SEATTLE, Wash. – In a battle between the two nationally ranked teams in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, No. 25 Seattle Pacific University defeated No. 6 Western Washington University 1-0 in an overtime battle Saturday night at Interbay Stadium.
 
The Vikings had their unbeaten streak to start the season snapped with the first loss to drop to 8-1-2 overall and are tied with SPU on top of the GNAC table with 15 points at 5-1-0. WWU also had its 23-game GNAC winning streak snapped and 29-game conference unbeaten streak come to a close. SPU improved to 8-1-0 overall and 5-1-0 in GNAC play.
 
The first 90 minutes featured a back-and-forth affair with either team bending in key moments of the match. WWU had a chance to put the game away just 12 seconds into the overtime period when junior forward Dayana Diaz drew a penalty in the box immediately after kickoff.
 
Senior midfielder Darby Doyle took the penalty with the chance to send the Vikings to victory, but SPU goalkeeper Riley Travis correctly guessed with a dive to her left to block the strong shot off Doyle's right foot.
 
SPU scored the game-winner at the 94:56 mark won a goal by Claire Neder, scoring from the left side of the box six yards away from the goal. Neder received a cross from Lauren Forster on the right flank and took one touch that crossed up a WWU defender before netting the golden goal.
 
"We were on the road against a good team, and we knew we had to weather the storm in the first half…which we did. We grew into the game and at times turned it into our advantage and created some good chances," said WWU head coach Travis Connell. "It was a great collegiate soccer match with a lot of players on both sides stepping up and making big players in key moments. We did a good job earning the penalty early in overtime, and their goalkeeper made a good save. In these moments, it is fractions and tiny margins that separate a victory from a loss. We'll learn from this and get ready for home matches vs. Saint Martin's and Simon Fraser next week."
 
Senior All-American goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx was credited with five saves, including a diving stop in the 88th minute to help push the contest into overtime.
 
The Falcons held a 19-14 advantage in shots, with a 6-3 edge in shots on target. The two teams will meet again in two weeks when SPU travels to play at Harrington Field on Thursday, October 21 (7 pm kickoff).
 

#25 Seattle Pacific 1, #6 Western Washington 0 (OT)
Date: October 9, 2021
Field: Interbay Stadium   Site: Seattle, WA
Attendance: 223

Goals by period               1  2      Tot
---------------------------------------------
#6 Western Washington.......  0  0  0  -  0
#25 Seattle Pacific.........  0  0  1  -  1

SCORING SUMMARY:
1.      94:56       SPU     Neder (Forster,Gellhaus)

Shots: SPU 19, WWU 14
Shots on Goal: SPU 6, WWU 3
Saves: WWU 5 (Dierickx – 5), SPU 3 (Travis – 3)
Corners: SPU 8, WWU 3
Fouls: SPU 13, WWU 11
Offsides: SPU 1, WWU 0
Kits: WWU (Black), SPU (White)

  SPU defeated the Vikings for the second consecutive game, after WWU had a 13-game winning streak and 21-game unbeaten streak snapped last spring. WWU narrowly leads the all-time series 21-20-7 between the Northwest soccer powerhouses.
  The Vikings (8-1-2, 5-1-0 GNAC) opens a season-high four-game homestand at Harrington Field next Thursday (Oct. 14) hosting Saint Martin's at Harrington Field (7 pm kickoff). WWU will also entertain 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 Saturday, with the Vikings tied with SPU at the top of the table with nine points at 5-1-0 in league play:
 

WOMEN'S SOCCER	CONF	PTS	OVERALL	PCT	HOME	AWAY	NEUTRAL	STREAK
Seattle Pacific	5-1-0	15	8-1-0	.889	4-0-0	4-1-0	0-0-0	Won 3
Western Washington	5-1-0	15	8-1-2	.818	5-0-1	2-1-1	1-0-0	Lost 1
Simon Fraser	3-3-0	9	2-6-1	.278	2-3-0	0-3-1	0-0-0	Lost 2
Western Oregon	2-2-2	8	3-5-2	.400	2-1-1	1-3-1	0-1-0	Tied 1
Northwest Nazarene	2-3-1	7	4-3-2	.556	4-0-1	0-3-1	0-1-0	Tied 1
Montana State Billings	2-3-1	7	5-4-2	.545	4-1-0	0-3-2	1-0-0	Won 1
Saint Martin's	2-4-0	6	3-7-0	.300	3-2-0	0-5-0	0-0-0	Lost 3
Central Washington	1-5-0	3	2-8-0	.200	1-2-0	0-4-0	1-2-0	Won 1
Saturday's GNAC Women's Soccer Results
#25 Seattle Pacific 1, #6 Western Washington 0 (OT) Montana State Billings 2, Simon Fraser 1 (OT) Central Washington 4, Saint Martin's 1 Western Oregon 2, Northwest Nazarene 2 (2 OT)