DENVER, Colo. – Western Washington University senior forward Karli White scored the game-winning goal in the 87th minute to lead the No. 11 nationally-ranked Vikings to a 1-0 victory over MSU Denver Thursday evening at the Regency Athletic Complex.
White, a redshirt senior that was out all last season with a foot injury, provided the key moment in the contest with her goal at the 86:14 mark. White took ball deep in the box, created space by carrying it out towards the top of the box and buried it home with her left foot. The goal was White's 11thin two seasons (19 games) with the Vikings and 26th overall in her collegiate career also playing two seasons at Seattle U.
Junior goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx (Kirkland, WA/Inglemoor/Colorado State) recorded three saves to earn the clean sheet, the ninth of her career, including a big save in the 21st minute to stymie a breakaway opportunity by MSUD.
White had an opportunity to put the Vikings ahead in the 74th minute when she drew a penalty kick, but her shot sailed high over the crossbar. After a pair of close calls by White in the 77thand 79th minutes, she converted the game-winner in the less than four minutes remaining in regulation.
WWU out-shot the Roadrunners (0-1-0) 16-5 and held a 5-3 edge in shots on goal.
"MSU Denver was a very well-organized team and it took us a while to figure out how to unlock them. We got a breakthrough there at the end with a great goal with Karli (White) for the game-winner," said head coach Travis Connell, in his 17th season leading the program and 24thoverall at WWU. "Karli stepped up late, but this is a team that has a lot of confidence and was really determined today, and I think our players feed off that. It was a good result to open the season."
WWU improved to 4-1-0 all-time vs. MSU Denver, recording a victory in each of the last four seasons. WWU (2016) and MSUD (2004 & 2006) have each won NCAA Division II national titles.
The Vikings (1-0-0) continue their season-opening road trip on Saturday, taking on St. Edward's in a neutral-site game starting at 5 pm MT/4 pm PT at the Regency Athletic Complex in Denver. WWU then returns to Bellingham to host West Region rival Sonoma State in the Harrington Field opener on Thursday, September 12 (7 pm). The complete 2019 schedule and additional information on the Vikings can be viewed at WWUVikings.com/WSOC.
#11 Western Washington 1, MSU Denver 0
Date: Sept. 5, 2019
Field: Regency Athletic Complex Site: Denver, CO
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
-------------------------------
Western Washington.. 0 1 - 1
MSU Denver.......... 0 0 - 0
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 86:14 WWU White
Shots: WWU 16, MSUD 5
Shots on Goal: WWU 5, MSUD 3
Saves: WWU 3 (Dierickx - 3), MSUD 4 (Torres – 4)
Kits: WWU – Light Blue; MSUD – White
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 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 17th season leading the program in 2019, and has led the Vikings to nine trips to the NCAA Championships and 15 consecutive winning seasons. Since the start of the 2013 season, WWU has built a 117-10-9 record (.893), the second-best among all NCAA Division II programs during this six-season stretch.
