BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's soccer team closes out the abbreviated spring season Saturday hosting rival Seattle Pacific University on Saturday at Harrington Field.

 

Saturday's 1 pm season finale will be a rematch from last Saturday's showdown in Seattle, a 2-1 WWU victory over the Falcons on goals by sophomore forward Alessandro Tomasi and senior forward Alex Whiting. 

 

The Vikings are 3-1-0 during the shortened spring season and carry a three-game winning streak into the final match. WWU opened the spring with a 1-0 loss against Puget Sound, but have battled back to record a pair of wins over Saint Martin's and last Saturday's victory over the Falcons (3-2). The Vikings have also played non-counting scrimmages vs. Seattle Pacific and Seattle University to gain experience during the spring season.

 

"This group has been battled-tested and been through a lot over the last 14 months. Through it all, I am very proud of how they stuck together and remained as a group," said WWU head coach Greg Brisbon. "We were very happy to be able to play in games this winter/spring but didn't realize how much of a challenge it would be both on and off the field with all of the exterior distractions and complications throughout. To be frank, it was quite a rollercoaster mentally that I hope we never have to experience again. But we kept at it and kept getting better individually and as a team throughout the entire time. This is a very mature, determined, smart group of young men. They have handled this altered season remarkably. I am proud to be their coach and look forward at what we can accomplish this fall campaign."

 

The season finale will also be Senior Day at Harrington Field, with four-year letterwinner Georg Cholewa playing his final match as a Viking. The midfielder from Leipzig, Germany has appeared in 57 matches for the Vikings, scoring 14 goals with 17 assists. 

 

Due to Great Northwest Athletic Conference protocols, no fans will be permitted at home or away games. A live webcast will be available for Saturday's match via YouTube at WWUVikings.com/MS_Watch.

 

The Vikings are the defending GNAC Men's Soccer Champions after winning the third conference title in program history with a 13-5-1 overall record and 10-1-1 conference mark in 2019. Head coach Greg Brisbon is in his eighth season leading the program, and 20^th overall associated with WWU soccer. Brisbon has led Western to a 68-45-18 overall record for a .588 winning percentage. 

 

 

WWU will honor and celebrate the great career of senior midfielder Georg Cholewa this weekend, as the German native plays his final match as a Viking. The four-year letterwinner has helped lead the Vikings to a 33-18-7 record since arriving in Bellingham in 2017, and has contributed 14 goals and 17 assists (45 points) in 57 career games (56 starts). Among all-time WWU leaders, Cholewa is currently ranked 13^th in career points, tied for 16^th in goals and 4^th in assists. As a junior in 2019, Cholewa recorded nine assists to tie for 2^nd-most in program single-season history. He was a two-time First-Team All-GNAC (2018-19), three-time overall All-GNAC honoree (honorable mention as a freshman) and two-time Second Team All-West Region (2018-19) selection. Additionally, he was selected as the United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week for games played Oct. 21-27, 2019.

 

"We will miss Georg greatly. Both on and off the field, Georg has helped change and guide the program in a better direction from the first day he arrived," said Brisbon. "We both had great learning experiences and it was a great pleasure to coach Georg and watch him develop into the player he is today. I look forward to seeing what Georg accomplishes in the next 3-5 years and after that."

 

 

WWU trails the all-time series vs. SPU 37-13-8 (according to WWU official records), but the Vikings have had the upper hand in the recent head-to-head meetings. The Vikings have won four consecutive games over the Falcons, including a 2-1 victory last Saturday in Seattle, and wins of 3-1 and 4-0 during the 2019 GNAC championship season. Western has claimed a win in six of the last seven meetings against SPU and is 6-1-2 vs. the Falcons dating back to the 2016 season. WWU head coach Greg Brisbon was a two-year letterwinner for SPU from 1996-97.

 

For the second consecutive week and the third time in the last month, WWU swept the GNAC Men's Soccer Player of the Week awards. Senior forward Alex Whiting (forward) and sophomore goalkeeper Brandon Locke (defense) swept the awards for games played May 3-9, which included the 2-1 road win over Seattle Pacific. Whiting scored the game-winning goal over the Falcons late in the first half and Locke made three saves in 65 scoreless minutes. Additional Viking Player of the Week sweeps during the spring season included Teagan Eldridge (offense) and Camron Miller (Defense) for games April 26-May 2 and Iakov Shmelev (offense) and Mitchell Hutter (defense) April 12-18. Here is a look at the GNAC Players of the Week for the spring 2021 season:

 

 

All WWU home games will feature a webcast that will stream to the official Athletics YouTube Channel at WWUVikingsAthletics. All men's soccer games, home and away, can be watched by pointing your browser to WWUVikings.com/MS_Watch, with the link updated for each game. Each game will also feature live statistical updates at WWUVikings.com/MS_Stats.

 

The 2020-21 championship season features a five-game schedule that will be played in late March, April and early May. Here is a look at the 2021 spring schedule for the Vikings, which is subject to changes and possible game additions. To view the most up-to-date schedule, with direct webcast and live stats links, visit WWUVikings.com/MSOC.

 

 

The Vikings are the defending Great Northwest Athletic Conference champions, taking home the last conference trophy from the 2019 season. WWU finished with a 13-5-1 overall record, tying for the 4th-most wins in program history and the 4th-best winning percentage (.711) in the 40-year history of varsity status of the program. The season marked the third GNAC title in program history, recording a 10-1-1 league record, setting a program record for most conference wins in a season. Advanced to the NCAA II Championships for the second time in program history earning the No. 6 seed in Super Region 4 and topped out at No. 19 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25, marking the second season to appear in the national top 25 in program history (also 2018).

 

Seniors Georg Cholewa (Leipzig, Germany) and Drew Farnsworth (Auckland, NZ) were the focus of a feature story that debuted on GNACSports.com. The international duo talked about coming to Western and describes how they have helped create a winning culture in the program. Cholewa and Farnsworth have been part of 30 wins in their three seasons on the pitch since arriving in Bellingham for the 2017 season. Click in the graphic below to read the full story written by GNAC Communications assistant Kaho Akau.

 

 

For the fourth consecutive season, the WWU Men's Soccer program has placed at least 10 student-athletes on the Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic Team. After setting and tying program records with 11 conference academic awards the last three seasons, WWU had 10 players earn a spot on the 2020-21 GNAC All-Academic Men's Soccer Team presented by Barnes & Noble College. Junior midfielder Gus Diehl (Bellingham, WA/Sehome), junior defender Teagan Eldridge (Enumclaw, WA) and junior goalkeeper Brandon Wolter (Vancouver, WA/Union) became two-time All-Academic selections.

 

 

Fans can follow WWU men's soccer online at WWUVikings.com/MSOC, and via social media on Twitter (@SoccerWWU), Instagram (@wwu_msoccer) and Facebook (@WWUsoccermens). All home matches feature a live webcast, as well as most road matches, with links on how to follow the games available at WWUVikings.com/Live.

 

The Western Washington University men's soccer program is led by eighth-year head coach Greg Brisbon, who has spent over 20 seasons affiliated with WWU Soccer. The Vikings are the defending Great Northwest Athletic Conference champions, winning the 2019 title for the third league trophy in program history, and advanced to the NCAA II Championships for the second time. The program enters its 41^st varsity season, and has recorded an overall record at or above the .500 mark in seven of the last eight seasons, including a 13-5-1 mark in 2019 and 11-6-1 in 2018. In 2016 the Vikings advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships for the first time in program history, using a late-season surge that saw the Vikings 5-0-1 over the last six matches to advance to the postseason. Overall the program has produced 55 GNAC Players of the Week selections, 30 First Team All-GNAC players and 4 GNAC Players of the Year since joining the conference in 2001. Off the field, WWU has built a strong academic reputation with 43 GNAC All-Academic selections over the last four years and the program has earned three consecutive United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Awards.