MONMOUTH, Ore. – The No. 14 nationally-ranked Western Washington University women's soccer team tied Western Oregon University 1-1 in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest Thursday at WOU Soccer Field.
The Vikings got an early own goal 13 minutes into the contest, but were kept off the scoreboard the rest of the way to record their first tie in GNAC play this season. WOU got a late equalizer with 35-seconds remaining in regulation to push the game into overtime. Both teams played solid defense in extra time resulting in the 1-1 draw.
WWU slipped to 12-3-3 overall and 9-3-1 in GNAC play. Ranked No. 14 nationally and No. 2 in the West Region, WWU has already qualified for the upcoming GNAC Championships that will be held November 11-13 in Bellingham. Western Oregon kept its playoff hopes alive improving to 5-9-3 overall and 4-6-3 in GNAC play.
"I loved our effort today. We battled hard as we normally do which was great to see," said WWU head coach
Travis Connell. "Good teams keep learning. Today was a tough lesson, but we are a resilient group and I am looking forward to our response on Saturday."
The Vikings went up 1-0 on an own goal by the WOU defense in the 13th minute. Defender
Makenzie Burks lofted a high and curling corner kick from the right side, with the header deflection by Lilly Nowatzke shooting backwards into the net for the Western goal.
Western Oregon tied the game with just 35 seconds remaining in regulation. Erika Moreno took a free kick from about 35-yards out on the left side of the field, sending a high-arching ball into the box where Hannah Rispler headed it into the back of the net for the equalizer.
The Vikings held a decisive 24-12 advantage in shots, but shots on goal were 10-8 with a slight advantage to WWU.
Senior goalkeeper
Natalie Dierickx tied her season high with seven saves for the second consecutive game.
WOU goalkeeper Olivia Holdenried made nine saves for the Wolves.
UP NEXT
The Vikings (12-3-3, 9-3-1 GNAC) conclude the regular season on the road Saturday at Saint Martin's with a 2:30 pm kickoff in Lacey. WWU has locked in one of the four spots for the 2021 GNAC Women's Soccer Championships that will be played November 11-13 at Harrington Field, with the Vikings playing the 7 pm match on Thursday, November 11. The complete 2021 season schedule, complete with live coverage links, can be viewed online at
wwuvikings.com/21_WSOC.
QUICK STATS
#14 Western Washington 1, Western Oregon 1 (2 OT)
Date: November 4, 2021
Field: WOU Soccer Field Site: Monmouth, OR
Att: 128
Goals by period 1 2 OT OT Tot
--------------------------------------------------------
#14 Western Washington............ 1 0 0 0 - 1
Western Oregon.................... 0 1 0 0 - 1
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 12:59 WWU Own Goal
2. 89:25 WOU Rispler (Moreno)
Shots: WWU 24, WOU 12
Shots on Goal: WWU 10, WOU 8
Saves: WWU 7 (Dierickx - 7), WOU 9 (Holdenried - 9)
Corners: WWU 13, WOU 3
Fouls: WOU 17, WWU 11
Yellow Cards: WOU 1, WWU 1
Offsides: WWU 2, WOU 1
Kits: WWU (Black), WOU (Red)
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. WESTERN OREGON
Finished the regular season 1-0-1 vs. the Wolves also winning 2-1 on September 25 in Bellingham. Extended the unbeaten streak to 13 consecutive games vs. WOU (11-0-2) but had 9-game winning streak snapped. Dating back to the 2006 season, WWU leads the series 27-1-2 and is 39-6-2 all-time vs. Western Oregon (15-5-2 in Monmouth).
GNAC STANDINGS
Here is a look at the updated GNAC standings following play on Thursday, with WWU remaining in second place in the standings with 28 points. WWU, SPU and Northwest Nazarene have clinched three of the four spots in the 2021 GNAC Championships that will be held Nov. 11-13 at Harrington Field in Bellingham.
| GNAC STANDINGS |
CONF |
PTS |
OVERALL |
PCT |
HOME |
AWAY |
NEUTRAL |
STREAK |
| 1. |
Seattle Pacific*+ |
11-1-1 |
34 |
14-1-1 |
.906 |
7-0-0 |
7-1-1 |
0-0-0 |
Won 5 |
| 2. |
Western Washington* |
9-3-1 |
28 |
12-3-3 |
.750 |
8-1-1 |
3-2-2 |
1-0-0 |
Tied 1 |
| 3. |
Northwest Nazarene* |
8-3-2 |
26 |
10-3-3 |
.719 |
6-0-2 |
4-3-1 |
0-1-0 |
Won 1 |
| 4. |
Simon Fraser |
5-7-1 |
16 |
4-10-2 |
.313 |
3-4-0 |
1-6-2 |
0-0-0 |
Lost 1 |
| 5. |
Western Oregon |
4-6-3 |
15 |
5-9-3 |
.382 |
4-3-2 |
1-5-1 |
0-1-0 |
Tied 1 |
| 6. |
Montana State Billings |
4-7-2 |
14 |
7-8-3 |
.472 |
6-2-1 |
0-6-2 |
1-0-0 |
Lost 1 |
| 7. |
Central Washington |
3-10-0 |
9 |
4-13-0 |
.235 |
2-5-0 |
1-6-0 |
1-2-0 |
Lost 2 |
|
Saint Martin's |
3-10-0 |
9 |
4-13-0 |
.235 |
4-4-0 |
0-9-0 |
0-0-0 |
Won 1 |
| * Clinched spot in GNAC Championships Nov. 11-13 in Bellingham; + clinched regular-season championship |
| Thursday's GNAC Results |
#14 Western Washington 1, at Western Oregon 1 (2 OT)
at Saint Martin's 3, Simon Fraser 0
at Seattle Pacific 6, Central Washington 1
at Northwest Nazarene 3, Montana State Billings 2 |
FOLLOW THE VIKINGS
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).
ABOUT WWU SOCCER
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 picked up his 400th career victory October 16 vs. Simon Fraser. 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 6th-most out of 1,043 NCAA women's soccer programs.
