DENVER, Colo. – Two games into the 2019 season for the No. 11 nationally-ranked Western Washington University women's soccer team, and two big late goals have the Vikings undefeated at 2-0.
The Vikings broke the scoreless game early in the 83rd minute when junior midfielder Grace Eversaul (Vancouver, WA/Skyview) headed home the game-winner in a 1-0 victory over St. Edward's University Saturday afternoon at The Regency Athletic Complex on the campus of MSU Denver.
Senior forward Liv Larson (Arlington, WA) started the set piece with a corner kick and senior Karli White (North Bend, WA/Mount Si/Seattle U.) crossed the ball where Eversaul converted from six-yards with the header goal.
Eversaul's goal follows another late game-winner two days ago in the season opener vs. MSU Denver, also a 1-0 victory on a goal by White in the 87th minute.
While a defensive-minded game for a majority of the neutral-site game, the Vikings held a lead in shots (16-10) and shots on goal (6-1).
"We started a little slow, and St. Edward's came out with great energy, but I thought we did a good job of building our composure and we looked like a real mature team as we adjusted tactics on the fly," said 17th-year WWU head coach Travis Connell. "We created more and more chances throughout the game, and got the big goal on a wonderfully worked corner set piece."
WWU junior All-American goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx (Kirkland, WA/Inglemoor/Colorado State) earned her second consecutive clean sheet making one save. The defensive group led by seniorsAnnaliese Laurila (Portland, OR/Grand), Peyton Chick (Renton, WA/Kentridge), Emily Nelson (Puyallup, WA/Bellarmine Prep) and a host of others have combined to not allow a goal in the first 180 minutes of the season.
"The whole defense really worked well together today, and I thought Annaliese (Laurila) had one of the best games of her career," added Connell. "She played all 90 minutes in both games – at elevation – and did a fantastic job. She made some big tackles and great plays in key moments today."
St. Edward's, an 11-time NCAA II Tournament participant (2006-2016), was held off the scoreboard in its 2019 season opener. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Annabel Sweeney recorded five saves in net for the Hilltoppers.
"This was a great trip to Denver for our team, not only as a team-building experience, but playing two tournament teams. Both provided us with different and great challenges, and I could see our team improve with each minute. The two good results made the trip even better and I am proud of this group," said Connell.
WWU (2-0-0) returns home to Harrington Field to host Sonoma State University on Thursday (Sept. 12) at 7 pm. Tickets are available via advance purchase at WWUVikings.com/WS_Tickets and at the Harrington Field Box Office one hour prior to kickoff.
WWU 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.
Western Washington 1, St. Edward's 0
Date: Sept. 7, 2019
Field: Regency Athletic Complex Site: Denver, CO
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
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St. Edward's........... 0 0 - 0
Western Washington..... 0 1 - 1
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 82:07 WWU Eversaul (White, Larson)
Shots: WWU 16, SEU 10
Shots on Goal: WWU 6, SEU 1
Saves: WWU 1 (Dierickx - 1 ), SEU 5 (Sweeney – 5)
Kits: WWU – White; SEU – Navy/Gold
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 is in 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 119-10-9 record (.894), the second-best among all NCAA Division II programs during this six-season stretch.
