BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The No. 24 nationally-ranked Western Washington University men's soccer team is back in action this week with a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference games.

 

After going 1-1-0 last week, the Vikings will have a similar schedule this week with a road match on Thursday at Western Oregon and returning home Saturday hosting Northwest Nazarene on Saturday evening at Harrington Field. 

 

WWU is tied for first place with Northwest Nazarene in the GNAC with a 4-1-0 record, setting up a showdown with the Nighthawks Saturday night. The Vikings will make their first ever grip to Monmouth, Oregon Thursday for an afternoon contest vs. Western Oregon.

 

The Vikings were dealt their first loss of the season last Thursday in a 2-1 setback at Simon Fraser, snapping the 10-game unbeaten streak to begin the season. WWU was one of just eight undefeated teams in NCAA Division II prior to the one-goal defeat on Burnaby Mountain. Western bounced back Saturday night with a back-and-forth 4-3 home win over Saint Martin's to improve to 8-1-3 overall.

 

Western enters the fourth week of the conference slate tied atop the GNAC standings, ranked No. 24 nationally and No. 4 in the West Region. Including this week's games, the Vikings have seven remaining regular-season contests on the schedule (Home: 3, Road: 4).

 

WWU leads the GNAC in shots (14.17 per game), scoring (1.92 goals per game), assists (2.25 per game), shutouts (6) and goals against average (0.92). 

 

Freshman forward Albin Jonsson continues to pace the conference with 18 points, seven goals and three game-winning goals (also tied for the lead with four assists). Sophomore forward Andrew Rotter is tied for seventh with eight points, contributing two goals and tied for the conference lead with four assists. Senior midfielder Dakota Stamnes has also recorded four assists.

 

Senior goalkeeper Patrick Restum is tied for the GNC lead with a 1.00 goals against average and five shutouts. 

Junior center back Mitchell Hutter (995 minutes) has started all 12 games and been a big contributor to the stalwart defensive effort and also scored the game-winning goal vs. Saint Martin's last Saturday.

 

The complete 2022 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/22_MSOC, with direct links to game coverage, season statistics and program history.

 

 

Here is a look at the all-time series history between the Vikings and opponents this week:

 

• Western Oregon: Defeated WOU 2-0 on September 24 at Harrington Field in the first meeting between the two schools…WWU received goals from Albin Jonsson in the first half and a penalty kick goal by Alessandro Tomasi in the second half.
• Northwest Nazarene: First meeting between WWU and NNU this season…two teams also meet November 3 in Nampa, Idaho…Vikings are 20-7-3 all-time vs. the Nighthawks with a 10-2-2 record in games played in Bellingham (5-1-1 at Harrington Field)…WWU is 5-1-0 over the last six meetings vs. NNU dating back to the 2018 season.

 

WWU is tied for 12th in NCAA Division II with a .792 winning percentage (8-1-3) and tied for 33rd with a goal differential of +12 (23-11). Here is where the Vikings are ranked in the updated NCAA Division II Men's Soccer statistical team rankings:

 

 

WWU had an undefeated record through the first 10 games of the season (7-0-3) before droppings its first game 2-1 at Simon Fraser on October 6. Prior to the road loss at SFU the Vikings were one of just eight undefeated programs in NCAA II. It was the best undefeated start to a season in the 43-year history of the program. Here is a look at the best undefeated starts to a season by the WWU men's soccer program:

 

• 2022 (7-0-3) – 10 games
• 1997 (4-0-1) – 5 games
• 1983 (4-0-1) – 5 games
• 2018 (3-0-0) – 3 games
• 1991 (3-0-0) – 3 games
• 1984 (3-0-0) – 3 games
• 2015 (2-0-1) – 3 games
• 2000 (3-0-0) – 3 games

 

Western Washington University is one of only five programs with both its men's and women's soccer teams ranked in the NCAA Division II national top 25. The WWU men are listed No. 24 and the Viking women moved back into the national top 10 this week at No. 7. WWU joins Adelphi (M: 13, W: 19), Fort Hays State (M: 16, W: 23), Mercy College (M: 23, W: 15) and West Florida (M: 21, W: 13) as the five programs with both soccer teams ranked nationally.

 

Here is a look at the current United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Poll (released 10/11). WWU has now been ranked in five consecutive polls for the first time in program history, checking in at No. 24 this week:

 

 

WWU is listed No. 4 in the West Region poll conducted by the United Soccer Coaches. In the Inkblot Sports Super Region 4 rankings projected rankings, WWU is listed No. 9 and carries the No. 8 RPI in the region. The first edition of the NCAA regional rankings is scheduled to be released on October 19:

 

 

Here is a look at Western's record breakdown for the 2022 season:

 

 

The Vikings have scored 23 goals in 12 games this season (1.92 goals per game), with 13 coming in the second half, including six in the 80th minute or later.

 

Freshman forward Albin Jonsson leads the GNAC in scoring, tallying a league-best seven goals and 18 points, also adding four assists to his season total. Three of his six goals have been of the game-winning variety this season to tie for the GNAC lead. In addition to pacing the GNAC in offensive stats, the native of Skellefteå, Sweden is tied for 10th in NCAA II in game-winning goals and 32nd in total goals (7) and 24th in points (18).

 

The 2022 roster features a pair of brothers in sophomore forward Andrew Rotter (transfer from St. Mary's College) and freshman midfielder Ryan Rotter (true freshman out of Auburn Mountainview High School). The Rotter brothers join their older brother, Christian, who starred for the Vikings from 2016-19 appearing in 72 games while totaling 42 points with 13 goals and 16 assists.

 

Since moving home games to Harrington Field on the south edge of campus in 2014, the Vikings have combined to go 40-20-12 for a .639 winning percentage (5-0-3 in 2022). WWU is 23-8-5 at Harrington Field over the last five seasons (since 2018). Combining with the WWU women's team, both programs are 114-24-17 (.790) playing at Harrington Field.

 

WWU has recorded six shutouts in 12 games to rank tied for 14th in the nation in overall shutouts. The team .917 goals against average is tied for 35th in NCAA II and and leads the GNAC. The WWU single-season record for shutouts is nine set in 2001 and the goals against average season team record is 0.69 in 2013.

 

Fifth-year seniors Teagan Eldridge and Gus Diehl will serve as the team captains for the Vikings during the 2022 season. The senior duo has combined to play in 137 matches (Eldridge – 69, Diehl – 68) since arriving in the program as freshman during the 2018 season.

 

Senior co-captains Gus Diehl and Teagan Eldridge are among the program leaders in career games played and are aiming to join the WWU all-time top 10. The current record is 79 games played by Chris Jepson (2004-09) and the record for career starts by a position player is 74 by Drew Farnsworth (2017-21). Diehl has started all 68 games of his career. Here is a look at the current top 17 for career games played by position players in WWU history:

 

 

Here is a look at the Vikings 2022 season schedule and results following last week's 1-1-0 performance. WWU is 8-1-3 overall and off to a 4-1-0 start in GNAC play:

 

 

Here is a look at GNAC table and how the conference's seven teams have fared heading into this week's schedule of the fourth week of league play. WWU is currently tied for place in the GNAC with 12 points at 4-1-0:

 

 

The WWU men's soccer team continued its academic success with 11 student-athletes earning a spot on the 2022 Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic Team. Seniors Teagan Eldridge and Gus Diehl headlined the 11 selections becoming the first four-time GNAC Academic All-Stars in program history. Eldridge carries a 3.72 GPA as a Physical Education/Health major and Diehl has maintained a 3.94 GPA as he nears completion of his Finance and Accounting degree. Western has now placed at least 10 players on the GNAC All-Academic team in each of the last six years, combining for 71 academic all-conference honors during this stretch beginning in 2017.

There are likely to be a lot of tie games this season with new NCAA soccer rules for 2022 which eliminates overtime during the regular season. Any match that is tied at the 90-minute mark will now end that way, which means no overtime or golden goal scenarios. In the postseason, there will be overtime but no more golden goal; teams will play two full 10-minute extra periods regardless of any goals and if it is still tied, the advancing team will be decided on penalty kicks. Just for kicks, the WWU single-season record for ties is five set in 2017.

 

Freshman forward Albin Jonsson earned the offensive player of the week honor for September 19-25 after scoring three goals in two games to lead the Vikings to a pair of wins to open GNAC play. The native of Sweden recorded a brace in the 5-2 road victory at Saint Martin's and had the game-winning goal in the 2-0 home win over Western Oregon.

 

Senior goalkeeper Patrick Restum was selected as the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week for games played September 12-18. Restum, a senior from Okemos, Michigan, made seven saves while recording a pair of shutouts during the week with a 2-0 victory over Concordia University Irvine and a 0-0 tie against Point Loma Nazarene.

 

Here is a look at the complete Great Northwest Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll for the 2022 season with the Vikings picked to finish 2nd in the GNAC:

 

 

In his 10th season as head coach and 22nd associated with WWU soccer, head coach Greg Brisbon returns 16 letterwinners, including seven starters, from the 2021 squad that went 7-8-2 overall and were in contention for the GNAC title until the final game of the season with a 5-3-2 mark in conference play. The Vikings are just one full season removed from playing in the 2019 NCAA Championships and are in the midst of a strong seven-season stretch (since 2016) combining to go 57-31-17 (.624) with a 36-15-10 (.672) record in GNAC play. Brisbon owns an all-time head coaching record of 83-54-24 (.590). He is assisted in 2022 by 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).

 

The Western Washington University men's soccer program is led by head coach Greg Brisbon, who has spent over 20 seasons affiliated with WWU Soccer. The Vikings won the 2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship, the third league trophy in program history, and advanced to the NCAA II Championships for the second time. The program is in its 43rd season in 2022 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 71 GNAC All-Academic selections over the last six years.