BELLINGHAM, Wash. – A second-half goal by senior forward Jenna Killman led the No. 23 nationally-ranked Western Washington University women's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Saint Martin's University on a rainy Thursday evening at Harrington Field.
 
WWU rebounded from a 1-0 overtime loss to Seattle Pacific last Saturday for its first loss of the season, improving to 9-1-2 overall and remained on top of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings with SPU at 6-1-0 in conference play. Saint Martin's dropped to 3-8-0 overall and 2-5-0 in GNAC play.
 
After a scoreless first half, the Vikings broke through 15 minutes into the second half to take a 1-0 lead. Junior forward Dayana Diaz gained possession with a soft touch 25 yards out and looped a pass into the box. Killman redirected the pass tucking her header inside the right post for her fourth goal of the season.
 
The Saints pressed for the equalizer late in the game with a well-placed shot by Elisabeth Cole that WWU senior goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx punched over the crossbar for her fifth save of the game. Dierickx recorded her fifth shutout this season and 26th of her career for 3rd-most in WWU history.
 
"We were in a tight match with Saint Martin's and battled our way through it. I thought they had a good plan and executed it well against us," said WWU head coach Travis Connell, who notched his 399th career head coaching win. "It is such a privilege to play at Harrington Field and have these student-athletes get to experience such a great facility. Tonight was another great opportunity and we found a way to get a win with a great goal by Jenna (Killman) and a well-executed pass by Dayana (Diaz)."
 
WWU out-shot SMU 12-7 in the game and held a 7-5 advantage in shots on goal.
 
The Vikings remain at home Saturday hosting Simon Fraser (3-6-1, 4-3-0 GNAC) on Saturday with kickoff at 4 pm at Harrington Field.
 
"We expect another similar game on Saturday against a good Simon Fraser squad," added Connell.
 

#23 Western Washington 1, Saint Martin's 0
Date: October 14, 2021
Field: Harrington Field   Site: Bellingham, WA
Weather: 51-degrees, Rain	Att: 113

Goals by period               1  2    Tot
-------------------------------------------
Saint Martin's..............  0  0  -  0
#23 Western Washington......  0  1  -  1

SCORING SUMMARY:
1.      60:34       WWU     Killman (Diaz)

Shots: WWU 12, SMU 7
Shots on Goal: WWU 7, SMU 5
Saves: WWU 5 (Dierickx – 5), SMU 6 (Campigotto – 6)
Corners: SMU 5, WWU 3
Fouls: SMU 13, WWU 11
Offsides: WWU 6, SMU 1
Kits: WWU (White), SMU (Red)

  WWU extended its lead in the all-time series vs. the Saints to 23-2-1 with a current 18-game winning streak (since 2011). The Vikings have recorded six consecutive shutouts vs. SMU including back-to-back 1-0 wins. The two teams will meet again in the regular-season finale Nov. 6 in Lacey.
  Since Harrington Field debuted on the south edge of the WWU campus in 2014, the Vikings are 66-2-4 (.944) playing in front of the home crowd. WWU has a current 31-game unbeaten streak (28-0-3) at Harrington Field dating back to the end of the 2017 season (last home loss - Oct. 28, 2017 vs. Concordia). Including the men's program, WWU's soccer teams have a combined record of 98-22-13 at Harrington Field (.786 winning percentage) since the on-campus facility debuted.
  The Vikings (9-1-2, 6-1-0 GNAC) continue their four-game homestand hosting Simon Fraser on Saturday (Oct. 16) at 4 pm. The full 2021 season schedule, complete with live coverage links, can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/21_WSOC.
  Here is a look at the updated GNAC standings through play on Thursday, with the Vikings tied with SPU at the top of the table with 18 points at 6-1-0 in league play:
 

WOMEN'S SOCCER	CONF	PTS	OVERALL	PCT	HOME	AWAY	NEUTRAL	STREAK
Seattle Pacific	6-1-0	18	9-1-0	.900	4-0-0	5-1-0	0-0-0	Won 4
Western Washington	6-1-0	18	9-1-2	.833	6-0-1	2-1-1	1-0-0	Won 1
Simon Fraser	4-3-0	12	3-6-1	.350	2-3-0	1-3-1	0-0-0	Won 1
Northwest Nazarene	3-3-1	10	5-3-2	.600	4-0-1	1-3-1	0-1-0	Won 1
Western Oregon	2-3-2	8	3-6-2	.364	2-2-1	1-3-1	0-1-0	Lost 1
Montana State Billings	2-4-1	7	5-5-2	.500	4-2-0	0-3-2	1-0-0	Lost 1
Saint Martin's	2-5-0	6	3-8-0	.273	3-2-0	0-6-0	0-0-0	Lost 4
Central Washington	1-6-0	3	2-9-0	.182	1-3-0	0-4-0	1-2-0	Lost 1
Thursday's GNAC Women's Soccer Results
#23 Western Washington 1, Saint Martin's 0 #8 Seattle Pacific 7, Central Washington 0 Simon Fraser 3, Western Oregon 0 Northwest Nazarene 1, Montana State Billings 0

  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).