BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Riding a two-game winning streak in conference play, the Western Washington University men's soccer team continues its five-game homestand with a pair of tough matches this week at Harrington Field.
 
The Vikings (4-6-0, 2-1-0 GNAC) host No. 7 nationally-ranked and rival Seattle Pacific (9-1-0, 3-0-0 GNAC) on Thursday (4 pm) and entertain high-scoring Montana State Billings (3-5-1, 1-2-0 GNAC) on Saturday (7 pm). Both gamedays will feature a WWU soccer doubleheader, with the No. 23 WWU women's squad hosting Saint Martin's on Thursday (7 pm) and Simon Fraser on Saturday (4 pm).
 
WWU is flying high following a 1-0 overtime victory over Simon Fraser last Saturday on a golden goal by senior midfielder Drew Farnsworth in the 95th minute. The current stretch of consecutive wins began with a come-from-behind 4-3 win over Saint Martin's on Oct. 2 fueled by a Gilbert De La Luz hat trick, the first by a Viking since 2015.
 
Western enters this week having scored 14 goals over its last six games and is currently tied for 2nd in the GNAC with 16 goals scored.
 
After playing seven of its first nine matches on the road, including a recent five-game road trip, the Vikings are one game into a season-high five-game homestand (1-0). Following this week's matches vs. SPU and MSUB, WWU will host Saint Martin's on October 28 (7 pm) and Northwest Nazarene on October 30 (7 pm), with the game vs. NNU serving as Senior Night.
 
WWU's 17-match regular-season schedule can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/21_MS.
 

THIS WEEK IN WWU MEN'S SOCCER
Thursday, October 14	Live Coverage
#7 Seattle Pacific »  4:00 pm  »  Bellingham, WA  »  Harrington Field Blue Out vs. SPU	📊 LiveStats   🎥 Webcast
Saturday, October 16	Live Coverage
Montana State Billings  »  7:00 pm  »  Bellingham, WA  »  Harrington Field Youth Day – Free Admission for 8th-grade-and-younger	📊 LiveStats   🎥 Webcast

  If you are looking to see the GNAC top goal scorers in person, well, Bellingham is the place to be this week. With WWU hosting Seattle Pacific and Montana State Billings, three of the top four scoring teams in the conference will be squaring off. SPU leads the GNAC with 28 goals, nearly double the among by second-place WWU, MSUB and Northwest Nazarene. Additionally, the top five individual goal scorers (and 8 of top 13) will appear on Harrington Field this week. Here is a look at the GNAC's top goal scorers entering play this week:
    Fans are allowed to watch the games inside the venue at Harrington Field. Due to state of Washington and WWU policy, face coverings/masks are required for all fans and social distancing in the stands is encouraged. Tickets will be on sale to the general public beginning one hour prior to kickoff at the Harrington Field Box Office (General - $8, Kids/Seniors - $5) and free parking is available in the C lots on the south edge of the WWU campus.
    Here is a look at the series history between the Vikings and the opponents this week:
 

• Seattle Pacific: WWU is 6-1-3 over the last 10 meetings against the Falcons dating back to the start of the 2016 season…current five-game unbeaten streak vs. SPU…had four-game winning streak snapped last spring with a 1-1 tie on May 15…SPU leads the all-time series 37-13-9 according to WWU records…two teams will meet again Nov. 6 at Interbay Stadium in Seattle.
• Montana State Billings: WWU is playing MSUB for the first time since the 2019 season…won both meetings in 2019, including 1-0 home victory on Nov. 9 to clinch the GNAC title…Vikings lead the all-time series 20-11-2 with a 3-3 record at Harrington Field…MSUB holds a slim 5-4-1 lead in the last 10 meetings dating back to the start of the 2015 season.

  Junior forward Gilbert De La Luz recorded a hat trick in the 4-3 win over Saint Martin's on October 2. It marked the first hat trick by a Viking since Adam Talley on October 22, 2015 vs. University of Mary. Here is a list of WWU players scoring 3-or-more goals in a game dating back to the 1998 season and the start of the NCAA era:
 

WWU MEN'S SOCCER HAT TRICK LIST SINCE 1998 (NCAA ERA)
6	Samir Vejo	at Colorado Christian	10/01/08
4	Samir Vejo	at Northwest Nazarene	10/11/08
3	Gilbert De La Luz	at Saint Martin's	10/02/21
3	Adam Talley	University of Mary	10/22/15
3	Kellan Brown	Northwest Nazarene	10/30/10
3	Gibson Bardsley	at Saint Martin's	10/06/10
3	Gibson Bardsley	at Colorado Christian	09/14/10
3	Samir Vejo	Saint Martin's	11/06/08
3	Gibson Bardsley	Hawai'i Hilo	08/25/07
3	Ryan Hopp	at Humboldt State	09/18/03
3	Paul Nissley	Humboldt State	10/26/02
3	David Hileman	Humboldt State	10/06/01
3	Sean Standley	BYU Hawai'i	10/07/00
3	Rob Schaper	at San Francisco State	08/26/00

  News and notes on the 2021 WWU Men's Soccer team:

• The Record – 4-6-0 on the season, going 2-1-0 at home and 2-5-0 on the road.
• GNAC – Currently in 3rd place in the GNAC with 6 points at 2-1-0.
• Drew and Gil – Drew Farnsworth (5 goals) and Gilbert De La Luz (4 goals) have combined to score 9 of the Vikings 16 goals (56.2%).
• Hat Trick – Gilbert De La Luz recorded a hat trick at Saint Martin's (10/2), the first 3-goal game by a Viking since Adam Talley in 2015.
• The Kiwi – New Zealand native Drew Farnsworth is 4th in the GNAC with 5 goals and tied for 3rd with a pair of game-winning goals…appeared in 67 career games (all starts) and is tied for 17th in program history with 38 points (14 goals, 10 assists)…also tied for 20th in career caps as a Viking.
• Welcome Back Locke – Sophomore goalkeeper Brandon Locke missed the first nine games of the season…returned for a 4-save shutout last week vs. Simon Fraser.
• Dependable Diehl – Gus Diehl leads the team with 862 minutes played, starting all 10 matches…started 51 of 52 possible matches during his four-year WWU career.
• Defensive Playmaker – Theo Steinmetz is tied for the team lead and 7th in the GNAC with a pair of assists.
• Goalkeeping Trio – WWU has played three goalkeepers this season – Brandon Wolter, Brandon Locke, Patrick Restum – marking first time during a fall season to play three goalkeepers since the 2006 season.
• Where's Cam? – Senior center defender Camron Miller is out for the season with a foot injury.
• Academics – 43 GNAC All-Academic selections over the last four years.
• Harrington Field – Owns an all-time 32-19-9 (.608) record at Harrington Field since the on-campus facility debuted during the 2014 season.
• GNAC Champions – Defending GNAC champions winning the title in 2019 with a 10-1-1 league record.
• The Gaffer – Greg Brisbon is in his 9th season leading the WWU Men's Soccer program (21st overall at WWU)…owns an all-time 72-51-19 (.574) record as the Vikings head coach.
• Roster Breakdown – The 2021 roster features 25 players, with 20 from Washington, one from California, one from Alaska, one from Michigan and two international players (New Zealand, Russia).

The Vikings recent offensive surge landed consecutive GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors, with senior midfielder Drew Farnsworth (Sept. 20-26) and Gilbert De La Luz (Sept. 27-Oct. 3) taking home the weekly hardware.
  After scoring two goals in the first four games combined, the Vikings have experienced an offensive surge with 14 goals over the last six games. During this six-game stretch (3-3 record), WWU has had eight different players find the back of the net, led by four goals from Drew Farnsworth and three by Gilbert De La Luz.
  Here is a look at the GNAC standings heading into this week's play, with the Vikings alone in 3rd place in the table with six points (2-1-0):
 

MEN'S SOCCER		GNAC	PTS	OVERALL	PCT	HOME	AWAY	NEUTRAL	STREAK
1.	Seattle Pacific	3-0-0	9	9-1-0	.900	4-1-0	5-0-0	0-0-0	Won 6
	Northwest Nazarene	3-1-0	9	6-4-0	.600	3-1-0	3-2-0	0-1-0	Won 1
3.	Western Washington	2-1-0	6	4-6-0	.400	2-1-0	2-5-0	0-0-0	Won 2
4.	Simon Fraser	1-2-0	3	4-5-0	.444	0-0-0	2-4-0	2-1-0	Lost 2
	Montana State Billings	1-2-0	3	3-5-1	.389	1-1-0	1-2-1	1-2-0	Lost 1
6.	Saint Martin's	0-4-0	0	1-10-0	.091	1-4-0	0-4-0	0-2-0	Lost 8

All WWU home games (and most road games) will stream live online with the direct links available at WWUVikings.com/Live. Games at Harrington Field will feature an HD webcast on WWU's YouTube channel. For easy access, each WWU Men's Soccer game will feature a URL redirect that will send you right to the current game, so bookmark the following links:
 

• Webcast – wwuvikings.com/MS_Watch
• Live Stats – wwuvikings.com/MS_Stats

WWU has recorded a record of .500 or better in eight of the last nine seasons, and boasts a 47-29-12 (.602) record over the last six seasons (2016-21). WWU has qualified for the NCAA Division II Championships in two of the last four seasons (2016 & 2019) and won the 2019 GNAC title with a 13-5-1 overall record and 10-1-1 mark in GNAC play.
  The Vikings are the defending Great Northwest Athletic Conference champions, taking home the last conference trophy from the 2019 season. WWU finished with a 13-5-1 overall record, tying for the 4th-most wins in program history and the 4th-best winning percentage (.711) in the 40-year history of varsity status of the program. The season marked the third GNAC title in program history, recording a 10-1-1 league record, setting a program record for most conference wins in a season. Advanced to the NCAA II Championships for the second time in program history earning the No. 6 seed in Super Region 4 and topped out at No. 19 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25, marking the second season to appear in the national top 25 in program history (also 2018).
  Greg Brisbon is in his ninth season as the head coach of the men's soccer program and his 21st overall associated with WWU soccer. Brisbon has directed the Vikings to a 72-51-19 (.574) record, securing his spot as the program's all-time winningest coach by percentage. Prior to taking over as the head coach of the men's program, Brisbon spent the previous 12 seasons as an assistant coach with the Vikings, including eight as the associate head coach. He was the 2016 GNAC co-Coach of the Year and the outright 2019 GNAC Coach of the Year. He has guided the Vikings to the only two NCAA Tournament appearances in program history (2016, 2019) and his program has excelled in the classroom with 43 GNAC All-Academic selections over the last four seasons. He is assisted by fifth-year coach Kyle Segebart, as well as Matt Zigulis and Kyle Langowski.
  Fans can follow WWU men's soccer online at WWUVikings.com/MSOC, and via social media on Twitter (@SoccerWWU), Instagram (@wwu_msoccer) and Facebook (@WWUsoccermens). 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 men's soccer program is led by ninth-year head coach Greg Brisbon, who has spent over 20 seasons affiliated with WWU Soccer. The Vikings are the defending Great Northwest Athletic Conference champions, winning the 2019 title for the third league trophy in program history, and advanced to the NCAA II Championships for the second time. The program is its 42nd varsity season in 2021, and has recorded an overall record at or above the .500 mark in eight of the last nine seasons, including a 13-5-1 mark in 2019 and 11-6-1 in 2018. In 2016 the Vikings advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships for the first time in program history, using a late-season surge that saw the Vikings 5-0-1 over the last six matches to advance to the postseason. Overall the program has produced 58 GNAC Players of the Week selections, 30 First Team All-GNAC players and 4 GNAC Players of the Year since joining the conference in 2001. Off the field, WWU has built a strong academic reputation with 43 GNAC All-Academic selections over the last four years and the program has earned three United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Awards (2018-20).