BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University All-American soccer player Karli White has signed a professional contract to play with FC Jumonji Ventus, a women's soccer squad based out of Japan.
 
White (North Bend, WA/Mount Si) was a two-year star for the Vikings, scoring 17 goals and recording 17 assists in 43 games/42 starts. The recorded at least one point (goal or assist) in 21 of 43 games, averaging 1.19 points per game to rank second-best during the NCAA era (1999-2019).
 
"I am grateful to my new team for giving me an opportunity to pursue my dream of playing professional soccer," said White before departing for Japan. "Everything that has happened over the years – every obstacle, every success, every team that I've been on and people who I have surrounded myself with – has led me to this point."
 
White appeared in 18 games as a junior in 2017, scoring 10 goals with 8 assists after transferring from Seattle University. She was a First Team All-GNAC selection and named the GNAC Championships MVP.
 
In what was supposed to be her senior season, White was sidelined for the entire 2018 season with a foot injury and utilized her redshirt season.
 
She returned to the pitch in 2019 to put together an All-American campaign, leading the Vikings to the NCAA Division II National Championship Game. She led the team with 23 points (7 goals, 9 assists) and garnered First Team All-America honors from United Soccer Coaches. In addition to becoming a two-time First Team All-GNAC selection, White was selected as the conference Player of the Year and earned her second GNAC Championships MVP honor.
 
"I feel like the biggest jump that I've made as an individual and as an athlete has been within the past two years," added White. "I think my time at Western prepared me for this next challenge, and I will forever be thankful for the memories that I made there. Go Viks!"
 
During her two years on the field, WWU combined to go 41-5-0, winning a pair of GNAC Tournament titles and advancing to the West Region championship both years. Including her two seasons at Seattle U., White played in 84 collegiate matches scoring 32 goals with 27 assists (91 points), and was credited with 17 game-winning goals.
 
She graduated with WWU in December with a degree in sociology. With a cumulative GPA above 3.30, White also earned All-GNAC Academic honors in 2019 and was a United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American.
 
"We are really proud of Karli. She set a goal for herself, worked incredibly hard, overcame the challenges in this process and now has been justly rewarded," said WWU head coach Travis Connell. "She will be another excellent ambassador for our program in the pro game."
 
White is scheduled to leave for Japan on Thursday (April 2) and will join the team that is headquartered in Saitama, Japan. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the start of the 2020 season for FC Jumonji Ventus has not been announced. The team plays in the Nadeshiko League (second-tier Japan pro league), moving up a level after winning the 2019 Plenus Challenge League.
 
White joins South Carolina goalkeeper Mikayla Krzeczowski as the first two foreign players to sign to play with FC Jumonji Ventus. Krzeczowski was a two-time All-American and 2019 SEC Goalkeeper of the Year for the Gamecocks.
  Karli White becomes the latest Viking to sign a professional contract to play overseas, joining the following players in recent years:

• Sierra Shugarts (Sweden & Czech Republic)
• Caitlyn Jobanek (Denmark & Sweden)
• Gabriela Pelogi (Finland)
• Karli White (Japan)

FOLLOW THE VIKINGS
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 finished 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. WWU finished the 2019 season with a 23-3-0 record, winning the West Regional title and played in the national championship game falling 1-0 to Grand Valley State. WWU's 179 wins during the 2010s decade were the 6^th-most out of 1,043 NCAA women's soccer programs.