BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's soccer team closes out a four-game home stand and the regular-season Harrington Field schedule this week hosting a pair of key conference games.

 

The No. 12 nationally-ranked Vikings host No. 4 Seattle Pacific Thursday in a rivalry contest featuring the top two teams in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings. WWU enters the match holding the top spot in the table at 7-1-0 in GNAC play and feature a 10-1-2 overall mark. SPU is 6-1-1 in GNAC play and 9-1-1 overall. 

 

Thursday's 7 pm match-up at Harrington Field will be the rematch of the 1-0 overtime setback endured by the Vikings on October 9 in Seattle.

 

Saturday's game vs. Montana State Billings (5-5-3, 2-4-2 GNAC) will be Senior Day for the eight players that will play their final regular-season game at Harrington Field. The 2021 senior class includes goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx, forwards Sophie Butterfield, Zoe Milburn and Jenna Killman, midfielders Grace Eversaul, Darby Doyle and Olivia Lee, and defender Karina Provo. 

 

WWU is coming off a pair of shutout victories last week at home vs. Saint Martin's (1-0) and Simon Fraser (2-0). The previous week the Vikings had their 10-game unbeaten streak to open the season snapped at SPU, halting a 23-game GNAC winning streak and 29-game conference unbeaten-stretch dating back to the 2018 season.

 

This week's schedule closes out the 10-game home regular-season schedule, with the Vikings going 7-0-1 at Harrington Field in 2021. WWU closes out the regular season with four consecutive road games at Northwest Nazarene (10/28), Central Washington (10/30), Western Oregon (11/4) and Saint Martin's (11/6). WWU and Harrington Field will serve as the host of the 2021 GNAC Women's Soccer Championships, with the top four teams in the final conference standings playing Nov. 11-13 in Bellingham for the GNAC Tournament title.

 

WWU's 19-match regular-season schedule and all results, recaps and box scores can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/21_WS.

 

 

For the second time this season, WWU will entertain a top-five nationally-ranked opponent when No. 4 Seattle Pacific visits Harrington Field on Thursday. Earlier this season the Vikings defeated No. 5 Sonoma State on September 12 in the home opener. Prior to defeating SSU, the last top-five nationally-ranked team to play at Harrington Field was in 2015 when WWU defeated No. 2 Azusa Pacific 1-0 in the West Regional Final.

 

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

 

• Senior Day – The annual Senior Day will be held Saturday prior to the 1 pm kickoff vs. Montana State Billings…WWU will honor eight players that are competing in their final collegiate season: Grace Eversaul, Zoe Milburn, Natalie Dierickx, Darby Doyle, Jenna Killman, Karina Provo, Olivia Lee, Sophie Butterfield.
• The Record – 10-1-2 on the season with a 7-0-1 mark at Harrington Field and 3-1-1 on the road (1-0-0 neutral).
• GNAC – On top of the GNAC table with 21 points going 7-1-0 in conference play.
• Spreading the Wealth – 12 players have combined to score the 24 goals.
• Academics – Led the conference with 22 selections to the GNAC All-Academic Team.
• Harrington Success – Current 32-game unbeaten streak at Harrington Field (29-0-3) and 67-2-4 all-time playing at the on-campus facility that debuted in 2014 (.945 winning pct).
• Shutouts – Recorded 8 shutouts in 13 games to tie for 7th-most in NCAA II…had 18 shutouts in 26 games in 2019 and 4 in 7 games during 2021 spring season.
• Second Half Viks – Scored 16 of 24 goals in the second half, including the game-winner in the 87th minute vs. No. 5 Sonoma State (by Ziemer).
• Corners – Holds a 90-43 advantage over opponents in corner kicks through 13 games.
• Ziemer Goals – Tera Ziemer (Texas A&M transfer) has scored five goals to tie for 2nd in the GNAC…leads the conference with 4 game-winning goals.
• Eversaul's Goals – All-American Grace Eversaul has three goals to tie for 3rd on the team…16th in program history with 22 career goals and 20th with 52 points…has 10 career game-winning goals.
• Winner in Goal – All-American goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx has recorded 53 career wins, most in program history…27 shutouts are 3rd-most by a WWU goalkeeper and 5th-most among active NCAA II players…current active leader in NCAA II with career 0.45 goals against average.
• Dependable Doyle – Darby Doyle has appeared in 89 career games, currently tied for 6th in program history…has scored 34 career points (13 goals, 8 assists).
• Always Dancing – Advanced to each of the last eight NCAA Division II Championships, and played in the West Region title match in six of the last seven seasons (four regional titles).
• GNAC Champions – Won both the GNAC regular-season and conference tournament titles in 2019, the 8th regular-season title and 5th tournament title in program history.
• National Champions – 2016 NCAA II National Championship with a 24-0-1 record…also national runner-up finish in 2019 (23-3-0).
• The Gaffer – Travis Connell is in his 19th season leading the WWU Women's program (26th at WWU), and owns an all-time 275-74-32 (.763) as the Western women's head coach…6th among active NCAA II head coaches with a .761 winning percentage (entering season)…owns 400 career wins including time with WWU men's soccer.
• Roster Breakdown – The 2021 roster features 33 players, with 26 from Washington, three from Oregon, two from California, one from Colorado and one from North Dakota.

 

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 two upcoming opponents:

 

• Seattle Pacific: Western holds a narrow 21-20-7 lead in the all-time series vs. SPU…dropped 1-0 overtime contest October 9 in Seattle…WWU had 21-game unbeaten streak snapped last spring in the finale between the Northwest soccer powers in Seattle…Vikings are 12-8-2 all-time vs. SPU in home games and 7-0-1 in games played at Harrington Field.
• Montana St. Billings: Defeated the Yellowjackets 4-0 on October 7 in Billings…won last 16 games vs. MSUB and own an all-time 24-3-2 lead in the series…11-1-2 vs. MSUB in games played in Bellingham, including a 5-0-0 mark at Harrington Field.

 

One of the great rivalries in college soccer, WWU (2016) and Seattle Pacific (2008) each have claimed an NCAA Division II national championship. WWU has advanced to the NCAA Championships in each of the last eight seasons, while SPU has appeared in 15 of the last 17 seasons.

 

WWU head coach Travis Connell was a four-year letterman for the SPU men's soccer team from 1991-95, helping lead the Falcons to 1993 national championship.

 

Saturday's win over SFU marked the 400th career victory for WWU head coach Travis Connell, who now has 275 wins in 19 seasons leading the women's program and 125 more wins when he led the Western men's program for 14 seasons. Connell joins an exclusive list of WWU head coaches to earn 400 wins while leading the Vikings, which includes Lynda Goodrich, Diane Flick-Williams, Carmen Dolfo and Brad Jackson.

 

Since Harrington Field debuted on the south edge of the WWU campus in 2014, the Vikings are 67-2-4 (.945) playing in front of the home crowd. WWU has a current 32-game unbeaten streak (29-0-3) 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 100-22-13 at Harrington Field (.789 winning percentage) since the on-campus facility debuted.

 

Here is a look at the updated GNAC standings heading into this week's action, with the Vikings holding the top spot in the table with 21 points at 7-1-0 in league play:

 

 

Highlighted by four-time award winners Grace Eversaul and Natalie Dierickx, the WWU women's soccer team led the conference with 22 student-athletes earning Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic honors. Eversaul and Dierickx became the first four-time GNAC All-Academic players in WWU Women's Soccer history. The 22 selections are the most in program history, with 10 selections from the 2018 and 2019 seasons being the previous record. In addition to the pair of four-time award winners, WWU had five student-athletes earn the GNAC academic honor for the second time – Claire Henninger, Jenna Killman, Estera Levinte, Karina Provo and Katie Watt.

Western is listed No. 12 in the current United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Poll, moving up 11 spots from No. 23 last week. In the previous week climbed to as high as No. 6 in the national poll, the fourth consecutive week in the top-10. WWU has now been listed in 71 consecutive national polls dating back to the middle of the 2014 season, with 29 weeks as a top-5 team.

 

WWU has built a 87-16-9 record away from Bellingham over the last 10 seasons (since 2012), which includes a 64-12-6 road record and a 23-4-3 mark in neutral-site games. The Vikings will play nine of 19 games on the road in 2021 (3-1-1 so far this season).

 

WWU has won 97 of its last 114 games dating back to the start of the 2016 national championship season, going 97-10-7 (.882) during this stretch. The program has won seven of the last eight GNAC regular-season titles (including 2019), four of the last five GNAC Tournaments and advanced to the NCAA Championships in each of the last eight seasons. During the eight-year stretch of consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, WWU has reached the West Regional Championship match seven times and advanced to the NCAA II national semifinals four times (2013, 2015, 2016, 2019). Western has a current streak of 17 consecutive winning seasons the 7th-longest active streak in NCAA II.

 

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 Women's Soccer game will feature a URL redirect that will send you right to the current game, so bookmark the following links, which will direct you to watch games this weekend vs. MSUB and SPU.

 

• Webcast – wwuvikings.com/WS_Watch
• Live Stats – wwuvikings.com/WS_Stats

 

The Vikings have made eight consecutive trips to the NCAA Division II Championships and 10 overall appearances in the NCAA postseason. WWU played for the national title in 2019 and are 2-2 all-time in national semifinal contests. The program owns an all-time 22-8-1 record in NCAA Championships play (5-1 in 2019), winning at least one game in 8 of the 10 trips to the NCAA postseason. WWU was crowned national champions after in 2016 with a 24-0-1 record, capped by a 3-2 victory over Grand Valley State in Kansas City, Missouri.

 

Katie Watt (Defense) and Tera Ziemer (Offense) swept the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Players of the Week for games played September 13-19. Ziemer earned the offensive award after scoring the game-winning goal in the 1-0 win over Biola on Saturday and Watt received defensive honors leading the stalwart back line not allowing a shot on goal. Natalie Dierickx also won the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week award for Sept. 6-12.

 

The Vikings are the two-time defending GNAC regular-season champions (2018 & 2019) and have raised the conference trophy seven times in the last eight seasons. WWU won five consecutive titles from 2012-16 and again in 2018 to add to the 2008 league championship. The Vikings have also won four of the seven conference tournament titles.

 

Travis Connell is in his 19th season leading the women's program as head coach and 26th overall as a coach at WWU. Owns a 275-74-32 (.764) record leading the women's program to rank as the 5th-winningest active coach amongst NCAA Division II head coaches. Overall he is 10th among all-time winningest NCAA Division II coaches, with a minimum of 10 years as a head coach at a DII school. Connell recorded his 250^th win leading the women's program on October 24, 2019 vs. Seattle Pacific, and including 125 wins as the head coach of the men's soccer program at WWU, Connell has amassed 400 career NCAA head coaching victories. He is assisted by former Viking standouts Claire Morganand Jamie Arthurs, and Johann Lahud-Zahner.

 

Through the first 13 games, WWU has allowed only five goals in 1,215 minutes for a .400 goals against average to rank 2nd in the GNAC and 7th in NCAA II. The Vikings have out-scored opponents 24-5 overall and 18-3 in GNAC games. WWU is also tied for 7th in the nation with eight shutouts.

 

The Vikings calling card in recent years has been a strong defense. Over the last 10 seasons the program has combined for a .448 goals against average, including a NCAA-leading mark of 0.341 in 2019. Since 2012, the Vikings have posted a shutout in 131 of the last 205 games (63.9%) while going 173-19-13 (.876). Senior All-American goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx has recorded 27 career shutouts (3rd in WWU history) and owns an all-time program record of 53 wins in net (53-7-4).

 

The 2021 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Championships will be held at Harrington Field in Bellingham, with games played November 11 (4 & 7 pm) and 13 (1 pm). The top four teams in the GNAC table at the end of the regular season will qualify for the postseason tournament, with the winner receiving the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. This marks the first time WWU will be officially hosting the three-game tournament in the nine-year history of the championships, but Harrington Field did serve as the site of the championship game in 2016 after the planned title match was fogged out in Burnaby, BC. WWU is the defending GNAC Tournament champions winning the title in 2019, and is 13-1-2 all-time in the conference championship event. The Vikings have won five of the eight tournament titles (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019) and advanced to the tournament final all eight seasons.

 

The Vikings entered the 2021 season tied for 25^th in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Coaches Poll and picked No. 2 in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll. Here is a look at the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll:

 

 

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).

 

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 played for the 2019 national title and 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 and won four of the last five GNAC Tournament titles (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019). Head coach Travis Connell is in his 19th season leading the program in 2021, 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.