SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Western Washington University men's soccer team had its historic season come to a close dropping an NCAA Division II Championships match 5-0 to St. Mary's Saturday evening at Sigma Beta Chi Field.
In a game featuring one of the top scoring teams in the nation (St. Mary's) and one of the top defensive teams in NCAA II (WWU), it was St. Mary's that was able to advance to the next round of the NCAA II Championships. The No. 3 seed Rattlers (15-3-2) scored a pair of first-half goals over a four-minute stretch, and added three more goals in the second half to record the decisive victory over the No. 6 seed Vikings..
St. Mary's received a hat trick from senior forward Nenad Markovic and a pair of assists from junior midfielder Ollie Wright.
The Vikings were held scoreless for only the third time this season and allowed a season-high five goals. WWU finished the 2019 season 13-5-1 overall, tying for the fourth-most in the 40-year history of the program. The Vikings claimed the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship and made the program's second trip to the NCAA II Championships.
"At the end of the day, I am really proud of the entire team. We fought all the way until the end, it just wasn't our night," said WWU head coach Greg Brisbon. "We have grown tremendously as a program over the last two years and the players have grown as people. I am fortunate to have this job where I get to witness this growth."
After a defensive-minded first 30 minutes with no real offensive chances by either side, St. Mary's scored a pair of goals over a four-minute stretch to take a 2-0 lead into halftime.
Deni Cresto put the Rattlers ahead in the 34th minute on a 30-yard strike that knuckled into the upper right corner. Just over three minutes later at the 36:40 mark, Markovic slid past the WWU defense off a through ball by Ollie Wright on a counterattack and placed a firm shot on goal that glanced past WWU goalkeeper Brandon Locke.
The Vikings pushed to make it a one-goal game going into the half putting three shots on goal in the final minute, each one saved by Rattlers keeper Gerard Roebuck.
WWU had an early scoring opportunity in the 47th minute, but Roebuck again came up with a big save on a shot by junior forward Alex Whiting.
The Rattlers put the game out of reach in the 54th minute when Markovic and Wright connected again to put St. Mary's up 3-0. Wright recorded a pair of assists in the contest, giving him 12 on the season to rank amongst the nation's leaders. StMU two late-game goals with the Vikings pressing, with Markovic completing the hat trick in the 84th minute and Reis Woolley scoring in the 87th minute.
Junior goalkeeper Gerard Roebuck made six saves to record his third shutout of the season.
"I want to give a lot of credit to St. Mary's and wish them the best of luck next week," added Brisbon.
The Vikings used the same starting lineup for the sixth consecutive match…the senior class finished their careers with a 40-22-11 (.623) record with the first two trips to the NCAA Championships in program history…senior forward Christian Rotter finished his career appearing in 72 games (T-8th in WWU history) and made 71 starts for the most by a position player in program history…the 5 goals allowed were the most conceded by the Vikings this season (allowed 3 in 4-3 win 9/16 at Colorado School of Mines) and the most since a 6-1 loss to Cal State Los Angeles in 2009…only fourth time to allow multiple goals in a game this season…WWU is now 1-2-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament play…StMU ended the regular season ranked. No. 11 and WWU No. 19 in the United Soccer Coaches Division II Poll.
#11 St. Mary's 5, #19 Western Washington 0
Date: November 23, 2019
Field: Sigma Beta Chi Field Site: San Antonio, TX
Attendance: 225
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
-----------------------------------------
Western Washington....... 0 0 - 0
St. Mary's............... 2 3 - 5
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 33:10 StMU Cresto (Blasco)
2. 36:40 StMU Markovic (Wright)
3. 53:24 StMU Markovic (Wright)
4. 83:35 StMU Markovic (Ibarreche)
5. 86:07 StMU Woolley
Shots: StMU 12, WWU 10
Shots on Goal: StMU 6, WWU 6
Saves: WWU 1 (Locke – 1), StMU 6 (Roebuck – 6)
Corners: WWU 3, StMU 0
Fouls: WWU 10, StMU 6
Kits: WWU – Navy, StMU - White
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 completed its 40th season at the varsity level with head coach Greg Brisbon leading the program in his seventh season as the head coach. The Vikings were the 2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference champions, the third league title in program history, and advanced to the NCAA II Championships for the second time. The program has recorded an overall record at or above the .500 mark in seven of the last eight seasons, including a 13-5-1 mark in 2019 and 11-6-1 in 2018. 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. Overall the program has produced 51 GNAC Players of the Week selections, 30 First Team All-GNAC players and 4 GNAC Players of the Year since joining the conference in 2001.
