BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's soccer team opens Great Northwest Athletic Conference play this week with a pair of road matches.
 
The Vikings (2-5-0, 0-0-0 GNAC) travel to play at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday (6 pm MT/5 pm PT) and Saint Martin's on Saturday (3:30 pm). The two road matches to open conference play conclude a season-high five-game road trip that included a three-game trip to Hawai'i (1-2-0).
 
WWU is the defending GNAC champions after winning the 2019 league title with a 10-1-1 record. The Vikings were picked by a preseason vote of the league's head coaches to place 2nd in the conference.
 
Following the matches at NNU and SMU, the Vikings return home to Harrington Field where they will host five consecutive contests in Bellingham. The five-game homestand begins by hosting Simon Fraser University on Saturday, October 9 with kickoff scheduled for 7 pm at Harrington Field.
 
Senior midfielder Drew Farnsworth is the reigning GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after his two-goal, two-assist, six-point performance in Hawai'i and is tied for 2nd in the conference with three goals scored.
 
WWU's 17-match regular-season schedule can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/21_MS.
 

THIS WEEK IN WWU MEN'S SOCCER
Thursday, September 30	Live Coverage
at Northwest Nazarene  »  6 pm MT/5 pm PT  »  Nampa, ID  »  NNU Soccer Field	📊 LiveStats   🎥 Webcast
Saturday, October 2	Live Coverage
at Saint Martin's  »  3:30 pm  »  Lacey, WA  »  Saints Field	📊 LiveStats   🎥 Webcast

  Here is a look at the series history between the Vikings and the upcoming opponents:
 

• Northwest Nazarene: WWU leads the all-time series vs. NNU 19-6-3 with a current four-game winning streak and seven-game undefeated stretch (5-0-2)…owns a 10-4-1 all-time record in matches played in Nampa.
• Saint Martin's: WWU leads the all-time series vs. Saint Martin's 19-7-2, which includes a current three-game winning streak and five-game undefeated stretch (4-0-1)…current two-game winning streak in Lacey, after dropping four straight from 2015-18…7-6-1 all-time in road matches vs. the Saints.

  WWU has recorded a record of .500 or better in eight of the last nine seasons, and boasts a 45-28-12 (.600) record over the last six seasons (2016-21). WWU has qualified for the NCAA Division II Championships in two of the last four seasons (2016 & 2019) and won the 2019 GNAC title with a 13-5-1 overall record and 10-1-1 mark in GNAC play.
  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).
 

  The Vikings were predicted to finish 2^nd in the 2021 GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll. Simon Fraser received a total of 34 points and four first-place votes, edging out WWU, which received 31 points and the remaining two first-place votes in the preseason coaches poll. Coming off a third-place finish in 2019, Seattle Pacific enters 2021 picked third with 21 points. The Falcons are followed by Montana State Billings with 18 points. Rounding out the poll is Northwest Nazarene and Saint Martin's with 11 points each. Here is a look at the complete 2021 GNAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll:
 

2021 GNAC PRESEASON MEN'S SOCCER COACHES POLL
Rank	School (1st Place Votes)	2019 Record (Finish)	Points
1.	Simon Fraser (4)	11-4-1 (8-3-1, 2nd)	34
2.	Western Washington (2)	13-5-1 (10-1-1, 1st)	31
3.	Seattle Pacific	7-9-1 (6-6-0, 3rd)	21
4.	Montana State Billings	8-9-2 (5-6-1, 4th)	18
5.	Northwest Nazarene	7-11-0 (3-9-0, 7th)	11
	Saint Martin's	9-8-2 (4-7-1, 5th)	11
Votes awarded on 6-5-4-3-2-1 basis

  Greg Brisbon is in his ninth season as the head coach of the men's soccer program and his 21st overall associated with WWU soccer. Brisbon has directed the Vikings to a 70-50-19 (.572) record, securing his spot as the program's all-time winningest coach by percentage. Prior to taking over as the head coach of the men's program, Brisbon spent the previous 12 seasons as an assistant coach with the Vikings, including eight as the associate head coach. He was the 2016 GNAC co-Coach of the Year and the outright 2019 GNAC Coach of the Year. He has guided the Vikings to the only two NCAA Tournament appearances in program history (2016, 2019) and his program has excelled in the classroom with 43 GNAC All-Academic selections over the last four seasons. He is assisted by fifth-year coach Kyle Segebart, as well as Matt Zigulis and Kyle Langowski.
  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 ninth-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 is its 42nd varsity season in 2021, and has recorded an overall record at or above the .500 mark in eight of the last nine 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 58 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.