-3-1, 1-0-1 GNAC) remains at home next week hosting Concordia (OR) next Saturday at Harrington Field, with kickoff in the GNAC match at 7 pm. The Vikings will then endure a grueling stretch of five consecutive road matches beginning Oct. 17 at Saint Martin's and Oct. 19 at Northwest Nazarene.

 

WWU continues to lead the series vs. the Saints 16-7-2. WWU and SMU split the season series last season, with the Saints winning 3-1 in Lacey and WWU 2-0 in Bellingham.

 

Western Washington 1, Saint Martin's 1

Date: October 5, 2019

Field: Harrington Field  Site: Bellingham, WA

Attendance: 311

 

Goals by period           1  2  OT  O2    Tot

----------------------------------------------

Saint Martin's..........  0  1  0   0  -  1

Western Washington......  0  1  0   0  -  0

 

SCORING SUMMARY:

1.  50:34   SMU   Madsen

2.  89:59   WWU   Morgan (Farnsworth)

 

Shots: WWU 14, SMU 10

Shots on Goal: WWU 5, SMU 4

Saves: WWU 3 (Locke – 3), SMU 4 (Shaw – 4)

Corners: WWU 7, SMU 3

Fouls: SMU 20, WWU 18

Kits: WWU – Black; SMU – White

                  

Here is a look at the updated GNAC standings through games played on Saturday:

 

 

Fans can follow WWU men's soccer online at WWUVikings.com/MSoc, and via social media on Twitter (@SoccerWWU), Instagram (@wwu_msoccer) and Facebook (@WWUsoccermens). 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 men's soccer program enters its 40^th season at the varsity level in 2019 with head coach Greg Brisbon leading the program in his seventh season as the head coach. The program has recorded an overall record at or above the .500 mark in six of the last seven seasons, including a 11-6-1 mark overall in 2018 and a 7-4-1 mark in the GNAC to finish second in the conference. In 2016 the Vikings advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships for the first time in program history, using a late-season surge that saw the Vikings 5-0-1 over the last six matches to advance to the postseason. WWU beat 19^th-ranked Dixie State in the first round of the NCAA Championships 3-2 in overtime on a golden goal header. Overall the program has produced 43 GNAC Players of the Week selections, 27 First Team All-GNAC players and 3 GNAC Players of the Year since joining the conference in 2001.