PITTSBURGH, Pa. – In a battle of the best defense against the best offense in the nation, a golden goal in the 107th minute gave Grand Valley State a 1-0 victory over Western Washington University to claim the 2019 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer National Championship on Saturday afternoon at Highmark Stadium.
GVSU sophomore midfielder Gianna Parlove netted the double-overtime golden goal in the 107th minute off an assist from junior forward Ava Cook to win Grand Valley State its Division II-leading sixth national championship and its first since 2015. WWU played in its second national championship match, previously beating the Lakers 3-2 in 2016.
Parlove's goal with just over three minutes remaining in the second overtime period was set up by a free kick from 30 yards out. The ball rattled around the box before Parlove tapped home the game-winner with the outside of her right foot from just inside the 6-yard box.
The Vikings gave a dominating performance with 26 shots and eight shots on goal, while limiting the Lakers to eight shots and just two shots on goal but were unable to find the net as Lakers' goalkeeper Jessica Radice came up with eight saves to secure the 1-0 victory. WWU also generated 12 corner kicks, with 11 coming in the second half of play.
"I thought the game played out the way we wanted it to," WWU head coach Travis Connell said. "We were able to limit some of the things that they can do. All we were missing was that final pass or that final touch in front of the net and that's what decided the match."
The Vikings came out of halftime firing on all cylinders. After recording six shots and just one corner kick in the first half, the Vikings racked up 14 shots and 11 corners in the second half to dominate the possession game. They would tack on another six shots in the two overtime periods.
Senior forward and GNAC Player of the Year Karli White led the Vikings with eight shots and five shots on goal, including a shot that rattled off the crossbar early in the second overtime.
"Everyone was grinding and fighting to get to loose balls," White said. "We didn't get one in the back of the net but we created so many opportunities so I'm proud of that. This team has given me so much and everyone has helped me to grow into the player and person that I am today."
Four Vikings were named to the NCAA Championships All-Tournament Team, including White, who totaled 31 shots in the tournament to go with a goal and an assist on the game-winner in Thursday's 2-0 win over Flagler in the semifinals. Junior midfielder Grace Eversaul, senior midfielder Jordyn Bartelson and senior defender Peyton Chick were also selected to the all-tournament team. Chick was named the NCAA Championships Most Outstanding Defensive Player leading the Vikings with four assists in six tournament games.
With the national runner-up finish, WWU ended the 2019 season with a 23-3-0 record, recording the second-most wins in program history. All three losses during the season came in 1-0 decisions, with Saturday's loss snapping a 19-game winning streak. The golden goal was the first goal allowed by the Vikings in six NCAA Championships games, snapping a string of 640:46 consecutive scoreless minutes. WWU has now played in the national championships Final Four in four of the last seven seasons.
Grand Valley State extended its winning streak to 22 consecutive games to finish with a 25-1-0 record while claiming its sixth national title. The Lakers have now played in the national championship game in six of the last seven seasons.
Kaho Akau of GNACSports.com contributed to this news release
- 16:11 – The Lakers squandered an early scoring opportunity in the 17th minute when All-American forward Ava Cook drew a foul in the box by WWU senior defender Peyton Chick. National Player of the Year Riko Sagara took the PK, but her low hard shot went wide left with Western goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx in position to smother the shot correctly diving to her right.
- 25:52 – The Vikings earned the first corner of the game at the 22:40 mark, with Makenzie Burks lofting a high ball into the box that Grace Eversaul got a foot on but right to the GVSU goalkeeper.
- 40:41 – GVSU earned two consecutive corners in the 41st minute, with Natalie Dierickx punching away a loose ball to keep the game scoreless.
- 47:20 – Grace Eversaul put a right-footed strike on goal that Jessica Radice made a diving stop on.
- 50:48 – Payton Neal found the woodwork with a long-distance shot from 25-yards out that hit the crossbar.
- 52:20 – Dayana Diaz unleashed a shot from the top of the 18-yard box that Radice saved.
- 102:36 – Karli White made a move to get behind the defense and fired a shot off the left post.
Grand Valley State 1, Western Washington 0
Date: Dec. 14, 2019
Field: Highmark Stadium Site: Pittsburgh, PA
Attendance: 118 Weather: Rainy, Cold
Goals by Period 1 2 OT1 OT2 Tot
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Western Washington....... 0 0 0 0 - 0
Grand Valley State....... 0 0 0 1 - 1
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 106:40 GVSU Parlove (Cook)
Shots: WWU 26, GVSU 8
Shots on Goal: WWU 8, GVSU 2
Saves: WWU 1 (Dierickx – 1), GVSU 8 (Radice - 8)
Corners: WWU 12, GVSU 4
Fouls: WWU 13, GVSU 9
Kits: WWU – Light Blue; GVSU - White
The Vikings played in their eighth consecutive NCAA Division II Championships and made their 10thoverall appearance in the NCAA postseason. Also made the fourth appearance in the NCAA II Championships Final Four in program history, all coming in the last seven seasons, and played for a national title for the second time. 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 22-8-1 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.
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.
