BELLINGHAM, Wash. – It doesn't matter if it is spring or fall, when Western Washington and Seattle Pacific square off on the pitch you now there is a chance for an instant classic.
 
Two of the premier Northwest college soccer programs lived up to that billing on a rainy Saturday afternoon on Harrington Field, where a few twists and turns resulted in a 4-4 tie after 110 minutes of rivalry soccer.
 
Dynamic sophomore forward Estera Levinte recorded her second career brace, with freshman forward Zola Carbone and junior forward Dayana Diaz also finding the back of the net for the Vikings.
 
"It was a gutsy performance and I am really happy with how we responded in the second half and came out with a lot of determination and put in a good performance," said WWU head coach Travis Connell. "We continue to learn who we are and today was a great step forward against a good opponent. These games are just so good for both teams, pushing each other to be better. It is hard to find this level of competition during this crazy spring, with no championship at the end, so a game like this is like a playoff-type game. We are fortunate to play in a game like this where a lot of growth happens."
 
The Falcons entered the match a perfect 5-0-0 and unscored-upon, while WWU has been building up fitness playing just two spring games.
 
SPU took early control of the game with two first-half goals, looking to record its first win over the Vikings since 2012, a span of 20 contests where WWU had a 17-0-3 record in the series.
 
Now make that 21 consecutive games where the Vikings have not been defeated by the Falcons.
 
Western answered with four second-half goals, the final one with 16 ticks left on the scoreboard in regulation, to force overtime. Both teams wagered a defensive battle in the two 10-minute overtime periods with the game ending in a 4-4 tie.
 
The tie did snap a 13-game winning streak by the Vikings in the series, but Western is still undefeated against SPU over the last 21 meetings (18-0-3) and continue to lead the all-time series 21-18-6. Both programs have won a NCAA Division II National Championship, most recently WWU in 2016, and SPU in 2008.
 
SPU (5-0-1) scored two goals in the first 20 minutes of the contest, with Chloe Gellhaus opening the scoring in the 12^th minute of play and Sophia Chilczuk adding to the lead in the 19^th minute.
 
Coming out of halftime, SPU had a 2-0 lead and to that point had out-scored opponents 24-0 on the season, but the Vikings pressed hard to begin second half and got on the board with a goal by sophomore forward Estera Levinte in the 52^nd minute on a glancing header off a free kick from junior defender Caylie Etherington.
 
The goal by Levinte snapped a string of nearly 502 consecutive scoreless minutes by the Falcons…and the Vikings didn't stop there.
 
Junior forward Dayana Diaz tied the game in the 67^th minute with a clinical finish inside the right post and Levinte gave WWU the lead with a thunderous 32-yard left-footed strike in the 74^th minute that curled into the upper right corner.
 
Not to be outdone, the Falcons scored a pair of goals over a four minute span to retake the lead at 4-3. Makena Rietz scored at the 74:19 mark – just one minute after Levinte's go-ahead goal – off a loose ball in the box that scooted under WWU reserve goalkeeper Abigail Trengove. Just over three minutes later Mariah Alexander found a loose ball in the box and beat Trengove for the go-ahead score.
 
Facing potential defeat vs. the Falcons for the first time since October 27, 2012, the Vikings found a bit of last-second magic when freshman forward and Bellingham native Zola Carbone knocked home a loose ball in the box with 16 seconds remaining to force overtime. The game-tying goal was set up by a high swinging pass into the box by junior defender Sophie Butterfield.
    WWU (1-0-2) is back in action on Wednesday (April 28) with a neutral-site game vs. Western Oregon at Harmony Sports Complex in Vancouver, Washington. The game is scheduled to kickoff at 2:30 pm. There will be no live webcast or live stats for the match vs. the Wolves.
 

Western Washington 4, Seattle Pacific 4 (2 OT)
Date: April 24, 2021
Field: Harrington Field    Site: Bellingham, WA
Weather: 50-degrees, Light Rain
 
Goals by period            1  2  OT    Tot
--------------------------------------------
Seattle Pacific..........  2  0   0  -  4
Western Washington.......  0  2   0  -  4
 
SCORING SUMMARY:
1.    11:16   SPU   Gellhaus (Chilczuk)
2.    18:29   SPU   Chilczuk (Neder)
3.    51:40   WWU   Levinte (Etherington)
4.    66:39   WWU   Diaz (Nguyen,J)
5.    73:19   WWU   Levinte
6.    74:19   SPU   Rietz
7.    77:45   SPU   Alexander
8.    89:44   WWU   Carbone (Arnold)
 
Shots: SPU 19, WWU 13
Shots on Goal: SPU 11, WWU 10
Saves: WWU 7 (Dierickx – 5, Trengove - 2), SPU 6 (Travis – 6)
Corners: SPU 3, WWU 2
Fouls: SPU 19, WWU 19

  The Vikings are scheduled to play seven spring games as part of the 2020-21 championship season, with four home matches at Harrington Field, two on the road and one at a neutral site. Here is a look at the complete schedule, which is subject to change at any time. To view the most up-to-date schedule, with direct webcast and live stats links, visit WWUVikings.com/WSOC.
 

Date	Kickoff	Home/Away	Opponent	Location / Result
April 3 (Sat)	1:00 pm	Home	Pacific Lutheran	T, 0-0 (2 OT)
April 20 (Tue)	7:00 pm	Home	Saint Martin's	W, 1-0
April 24 (Sat)	4:00 pm	Home	Seattle Pacific	T, 4-4 (2 OT)
April 28 (Wed)	2:30 pm	Neutral	Western Oregon	Vancouver, WA (Harmony Sports Complex)
May 8 (Sat)	2:00 pm	Away	Central Washington	Ellensburg, WA (CWU Soccer Field)
May 12 (Wed)	7:30 pm	Away	Seattle Pacific	Seattle, WA (Interbay Stadium)
May 22 (Sat)	4:00 pm	Home	Central Washington	Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)