BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's soccer team opens the postseason Thursday as the No. 2 seed in the 2021 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships hosted by WWU at Harrington Field.

 

The Vikings take on No. 3 seed Northwest Nazarene in the second semifinal game with kickoff scheduled for 7 pm on the south edge of the WWU campus. No. 1 seed and regular-season GNAC champion Seattle Pacific plays No. 4 seed Simon Fraser in the first semifinal at 4 pm.

 

Both games will allow spectators at Harrington Field, with masks required for all spectators regardless of vaccination status. Tickets will be on sale at the Harrington Field Box Office starting at 3 pm.

 

WWU is ranked No. 13 nationally, extending its streak of consecutive weeks in the national top 25 coaches poll to 74 consecutive weeks, and is No. 2 in the NCAA West Region rankings for the third consecutive week. The top two teams in the region will serve as hosts for the NCAA II West Regional next weekend, with the selection show held Monday at 3 pm PT on NCAA.com. The winner of the GNAC Championships receives the automatic bid to the NCAA II Championships.

 

The Vikings enter the GNAC Tournament with a 13-3-3 overall record and finished 2nd in the conference table with a 10-3-1 mark. After opening the season 10-1-2, WWU has gone 3-2-1 over its last six games.

 

Western has qualified for the GNAC Championships in all nine years the event has been held since debuting in 2012 (no tournament in 2020). WWU has advanced to the title game every year and are five-time champions of the event, winning in 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017 and the defending champions after hoisting the trophy in 2019. The Vikings are 13-1-2 all-time in the GNAC Championships. WWU and SPU are the only teams to qualify for every GNAC Tournament and have combined for seven of the eight titles (WWU 5, SPU 2, Concordia 1).

 

This marks the first time WWU has officially hosted the GNAC Women's Soccer Championships. During the 2016 national championship season, the title game was moved from Burnaby, BC to Bellingham due to heavy fog at Terry Fox Field. The Vikings defeated SPU 3-1 at Harrington Field to win the GNAC Championships and went on to win the national title.

 

"We are looking forward to the postseason and can't wait to play and host the GNAC Championships at Harrington Field competing for a championship," said WWU head coach Travis Connell.

 

In addition to hosting the 2016 GNAC Championships final, Harrington Field has served as a postseason host for the NCAA Division II Championships games in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019. WWU is 68-3-4 all-time at Harrington Field since the on-campus facility debuted in 2014, including an 8-1-0 mark in postseason play.

 

 

 

The Vikings kept hold of the No. 2 spot in the NCAA Division II West Regional rankings for the third consecutive week, trailing only GNAC foe Seattle Pacific. Northwest Nazarene is listed No. 5 in the regional rankings for the second consecutive week. Six teams will advance to the NCAA II Regional Championships with the annual Selection Show scheduled for Monday, November 15 at 3 pm.

 

 

The GNAC Championships will take place Nov. 11-13 at Harrington Field in Bellingham, Washington, on the campus of Western Washington University. No. 1 Seattle Pacific and No. 4 Simon Fraser will meet in the first semifinal on Thursday, Nov. 11 at 4 pm, followed by No. 2 Western Washington meeting No. 3 Northwest Nazarene at 7 pm. The championship match will be Saturday, Nov. 13 at 1 p.m. The winner of the GNAC Championships will receive the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA regionals.

 

The tournament will also feature a live webcast on YouTube on GNAC.tv (search gnacsportson YouTube). Andrew Harvey will serve as the play-by-play announcer with Jim Harvey as analyst.

 

Gameday Tickets: Can be purchased at the Harrington Field Box Office  will be $12 for adults and $7 for seniors (60 and older), high school and college students and youth ages 6-12. Children five years of age and under are admitted free.

 

Parking: Fan parking on game day will be located in the C lots to the west and to the north of Harrington Field. Parking on game day will be free of charge (beginning at 2 pm on Thursday and all day on Saturday). Click on the following link for a WWU Campus Map.

 

In order to ensure the safety of everyone in attendance at the GNAC Women's Soccer Championships, face masks are to be worn at all times regardless of vaccination status. This includes spectators, volunteers and staff. The only exception is for student-athletes actively participating in the contest. The spectator capacity limit will be 500 per day.

Here is a look at the final GNAC standings from the 2021 regular season, with WWU earning the No. 2 seed in the GNAC Championships going 10-3-1 in GNAC play and 13-3-3 overall during the regular season.

 

 

WWU landed seven players on the 2021 GNAC All-Conference Team, led by five players earning first-team honors. Junior midfielder Tera Ziemer was selected as the GNAC Newcomer of the Year after transferring to WWU from Texas A&M, and she was joined on the All-GNAC First Team by senior forward Jenna Killman, sophomore defender Makenzie Burks, senior midfielder Darby Doyle and senior goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx. Burks, Doyle and Dierickx were among six unanimous selections to the team. Additionally, senior midfielder Grace Eversaul and sophomore defender Katie Watt were voted as honorable mention all-conference players. WWU's five first-team selections tied Seattle Pacific for the most among the eight conference teams.
 

Natalie Dierickx was voted as a First Team All-GNAC selection for the third time in her career, becoming the sixth Viking to join this elite list that includes Catherine Miles (2013-15), Claire Morgan (2007-08, 10), Alicia Patten (2009-11), Gabriela Pelogi (2016-18) and Emily Webster (2015-17). In 19 starts this season Dierickx has authored seven shutouts and has a 0.60 goals against average. In 72 games as a Viking, Dierickx has recorded 28 shutouts (3rd in WWU history) and a 0.50 goals against average (4th in WWU history).

 

Tera Ziemer is the fifth WWU player to earn Newcomer of the Year honors and the fourth in the last five years. In 16 games Ziemer has scored six goals and tallied three assists for 15 total points. She is second in the GNAC with four game-winning goals.

 

Senior forward Jenna Killman has scored nine goals to tie for 2nd-most in the GNAC heading into the conference championships. Additionally, Killman leads the league with 66 shots and is 3rd averaging 3.47 shots per game. Most of her goal-scoring production has come in three games, recording a brace in three different games this season (9/30 vs. CWU, 10/23 vs. MSUB, 10/30 at CWU). Killman has scored five goals over her last five games. Here is a look at the GNAC goal-scoring leaders heading into the postseason, with Tera Ziemer tied for 5th with six goals.

 

 

Sophomore defender Makenzie Burks is listed 3rd in the GNAC with six assists, mostly coming off set pieces. The unanimous First Team All-GNAC selection has started all 19 games this season and been a key factor in one of the top defenses in the GNAC that has recorded in 11 shutouts.

 

Nobody has played more games in the history of WWU Soccer than Darby Doyle. The senior midfielder has appeared in 95 career games from 2017-21 (51 starts) and never missed a game during her five-year career (WWU is 76-12-7). The First Team All-GNAC selection has also scored 14 goals and tallied 11 assists for 39 total points. Here is a look at the WWU all-time top 10 for career games played, with senior midfielder Grace Eversaul tied for 9th with 87 games played:

 

 

Here is a look at the series history between the Vikings and three teams in the GNAC Championships Field:

 

• Northwest Nazarene: Vikings and Nighthawks split the season series with each team winning at home…WWU won 1-0 at home on October 2 on a Grace Eversaul goal in the 14th minute…in the return game on October 28 in Nampa, both teams scored in the first seven minutes, before the Nighthawks tallied the game-winner in the 81st minute and held off a furious late WWU rally…WWU leads the all-time series vs. NNU 37-2-1, with a 20-0-1 mark in home games (6-0-0 at Harrington Field)…loss earlier this season in Nampa snapped a 18-game winning streak and 31-match unbeaten stretch.
• Seattle Pacific: WWU dropped both games vs. SPU during the regular season, a 1-0 defeat in overtime on October 9 in Seattle and a 3-0 loss on October 21 at Harrington Field…WWU is 0-3-0 vs. the Falcons in the last three meetings after holding a 21-game unbeaten streak from 2013-2021…the all-time series is even at 21-21-7, with WWU going 12-9-2 in home games vs. the Falcons (7-1-1 at Harrington Field).
• Simon Fraser: The Vikings swept the season series vs. SFU, winning 2-1 on two late goals in Burnaby Mountain in the GNAC opener on September 23 and won 2-0 in Bellingham on October 16…WWU leads the all-time series 32-17-3 with a 20-game winning streak dating back to the 2011 season…Western also has a 24-game unbeaten streak vs. SFU (22-0-2) and is 15-8-1 all-time in home games in the series (6-0-0 at Harrington Field).

 

Since Harrington Field debuted on the south edge of the WWU campus in 2014, the Vikings are 68-3-4 (.933) playing in front of the home crowd. WWU had a 32-game unbeaten streak (29-0-3) at Harrington Field snapped vs. Seattle Pacific (previous home loss - Oct. 28, 2017 vs. Concordia). Including the men's program, WWU's soccer teams have a combined record of 103-23-13 at Harrington Field (.788 winning percentage) since the on-campus facility debuted. The Vikings are 8-1-0 at Harrington Field in postseason play, with the lone loss a 1-0 setback in the 2014 NCAA II Championships.

 

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

 

• The Record – Went 13-3-3 during the regular season (8-1-1 home, 5-2-2 away).
• GNAC – Finished 2nd in the conference standings with a 10-3-1 record (31 points).
• Brace for Killman – Jenna Killman has recorded a trio of 2-goal games and is tied for 2nd in the GNAC with 9 goals (4th with 20 points).
• GNAC Championships – Vikings are five-time GNAC Tournament champions and advanced to the finals in all eight seasons of the event…own an all-time 13-1-2 record in the GNAC Championships.
• Spreading the Wealth – 13 players have combined to score the 36 goals (also one own goal).
• All GNAC – Placed 7 players on the All-GNAC team, including five first-teamers and Newcomer of the Year Tera Ziemer.
• Academics – Led the conference with 22 selections to the GNAC All-Academic Team.
• Harrington Success – Owns all-time 68-3-4 all-time playing at the on-campus facility that debuted in 2014 (.933 winning pct).
• Shutouts – Recorded 11 shutouts in 19 games to tie for 11th-most in NCAA II…had 18 shutouts in 26 games in 2019 and 4 in 7 games during 2021 spring season.
• Ziemer Goals – Tera Ziemer (Texas A&M transfer) has scored six goals to tie for 5th in the GNAC.
• Eversaul's Goals – All-American Grace Eversaul has three goals this season…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 56 career wins, most in program history…28 shutouts are 3rd-most by a WWU goalkeeper and 5th-most among active NCAA II players…current active leader in NCAA II with career 0.50 goals against average.
• Dependable Doyle – Darby Doyle has appeared in 95 career games, the most caps in WWU history…has scored 39 career points (14 goals, 11 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…WWU played 2nd in 2021.
• 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 278-76-33 (.761) as the Western women's head coach…6th among active NCAA II head coaches with a .761 winning percentage (entering season)…owns 403 career wins including time with WWU men's soccer.
• Senior Day – The annual Senior Day was held prior to the regular-season home finale vs. Montana State Billings on October 23…WWU honored 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.
• 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.

 

The October 16 win over Simon Fraser marked the 400th career victory for WWU head coach Travis Connell, who now has 276 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.

 

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. 13 in the current United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Poll, moving up one spot from No. 14 last week. WWU has been ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation this season and spent four consecutive weeks in the top 10. WWU has now been listed in 74 consecutive national polls dating back to the middle of the 2014 season, with 29 weeks as a top-5 team. WWU is also listed No. 2 in the final West Regional ranking.

 

WWU has won 100 of its last 120 games dating back to the start of the 2016 national championship season, going 100-12-8 (.867) during this stretch. The program has won seven of the last nine GNAC regular-season titles (last in 2019), four of the last five GNAC Tournaments (last in 2019) 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 18 consecutive winning seasons for one of the top-10 longest active streaks in NCAA II.

 

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.

 

Through the first 19 games, WWU has allowed 11 goals in 1,775 minutes for a .558 goals against average to rank 2nd in the GNAC and No. 21 in NCAA II. The Vikings have out-scored opponents 36-11 overall and 30-9 in GNAC games. WWU is also tied for 11th in the nation with 11 shutouts.

 

The Vikings calling card in recent years has been a strong defense. Over the last 10 seasons the program has combined for a .463 goals against average, including a NCAA-leading mark of 0.341 in 2019. Sinc