BELLINGHAM, Wash. – For the fourth time in program history, the Western Washington University women's soccer team is headed to the NCAA Division II Championships Final Four.

 

The Vikings used a dominating team effort to defeat Dixie State University 3-0 on Saturday at Harrington Field to win the national quarterfinal featuring the West (WWU) and South Central (DSU) regional champions.

 

After securing three consecutive 1-0 victories to open the NCAA Tournament, the Vikings broke out for three goals against the Trailblazers to punch the ticket to Pittsburgh for the national semifinals that open on Thursday at Highmark Stadium. WWU improved to 22-2-0 overall and have won 18 consecutive games.

 

After winning its fourth regional title with a 1-0 win over Point Loma on Thursday, the Vikings will play in their fourth final four joining the 2013 (Evans, GA), 2015 (Pensacola, FL) and 2016 (Kansas City, MO) teams that advanced to this stage of the tournament. WWU is three years removed from winning the 2016 National Championship.

 

"We are just really excited to be moving on and advancing. We don't really talk about the Final Four, but it is an unspoken goal of our program and I am just excited for our student-athletes that get to experience this great event," said WWU head coach Travis Connell. "It is a great adventure that we are about to go on and it is something that is totally well deserved with all the hard work the players have put in, which culminated in today's great effort vs. a good Dixie State team."

 

After persistent pressure, the Vikings broke through in the 30^th minute when sophomore forwardDayana Diaz scored off a saved shot at the 29:10 mark. After a Western corner kick, senior defenderPeyton Chick corralled a loose ball and fired a shot form 25-yards out that was saved by the Dixie keeper, but Diaz pounced on the loose ball and connected from close quarters for the go-ahead goal.

 

Sophomore Dayana Diaz opened the scoring with a goal in the 30th minute. Senior defender Peyton Chick had a shot on goal that was saved by Trailblazers goalkeeper Adelle Brown, and Diaz found herself in the right place at the right time drilling home the rebound to put the Vikings up, 1-0.

 

Senior forward Liv Larson gave the Vikings some insurance as she netted her seventh goal of the season, and 20^th of her career, in the 49th minute off an assist from freshman midfielder Libby Hielkema. Larson was followed by junior midfielder Grace Eversaul, who continued the scoring party in the 69th off another assist by Chick. The goal was the seventh of the season by Eversaul, tying Larson for the team lead.

 

Chick has been the underlying hero for WWU in the postseason as she was credited with the assist on the golden goal in the Vikings 1-0 double-overtime win over Cal State LA in the second round of the West Regionals and then was responsible for the assist on the game-winner in the Vikings 1-0 win over Point Loma on Thursday in the West Regional Championship. She now has 22 assists in 91 career games, ranking 7^th in WWU career assists and has tied the program record with 91 games played.

 

The Vikings turned in another dominant performance on both sides of the ball, tallying 19 shots and nine shots on goal while limiting the Trailblazers to just three total shots to register their 17th shutout of the season. The 17 shutouts tie the single-season program record with the 2016 national champion squad.

 

Western Washington 3, Dixie State 0

Date: Dec. 7, 2019

Field: Harrington Field   Site: Bellingham, WA

Attendance: 386     Weather: Light Rain, Mid 40s

 

Goals by Period            1  2    Tot

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

Dixie State..............  0  0  -  0

Western Washington.......  1  2  -  3

 

SCORING SUMMARY:

1.    29:10     WWU    Diaz (Chick)

2.    48:59     WWU    Larson (Hielkema)

3.    68:19     WWU    Eversaul (Chick)

 

Shots: WWU 19, DIXIE 3

Shots on Goal: WWU 9, DIXIE 1

Saves: WWU 1 (Dierickx – 1), DIXIE 6 (Brown - 6)

Corners: WWU 11, DIXIE 1

Fouls: DIXIE 18, WWU 12

Kits: WWU – Navy Blue; DIXIE - Red

 

WWU was the No. 3 seed in the West Region and Dixie State was the No. 5 seed out of the South Central Region…WWU improved to 58-2-1 all-time at Harrington Field…this was the third time the Vikings have hosted a national quarterfinal game, winning all three (2013-Orca Field, 2016-Harrington Field)…WWU extended its winning streak to 18 consecutive games, the third-longest winning streak in program history…have out-scored opponents 55-5 during the winning streak…17 of WWU's 22 wins this season have been shutout victories, including three 1-0 triumphs during the NCAA Tournament…WWU improved to 21-7-1 in 10 trips to the NCAA Championships, recording at least one win in 8 of 10 NCAA appearances…senior defender Peyton Chick appeared in her 91^st career game, tying the all-time program record with Catherine Miles (2012-15) and Caitlyn Jobanek (2013-16)…Chick also recorded her 21^st and 22^nd career assists, 7^th-most in program history…her 9 assists this season (5 in the postseason) are tied for 6^th-most in single-season program history…junior goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx recorded her 12^th shutout of the season and 20^th career shutout, tied for 5^th-most in WWU history and tied for 9^th in GNAC history…Jordyn Bartelson appeared in her 90^th career game, tied for 4^th-most in program history…WWU's senior class has recorded a 82-7-3 record with four trips to the NCAA II West Regional Final and two to the Final Four.

 

The Vikings are playing in their eighth consecutive NCAA Division II Championships and 10^th overall appearance in the NCAA postseason. Will be making the fourth appearance in the NCAA II Championships Final Four, all coming in the last seven seasons. 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 21-7-1 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.

 

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 17^th 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.