BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The No. 7 nationally-ranked and 2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion Western Washington University women's soccer team closes out the regular season on Thursday with a road conference match at Seattle Pacific.

 

The Vikings are 15-2-0 overall and perfect at 11-0-0 in GNAC play heading into the final contest before the postseason. Winning the eighth conference regular-season title in program history and seventh in the last eight seasons, the Vikings will be the No. 1 seed in the GNAC Championships that open play on Thursday, November 14 in Seattle.

 

WWU clinched the regular-season title with a 4-0 Senior Night victory on Saturday over Northwest Nazarene at Harrington Field. With a win Thursday night over the Falcons, WWU will record just the third perfect conference season in the 19-year history of the GNAC. WWU went 12-0-0 during the 2016 national championship season and SPU was 14-0-0 in 2007.

 

The Vikings have now won back-to-back regular-season titles and raised the conference trophy for the seventh time in the last eight seasons. WWU won five consecutive titles from 2012-16 and again in 2018 to add to the 2008 league championship. The Vikings have also won four of the seven conference tournament titles.

 

Entering the regular-season finale with an 11-match winning streak, the Vikings are ranked No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches Division II Poll and moved up to No. 4 in the second edition of the NCAA II West Regional rankings.

 

WWU is off this weekend as the conference season wraps up and will next be in action in the semifinal round of the GNAC Championships on Thursday, November 14 at Interbay Stadium in Seattle. Game times will officially be announced on Saturday by the conference office, but the Vikings will likely play in the 4 pm game against the No. 4 seed.

 

 

 

If you don't get past this section of this news release, you should still be updated on all things WWU Soccer:

 

»        The Record – 15-2-0 overall, 11-0-0 GNAC, current 11-game winning streak.

»        National Poll – No. 7 in national coaches poll this week, 62^nd consecutive week in the national top 25.

»        West Region – Listed No. 4 in the second NCAA II West Region ranking.

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

»        GNAC Champions – Clinched the 2019 GNAC regular-season title, the eighth in program history and seventh over the last eight seasons.

»        Players of the Week – Set a program record with 11 GNAC Player of the Week selections this season, with 10 different players earning a weekly honor…Darby Doyle and Peyton Chick swept this week's awards.

»        SPU Dominance – 11-game winning streak and 18-game unbeaten streak (15-0-3) against SPU.

»        Stingy Defense – Ranks 5^th in NCAA II with 0.351 goals against average…tied for 4^th with 12 shutouts.

»        Surging Offense – Tied for 13^th in the nation averaging 2.88 goals per game, with 3.91/game in GNAC play.

»        Balance – 49 goals have been scored by 13 different players, with nine players with 3+ goals each.

»        Karli's Points – Karli White is averaging 1.29 points/game in 34 career WWU games (14 G, 16 A).

»        Set Piece Success – Scored 18 of 49 goals off set pieces, including 13 off corner kicks.

»        Captains – Seniors Liv Larson, Karli White and Annaliese Laurila are the team captains.

 

The Vikings have secured the No. 1 seed for in the 2019 GNAC Women's Soccer Championships that will be held Nov. 14-16 at Interbay Stadium in Seattle. Seattle Pacific has locked up the No. 2 seed and Western Oregon has also punched its ticket to the conference tournament. 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 at GNACSports.com.

 

WWU clinched its eighth Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season title in program history, including winning seven of the last eight dating back to the 2012 season.

 

WWU shut out Seattle Pacific 3-0 on Oct. 24 at Harrington Field in Bellingham. The shutout victory extended Western's unbeaten streak against the Falcons to 18 consecutive games, going 15-0-3 during this stretch dating back to the 2013 season. WWU has also won 11 consecutive games against SPU, a winning streak that started Oct. 1, 2015. The win earlier this season also moved the Vikings ahead of SPU in the all-time series, now leading 19-18-6.

 

WWU hasn't allowed a goal in its last five games against SPU, combining to win those five games 11-0. The last time the Falcons scored against WWU was the championship game of the GNAC Tournament on Nov. 5, 2016 (a 3-1 WWU win in Bellingham). Since the SPU goal in the 67th minute of that game, the Vikings have held SPU scoreless for 473-minutes, 31-seconds in the series.

 

One of the great rivalries in college soccer, WWU (2016) and Seattle Pacific (2008) each have claimed an NCAA Division II national championship. WWU has advanced to the NCAA Championships in each of the last seven seasons, while SPU has appeared in 15 of the last 16 seasons.

 

WWU head coach Travis Connell was a four-year letterman for the SPU men's soccer team from 1991-95, helping lead the Falcons to 1993 national championship.

 

Here are some quick notes on the Vikings heading the regular-season finale vs. Seattle Pacific:

 

»     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).

»     Chick's Games Played – Peyton Chick has played in 84 career games, tied for 9^th in program history.

»     Assist Leader – Karli White leads the GNAC and ranks in the top 25 nationally with 8 assists…also scored 4 goals for team-high 16 points (3^rd in GNAC).

»     Eversaul Does it All – Grace Eversaul has scored 5 goals and also contributed 5 assists to rank 2^nd on the team with 15 points (T-4^th in the GNAC)…she has started all 17 matches this season.

»     Hat Trick +1 – Zoe Milburn tied the GNAC single-game record with 4 goals vs. MSUB on Oct. 5…Milburn leads the team with 6 goals on the season despite missing the missing the last four games.

»     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 39 starts for the Vikings (9^th in program history).

»     Liv's Assists (and Goals) – Senior Liv Larson has recorded 25 career assists, tied for 4^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 (61 points, T-14^th in WWU history).

»     Everyday Annaliese – Senior defender Annaliese Laurila had her streak of 83 consecutive starts snapped last week not appearing in both matches due to an injury…she is 13^th in program history in games played.

»     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.

»     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).

»     Senior Success – WWU features a 9-player senior class, with six of the nine making their debut during the 2016 national championship season…this class has recorded a combined record of 75-7-3 (.900) with a 44-2-1 mark in GNAC play.

 

WWU is now unbeaten over its last 22 regular-season GNAC games going back to last season, with a 21-0-1 mark during this stretch. The last loss in regular-season conference play was Sept. 15, 2018 at Concordia (1-0).

 

Including the 7-2-0 start to this season, WWU is 76-13-8 (.825) in games away from Bellingham over the last eight seasons (9-3-2 last season, 12-1-0 in 2018). The Vikings have played 9 of their 17 games this season on the road, including two separate trips to Colorado and one to Los Angeles.

 

The Vikings are listed No. 4 in the second installment of the NCAA Division II West Regional Rankings. WWU is ranked behind Sonoma State, UC San Diego and Cal Poly Pomona. The final regional rankings will be announced next Wednesday and the NCAA Division II Selection Show will air on Monday, November 18 at 3 pm PT on NCAA.com.

 

 

In 11 GNAC contests so far, WWU is perfect at 11-0-0, out-scoring opponents 43-3. During the 11-game stretch in conference play the Vikings have out-shot opponents 279-53, held a 125-21 advantage in shots on goal and dominated corner kicks 101-12.

 

With 43 goals over the last 11 games (six goals in first six games of the season), WWU is now ranked 13^th nationally with 2.88 goals per game and also 13^th with 8.12 points per game (goals + assists). Western's defense has been even more dominating, ranking 5^th with a 0.351 goals against average with only 6 goals allowed in 17 games. Of the Vikings 15 wins, 12 have come in shutout fashion to rank tied for 4^th nationally. 

 

Since debuting at Harrington Field in 2014, the Vikings are 56-2-1 (.958), including a perfect 9-0-0 record last season and 8-0-0 this season. The Vikings have a current 18-match home winning streak dating back to their last loss at home on Oct. 28, 2017 vs. Concordia. Including the men's program, WWU's teams have a combined record of 83-18-9 at Harrington Field (.795 winning percentage) since the on-campus facility debuted.

 

WWU has allowed only 6 goals in 17 games this season and ranks 5th in NCAA Division II with a 0.351 goals against average. Here is a look at the national GAA leaders for NCAA II (as of 11/5/19):

 

 

Of the Vikings 15 wins this season, 12 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 12 shutouts, trailing 14 shutouts by Grand Valley State and 13 by Nova Southeastern and Concordia-St. Paul. The 12 shutouts match the season total from 2018 and marks the 10^th consecutive season with double-digits in clean sheets. Junior Natalie Dierickx has recorded 7 shutouts to lead all GNAC goalkeepers.

 

WWU allowed its first goal in GNAC play in the Oct. 19 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 stayed put in the national coaches poll at No. 7, a week after moving up from No. 10 in theUnited Soccer Coaches Division II Poll. 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 62 national polls dating back to midway through the 2014 season, and has at least received votes or been ranked in each of the last 87 polls going back to the 2012 season.

 

 

The Vikings have scored 38 goals over the last nine games and have out-scored GNAC opponents 43-3 in conference play. Here are some quick facts on the Vikings recent offensive surge:

 

»     Goals by the Dozen – Out-scored GNAC opponents 43-3 in 11 conference games.

»     No Holding Back – Out-shot GNAC opponents 279-53, with a 125-21 advantage in shots on goal.

»     Team Effort – 13 players have combined for the 43 goals in GNAC play, led by 6 from Zoe Milburn, 5 from Estera Levinte and 4 each from Jenna Killman, Darby Doyle and Grace Eversaul.

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

 

The Vikings have picked up 11 of the 18 GNAC Player of the Week awards this season, and won the defensive honor in six of the first nine weeks of the season. Senior Peyton Chick (defense) and junior midfielder Darby Doyle (offense) swept the GNAC awards for games played last week. The 11 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 11 GNAC Player of the Week selections, is that 10 different players have earned the awards.

 

 

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 22 instances in NCAA Division II this season a player has scored 4+ goals in a game.

 

Senior forward Liv Larson has recorded 5 assists this season to rank tied for 3^rd in the GNAC. Larson now has 25 assists in 78 career games in her WWU career, tying for 4^th-most in program history with Amanda Coulter (1991-94). Larson's 25 assists are also tied for 9^th-most in GNAC history. In addition to the 25 career assists, Larson has also scored 18 goals (5 this season) and has 61 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. 

 

 

Here is an updated look at the GNAC standings heading the final week of the 2019 regular season:

 

 

WWU head coach Travis Connell recorded his 250th head coaching victory in the 3-0 win over Seattle Pacific. In his 17 seasons leading the WWU women's program, Connell owns an all-time 253-71-28 record (.759) 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 (377 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.

 

 

WWU has won 75 of its last 85 games dating back to the start of the 2016 national championship season, going 75-7-3 (.900) during this stretch. The program has won seven of the last eight GNAC regular-season titles (including 2019), 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 132-12-9 record for a .892 winning percentage. During this 153-game span WWU has won the GNAC regular-season title six times, combining to go 79-3-5 (.937) 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 (152-11-6/.917).

 

 

WWU women's soccer is in its 40th varsity season in 2019 and owns an all-time record of 480-209-60 for a .681 winning percentage. In 22 seasons playing at the NCAA Division II level, the program has recorded a 302-113-21 record and advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships nine times. Over the last eight seasons (since 2012), has combined to go 151-16-9 (.884) with a 91-5-5 (.926) record in conference play, and over the last five seasons (since 2015) has gone 96-9-4 (.899) with a pair of trips to the NCAA Championships Final Four.

 

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 is the back-to-back GNAC regular-season champions and now have eight regular-season GNAC titles. Also

won GNAC regular-season titles in 2008 and five consecutive seasons from 2012-16. Over the last eight seasons (since 2012), the Vikings are 91-5-5 (.926) 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 253-71-28 (.759) 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 seven of the last eight Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season titles, going 91-5-5 (.926) 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.