GOLDEN, Colo. – Junior midfielder Tera Ziemer scored a pair of second half goals to lead No. 25 nationally-ranked Western Washington University to a season-opening 2-0 victory over Adams State University in a women's soccer non-conference game at Stermole Soccer Stadium.
 
The Vikings dominated the run of play in the game, out-shooting the Grizzlies 32-7 and holding a 11-3 advantage in shots on goal.
 
"I am happy with the result, especially after not playing true counting matches for a long period of time," said WWU head coach Travis Connell. "It was great to see how we competed. There was that hunger and level of competition that we have not been able to experience in a while. We got great contributions throughout the roster. It was a great team victory to open the season."
 
After a scoreless first half, Ziemer, a transfer from Texas A&M, helped the Vikings break through with a pair of goals two minutes apart early in the second half.
 
The first goal came at the 55:23 mark with sophomore forward Estera Levinte sparking the scoring play with a run down the left side of the field. Levinte laid the ball off to open space at the top of the box, where Ziemer found a touch and fired a low right-footed shot to the far post to elude the diving goalkeeper.
 
Just over two minutes later in the 58th minute (57:30), Ziemer recorded the brace with Levinte again playing a hand in the goal. Senior forward Jenna Killman made a run down the right side, firing a cross to junior forward Dayana Diaz. Levinte took a short pass from Diaz from 14-yards out and fired a shot that caromed off the crossbar and a slight goalkeeper deflection. Ziemer volleyed the rebound home to the far post to give the Vikings the 2-0 lead.
 
"It is nice when you join a new team to start off on a good foot…and Tera is a quality player. I am very happy for her," added Connell. "They were both team goals, and Tera took advantage of it and did a great job finishing."
 
Senior All-American goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx made three saves to record her 22nd career shutout and the WWU defense limited Adams State to only seven shots.
 
Despite firing 15 shots (5 on goal) in the first half, the game was scoreless at the half.
 
"We created a ton of chances today, and the thing that clicks last with teams is that technical sharpness in the final third," said Connell. "That is to be expected early in the season, and we are just going to keep getting better and better at converting those chances."
  The Vikings (1-0) remain will face Colorado School of Mines Saturday in a 7 pm MT/6 pm PT contest in Golden. WWU is 2-1-0 all-time vs. Mines, and now 3-1-0 all-time at Stermole Soccer Stadium. Western defeated the Orediggers 5-1 in the 2016 NCAA II National Quarterfinal en route to winning the national title.
  The Vikings improved to 22-15-5 in the opening game of a season in the 42-year history of the program. WWU is undefeated in its last nine season openers, going 7-0-2 during this stretch dating back to the 2013 season.
   

Western Washington 2, Adams State 0
Date: September 2, 2021
Field: Stermole Stadium    Site: Golden, CO

Goals by period            1  2    Tot
-----------------------------------------
Western Washington.......  0  2  -  2
Adams State..............  0  0  -  0

SCORING SUMMARY:
1.      55:23       WWU    Ziemer (Levinte)
2.      57:30       WWU    Ziemer (Levinte)

Shots: WWU 32, ASU 7
Shots on Goal: WWU 11, ASU 3
Saves: WWU 3 (Dierickx - 3), ASU 9 (Beers – 9)
Corners: WWU 9, ASU 2
Fouls: WWU 8, ASU 4
Offsides: WWU 4, ASU 2
Kits: WWU (all white), ASU (all black)