BELLINGHAM, Wash. – In a match between two of the top teams in the West Region, 110 minutes was not enough to decide a winner as No. 8 nationally-ranked Western Washington University and No. 22 Point Loma battled to a 1-1 tie Monday evening in front of 678 fans at Harrington Field.
 
The Vikings completed a tough non-conference schedule undefeated at 3-0-2, while the Sea Lions also remained undefeated at 3-0-1 while having their three-game winning streak snapped.
 
WWU also kept its Harrington Field unbeaten streak alive, extending to 27 consecutive games without a loss on its home field (24-0-3) dating back to the 2017 season.
 
In a rematch of the 2019 West Regional Championship, the fast and physical contest was evenly contested with WWU holding a slim 12-10 advantage in shots and a 4-3 edge in shots on goal. The Vikings did not allow a goal in the run of play, with PLNU scoring on a penalty kick for its only goal of the game in the 18th minute. Point Loma committed 18 fouls (to WWU's 8) and had one yellow card.
 
"Point Loma is a very good team – fast and physical – and presented us with a number of challenges in a great match tonight," said WWU head coach Travis Connell. "They did a good job preparing for us, and it took us a long time to turn things in our favor, but we did and I am proud of the group for how they responded and fought back. There were some gutty performances today in a tough, physical game that wasn't always going our way. I love the character of the team. These types of games make us better as a team."
 
The Vikings had the first scoring opportunity in the seventh minute when forward Dayana Diaz drew a foul in the box by Jordyn Rodriguez. Diaz took the penalty kick, but PLNU goalkeeper Emma Hinson dove low to her right to save the shot.
 
Point Loma drew a penalty of its own in the 18th minute on a foul by Katie Watt, and Emma Thrapp delivered a go-ahead goal at the 17:53 mark drilling her shot to the left of diving WWU goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx.
 
WWU answered less than three minutes later on a set piece, when Sophie Butterfield touched home the equalizer on a perfectly-delivered free kick by Makenzie Burks from just inside the right sideline.

W⚽️ | Another look at the Vikings first half goal off the dangerous set piece delivery by Makenzie Burks and the finish in traffic by Sophie Butterfield. 1-1 at the half.

WWU 1 | 1 PLNU
HALF#WeAreVikings x #GoViks pic.twitter.com/ZAbTIcqy5S
— WWU Athletics (@WWUAthletics) September 21, 2021
  

 
The game remained tied at half and through the final 45 minutes of regulation, with Western holding a 4-3 advantage in shots in the second stanza. The defensive battle continued through both 10-minute overtime periods before ending in a draw.
 
Dierickx made a pair of saves in goal for the Vikings, while Hinson had three stops for the Sea Lions.
 
Halfway through a stretch of four games in eight days, the Vikings head into Great Northwest Athletic Conference play traveling across the border Thursday to face Simon Fraser (0-3-1) in a 5 pm match Terry Fox Field at SFU Stadium in Burnaby. WWU returns to Harrington Field on Saturday hosting Western Oregon at 2 pm.
 
"It is just another opportunity to play this game that we love," added Connell on starting GNAC play as the two-time defending conference champions (won 7 of last 8 league regular-season titles). "We have a deep team and we look forward to opening conference play on Thursday at SFU."
 

#8 Western Washington 1, #22 Point Loma 1 (2 OT)
Date: September 20, 2021
Field: Harrington Field   Site: Bellingham, WA
Weather: 60-degrees, Pleasant    Attendance: 678

Goals by period            1  2  OT  Tot
-----------------------------------------
#22 Point Loma...........  1  0  0  -  1
#8 Western Washington....  1  0  0  -  1

SCORING SUMMARY:
1.      17:53     PLNU    Thrapp (Penalty Kick)
2.      20:49     WWU     Butterfield (Burks)

Shots: WWU 12, PLNU 10
Shots on Goal: WWU 4, PLNU 3
Saves: WWU 2 (Dierickx - 2), PLNU 3 (Hinson – 3)
Corners: PLNU 6, WWU 3
Fouls: PLNU 18, WWU 8
Offsides: WWU 3, PLNU 2
Kits: WWU (Navy/White), PLNU (White)

  WWU continues to lead the all-time series 2-0-1 vs. Point Loma, defeating the Sea Lions 2-1 in double overtime in the 2018 season opener and 1-0 in the 2019 West Region Championship at Harrington Field.
  The Vikings (3-0-2) continue a busy week playing the third match of a stretch of four games in eight days, opening GNAC play on Thursday with a road match at Simon Fraser in Burnaby, BC (5 pm). WWU hosts Western Oregon on Saturday at Harrington Field with kickoff scheduled for 2 pm. The full 2021 season schedule, complete with live coverage links, can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/21_WSOC.
  Since Harrington Field debuted on the south edge of the WWU campus in 2014, the Vikings are 62-2-4 (.941) playing in front of the home crowd. WWU has a current 27-game unbeaten streak (24-0-3) at Harrington Field dating back to the end of the 2017 season (last home loss - Oct. 28, 2017 vs. Concordia). Including the men's program, WWU's soccer teams have a combined record of 93-21-13 at Harrington Field (.783 winning percentage) since the on-campus facility debuted.

What an amazing crowd at Harrington Field tonight for this college soccer showcase featuring two ranked teams!!!!! Thanks for showing up and showing out Viking fans! 💙⚽️ pic.twitter.com/ykW2dwf2nz
— WWU Athletics (@WWUAthletics) September 21, 2021
 

  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).