BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Senior All-American midfielder Grace Eversaul scored in the 14th minute and a stout defensive effort lifted the No. 10 nationally-ranked Western Washington University women's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Northwest Nazarene University Saturday evening at Harrington Field.
 
Eversaul scored for the third time this season and 22nd in her career, placing the game-winner in the back of the net early in the first half.
 
WWU remained undefeated at 7-0-2 on the season and kept its spot atop the GNAC table at 4-0-0 in league play with its fifth shutout. NNU, who was ranked as high as No. 10 in the nation this season, dipped to 3-3-1 overall and 1-3-0 in league play.
 
The only score of the game came just 13:43 into the contest when Eversaul lofted a perfect left-footed strike from 23-yards out with her left foot to put the Vikings ahead. Junior midfielder Tera Ziemer set up the goal with her second assist of the season (to go with four goals).
 
The Vikings held tight on defense the rest of the way, with senior All-American goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx recording a season-high-tying six saves. Her shining moment came in the 61st minute when she sprawled across the box for a pair of back-to-back saves to keep the Nighthawks off the scoreboard.
 
The victory also marked WWU's 22nd consecutive in GNAC play dating back to the 2018 season and maintained a 28-game conference unbeaten streak (27-0-1). Additionally, Western won its 18th consecutive game over NNU and extended its unbeaten streak at Harrington Field to 30 consecutive games (27-0-3).
 
WWU out-shot NNU 24-11 and held a 10-6 advantage in shots on goal. The Vikings offense kept pressure on the Nighthawks with a 9-2 edge in corner kicks, but NNU goalkeeper Alexis Montoya made nine saves.
 
The first-place Vikings (7-0-2, 4-0-0 GNAC) return to the road next week playing at Montana State Billings on Thursday and nationally-ranked Seattle Pacific on Saturday. Both matches will feature a live webcast with a direct link at wwuvikings.com/WS_Watch.

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
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#10 Western Washington 1, Northwest Nazarene 0
Date: October 2, 2021
Field: Harrington Field   Site: Bellingham, WA
Attendance: 381

Goals by period              1  2    Tot
-----------------------------------------
Northwest Nazarene.........  0  0  -  0
#10 Western Washington.....  1  0  -  1

SCORING SUMMARY:
1.      13:43       WWU     Eversaul (Ziemer)

Shots: WWU 24, NNU 11
Shots on Goal: WWU 10, NNU 6
Saves: WWU 6 (Dierickx – 6), NNU 9 (Montoya - 9)
Corners: WWU 9, NNU 2
Fouls: NNU 9, WWU 6
Offsides: WWU 3, NNU 0
Kits: WWU (Light Blue), NNU (Black)

  WWU is now 37-1-1 all-time vs. NNU, extending its winning streak to 18 consecutive games vs. the Nighthawks. The Vikings also have a 31-match unbeaten streak vs. NNU going 30-0-1 dating back to the 2003 season. The all-time series record includes a 20-0-1 mark in home games and 6-0-0 record at Harrington Field.
  The Vikings (7-0-2) are back on the road after three consecutive home games, traveling to play at Montana State Billings on Thursday (1 pm MT/12 pm PT) and nationally-ranked Seattle Pacific on Saturday (7 pm). The full 2021 season schedule, complete with live coverage links, can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/21_WSOC.

W⚽️ | An up close look at the goal by Grace Eversaul in the 14th minute to give @WWU_WSoccer a 1-0 halftime lead.

📊 : https://t.co/GWZMB8JVCB
💻 : https://t.co/3BmECKOC0g pic.twitter.com/BAU6Y0skIJ

— WWU Athletics (@WWUAthletics) October 3, 2021

  Since Harrington Field debuted on the south edge of the WWU campus in 2014, the Vikings are 65-2-4 (.944) playing in front of the home crowd. WWU has a current 30-game unbeaten streak (27-0-3) 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 96-21-13 at Harrington Field (.788 winning percentage) since the on-campus facility debuted.
  Here is a look at the updated GNAC standings through play on Saturday, with the Vikings at the top of the table with nine points at 4-0-0 in league play:
 

WOMEN'S SOCCER	CONF	PTS	OVERALL	PCT	HOME	AWAY	NEUTRAL	STREAK
Western Washington	4-0-0	9	7-0-2	.888	5-0-1	1-0-1	1-0-0	Won 4
Seattle Pacific	3-1-0	9	6-1-0	.858	2-0-0	4-1-0	0-0-0	Won 1
Simon Fraser	3-1-0	9	3-4-1	.438	2-3-0	0-1-1	0-0-0	Won 3
Saint Martin's	2-2-0	6	3-5-0	.375	3-2-0	0-3-0	0-0-0	Lost 1
Montana State Billings	1-2-1	4	4-3-2	.625	3-0-0	0-3-2	1-0-0	Tied 1
Western Oregon	1-2-1	4	2-5-1	.313	2-1-1	0-3-0	0-1-0	Tied 1
Northwest Nazarene	1-3-0	3	3-3-1	.500	3-0-0	0-3-1	0-1-0	Lost 3
Central Washington	0-4-0	0	1-7-0	.125	0-1-0	0-4-0	1-2-0	Lost 7
Saturday's GNAC Women's Soccer Results
#10 Western Washington 1, Northwest Nazarene 0 Western Oregon 1, Montana State Billings 1 (2 OT) Simon Fraser 2, Central Washington 1 #7 Seattle Pacific 3, Saint Martin's 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).
  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. He is nearing his 400th career victory, currently with 397 all-time head coaching wins. 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.