BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The No. 10 nationally-ranked Western Washington University women's soccer team continues its early-season stretch of road games with a busy week of competition.

 

The Vikings begin the week with their second trip to Colorado this season, with a showdown against No. 9 Colorado School of Mines set for Wednesday night at Stermole Soccer Stadium in Golden, Colorado (7 pm MT/6 pm PT). With the non-conference season complete after the match vs. Mines, WWU will then open Great Northwest Athletic Conference play on Saturday against cross-border rival Simon Fraser in Burnaby, BC (1 pm).

 

Western is 4-1-0 to begin the season and is coming off a 1-1 week, which included a 1-0 loss in overtime at Cal State Los Angeles last Monday and a 2-0 shutout victory over Texas Woman's University on Thursday at Harrington Field. 

 

Through the first five games of the season, the Vikings have allowed only one goal and 15^th in the nation with a 0.245 goals against average. WWU is also tied for 5^th nationally with four shutouts.

 

Wednesday's top-10 showdown vs. Colorado School of Mines is a rematch of the NCAA II National Quarterfinal in 2016, with the Vikings winning 5-1 en route to winning the first national championship in program history. WWU is 2-0-0 all-time vs. the Orediggers, winning 2-1 last season in Bellingham.

 

Saturday's 1 pm match vs. Simon Fraser (0-3-1 +Thursday) opens the conference slate for the Vikings, who were a unanimous selection as the preseason favorite to repeat as league champions. WWU was 10-1-1 in GNAC play last season and 44-2-2 (.938) in league play over the last four seasons (since 2015).

 

 

Here are some quick notes on the Vikings heading this week's action vs. No. 9 Colorado School of Mines on Wednesday and Simon Fraser on Saturday:

 

»     Thin Margin – Four of WWU's five games this season have been decided by a 1-0 score.

»     Stingy Defense – WWU has allowed only one goal in five matches this season (.245 GAA).

»     Everyday Annaliese – Senior defender Annaliese Laurila has started every match (73 of 73) of her career.

»     GNAC Champions – WWU has won six GNAC regular-season titles over the last seven seasons.

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

»     Clean Sheets – Junior goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx has 4 clean sheets to her credit this season, and has recorded a shutout in 12 of 28 starts for the Vikings (11^th in program history).

»     Liv's Assists (and Goals) – Senior Liv Larson has recorded 21 career assists, 6^th-most in WWU history (24 is 5^th)…Larson also recorded her third career 2-goal game last Thursday vs. Texas Woman's and has 15 goals in 69 career games as a Viking.

»     Points for Karli – Senior forward Karli White has 31 total points in 23 matches with the Vikings (22 starts)…has at least a goal or an assist in 12 of 23 matches (11 goals, 9 assists).

 

Including the 2-1-0 start to this season, WWU is 71-12-8 (.824) in games away from Bellingham over the last eight seasons (9-3-2 last season, 12-1-0 in 2018). The Vikings play four of their first six games this season on the road, which includes two road trips to Colorado and one to Los Angeles.

 

Wednesday's game at Colorado School of Mines marks the second trip this season to the state of Colorado. WWU opened the 2019 season with a pair of games in Denver, defeating MSU Denver and St. Edward's in 1-0 games, both with late goals in the final 10 minutes of the game. This is also the third trip for the Vikings this season involving a flight, also playing a non-conference match at Cal State Los Angeles last Monday.

 

The Vikings have picked up four of the six GNAC Player of the Week awards so far this season, and won the defensive honor in each of the first three weeks of the season. Senior co-captains Karli White (Offense) and Annaliese Laurila (Defense) swept the opening week awards, junior goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx (Defense) won the award last week and senior midfielder Jordyn Bartelson (Defense) is the reigning GNAC Defensive Player of the Week.

 

Wednesday's road game at Colorado School of Mines will stream live online with links available viaWWUVikings.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.tvand 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. 

 

WWU's next home contest is Thursday, October 3 vs. in-state rival Central Washington at Harrington Field (7 pm). After getting through the two road matches this week, WWU will have played five of seven matches on the road. That also means that of the 11 remaining following this current road swing, six will be at home.

 

The Vikings dropped three spots from No. 7 to No. 10 in the third regular-season edition of the United 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 56 national polls dating back to midway through the 2014 season, and has at least received votes or been ranked in each of the last 81 polls going back to the 2012 season. 

 

Tickets for all of WWU's home matches can be purchased online in advance by visitingWWUVikings.com/WS_Tickets. The box office at Harrington Field will also open one hour prior to kickoff for each home game. All seats are general admission at Harrington Field ($5 – WWU student/faculty/staff/senior 60+, $8 – Adult). The complete 2019 schedule and additional information on the Vikings can be viewed at WWUVikings.com/WSOC.

 

Since debuting at Harrington Field in 2014, the Vikings are 50-2-1 (.953), including a perfect 9-0-0 record last season and off to a 2-0-0 start this season. The Vikings have a current 12-match home winning streak.

 

WWU has won 64 of its last 73 games dating back to the start of the 2016 national championship season, going 64-6-3 (.897) during this stretch. The program has won six of the last seven GNAC regular-season titles, 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.

 

WWU women's soccer is in its 40th varsity season in 2019 and owns an all-time record of 469-208-60 for a .677 winning percentage. In 22 seasons playing at the NCAA Division II level, the program has recorded a 291-112-21 record and advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships nine times. Over the last eight seasons (since 2012), has combined to go 140-15-9 (.881) with a 80-5-5 (.917) record in conference play, and over the last five seasons (since 2015) has gone 85-8-4 (.897) with a pair of trips to the NCAA Championships Final Four.

 

Headlining WWU's list of returning players includes junior All-American goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx (0.53 GAA, 8 shutouts in 2018), senior forward Karli White (injured in 2018, 10 goals, 8 assists in 2017), junior midfielder Grace Eversaul (First Team All-GNAC, All-West Region), 2018 GNAC Freshman of the Year Dayana Diaz (7 goals) and three of four starting defensive players – seniors Annaliese Laurila, Emily Nelson and Lindsey Fujiwara that helped form one of the best back lines in the nation.

 

Here is a look at the 2019 GNAC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll. WWU received all nine first-place votes for a perfect total of 81 poll points. WWU has won the GNAC regular-season title in six if the last seven seasons (2012-16, 2018) and seven times overall. 

 

 

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 won its seventh GNAC regular-season championship, and sixth in the last seven seasons finishing with 31 points in the conference table at 10-1-1 in league play last season. Also won GNAC regular-season titles in 2008 and five consecutive seasons from 2012-16. Over the last seven season (since 2012), the Vikings are 80-5-5 (.917) 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 242-70-28 (.753) 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.

 

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 six of the last seven Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season titles, going 80-5-5 (.917) in league play during this stretch, and has won three of the last four GNAC Championships titles (2005, 2016, 2017). Head coach Travis Connell enters 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.