PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The nation's top-ranked defense once against stepped up to the challenge, with Western Washington University defeating Flagler College 2-0 on Thursday afternoon at Highmark Stadium to advance to Saturday's NCAA Division II Women's Soccer National Championship Game.
The No. 3 national seed Vikings improved to 23-2-0 overall with their 19th consecutive victory and recorded their fifth shutout of the NCAA Championships. WWU will play Grand Valley State, a 3-2 winner over Saint Rose in the early game, in Saturday's national championship game at 12 pm ET/9 am PT. The game will stream live on NCAA.com.
WWU entered the game with the nation's best goals against average 0.330 and went up against the No. 2 scoring team in the nation. In the end, it was the Vikings that preserved the 2-0 shutout, setting a program record with the 18th clean sheet of the season. WWU snapped Flagler's undefeated season, with the No. 2 seed Saints ending their season 23-1-1.
"Flagler pushed us to the limit and hats off to them on a great season. We are excited about the result today and the chance to play in the national championship game again," said WWU head coach Travis Connell. "This is a fitting cap for our seniors who get the chance again to play in the national championship game like they did as freshmen."
WWU out-shot Flagler 17-11 and held a 9-5 advantage in shots on goal. Vikings junior goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx helped keep the Saints off the scoreboard for the for the first time in 25 games this season.
The Vikings dominated possession in the first half of play and took the early lead on a goal by junior midfielder Grace Eversaul in the 9th minute. Senior midfielder Jordyn Bartelson kept a play alive near midfield, where she found senior forward Karli White. White dribbled through traffic to find Eversaul above the top of the box, who had a clinical one-time finish that snuck just under the crossbar for her team-leading 8th goal of the season.
"We got off to a great start in the match. We knew Flagler has some big-time attacking weapons and I was impressed with our energy at the start and getting the ball forward early in the match that resulted in a great goal by Grace," added Connell.
After only managing three shots in the first half, Flagler pressured WWU in the second half with eight shots, but the Viking defense would not bend to record the fifth shutout victory of the postseason.
The Vikings sealed the victory in the in the 84th minute, when Bartelson found a streaking White on the left side of the box, with White beating the keeper with a strong left-footed strike to the near post. White, a First Team All-American, finished with a goal and an assist and now leads the team with 23 points (7 goals, 9 assists).
"When we talk about our defending, it is our entire roster. Our back six have been playing their best soccer these last five or six matches. When you have a group that is committed and playing well together and is covering, it can be incredibly difficult to break down," said Connell on the Vikings defense. "They are playing exceptionally well right now. In two days we will face arguably the best attacking team ever assembled, so our defense is going to have to be at its best in order to win that match."
The Vikings (23-2-0) will play Grand Valley State (24-1-0) in the 2019 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer National Championship Game on Saturday (Dec. 14) at 12 pm ET/9 am PT at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa. This marks WWU's second national title game, defeating GVSU 3-2 in 2016 to win the first national championship in program history.
Western Washington 2, Flagler 0
Date: Dec. 12, 2019
Field: Highmark Stadium Site: Pittsburgh, PA
Attendance: 375 Weather: Cold, Clear, high 30s
Goals by Period 1 2 Tot
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Western Washington....... 1 1 - 2
Flagler.................. 0 0 - 0
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 8:39 WWU Eversaul (White)
2. 83:26 WWU White (Bartelson)
Shots: WWU 17, FC 11
Shots on Goal: WWU 9, FC 5
Saves: WWU 5 (Dierickx – 5), FC 7 (Dubel - 7)
Corners: WWU 11, FC 5
Fouls: WWU 12, FC 7
Kits: WWU – Navy Blue; FC - Red
WWU improved to 23-2-0 overall and extended its winning streak to 19 consecutive games…3rd-longest winning streak in program history…out-scored opponents 57-5 with 14 shutouts during the winning streak…set program record with 18th shutout…WWU is now 2-2 all-time in national semifinal games and 22-7-1 all-time in the NCAA II Championships (10th appearance)…18 of WWU's 23 wins have been shutout victories…senior defender Peyton Chick became WWU's all-time leader in career games played with 92…Karli White recorded her 9th assist of the season (and 7th goal), tying for 6th-most assists in a single season…23 points lead the team…junior goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx recorded her 13th shutout of the season (3rd in WWU single-season history) and 21st career shutout, tied for 4th-most in WWU history and tied for 7th in GNAC history…Jordyn Bartelson appeared in her 91st career game, tied for 2nd-most in program history…WWU's senior class has recorded a 83-7-3 record with four trips to the NCAA II West Regional Final and two to the national title game.
The Vikings are playing in their eighth consecutive NCAA Division II Championships and 10th overall appearance in the NCAA postseason. Also making the fourth appearance in the NCAA II Championships Final Four, all coming in the last seven seasons, and will play for the second national title in program history. Have advanced to the West Regional final five consecutive seasons (2015-19) and seven of the last eight seasons dating back to 2012. The program owns an all-time 22-7-1 record in NCAA Championships play, winning at least one game in 8 of 10 trips to the NCAA postseason. WWU was crowned national champions in 2016 with a 24-0-1 record, capped by a 3-2 victory over Grand Valley State in Kansas City, Missouri.
BACK-TO-BACK GNAC CHAMPIONS
The Vikings have 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.
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 eight consecutive appearances in the NCAA Championships. WWU has advanced to the NCAA II Final Four in four of the last seven seasons and played for the West Region championship in seven of the last eight 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 92-5-5 in league play during this stretch (since 2012), and won four of the last five GNAC Tournament titles (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019). Head coach Travis Connell is in his 17th season leading the program in 2019, and has led the Vikings to 10 trips to the NCAA Championships (8 straight) and 16 consecutive winning seasons.
