MONMOUTH, Ore. – The No. 24 nationally-ranked Western Washington University men's soccer team has had knack for late-game goals this season…and received another one Thursday with a game-winning goal by senior Alessandro Tomasi in the 85th minute to lift the Vikings to a 1-0 road win over Western Oregon University.

 

Tomasi's game-winner came less than a minute after his penalty kick attempt was saved by WOU goalkeeper Juan Suarez. Sophomore defender Jacob Sundberginitiated the goal with a throw-in from the left sideline to junior center back Mitchell Hutter, who chested the ball to Tomasi just outside the six-yard box with the senior slotting his left-footed shot off the far post and into the back of the net for his third goal of the season.

 

The Vikings improved to 9-1-3 overall and remain in at least a tie for first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with 15 points at 5-1-0. Western Oregon dropped to 1-8-2 overall and 0-5-1 in GNAC play.

 

"I am really proud of the team today," said WWU head coach Greg Brisbon. "With all the extra distractions the found a way to get three points on the road. This is a difficult place to play but we again found a way to win."

 

WWU recorded its GNAC-leading seventh shutout of the season, two off the single-season program record. Senior goalkeeper Patrick Restum notching a career-high eight saves for his GNAC-leading sixth shutout of the season. The senior made a pair of saves back-to-back late in the 13th minute and a diving save off a free kick at the 85:38 mark that he directed off the crossbar to keep the Vikings in the lead.

 

The Wolves out-shot the Vikings 15-12, but WWU was efficient with its 12 shots placing 11 on goal. Suarez made 10 saves for WOU.

 

The Vikings (9-1-3, 5-1-0 GNAC) return home to Harrington Field hosting Northwest Nazarene on Saturday with kickoff between the two GNAC frontrunners scheduled for 7 pm. The complete 2022 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/22_MSOC.

 

The Vikings have scored 24 goals in 13 games this season (1.85 goals per game), with 14 coming in the second half and seven in the 80th minute or later.

M⚽️ | Watch the game-winning goal by Alessandro Tomasi to lead @SoccerWWU to a 1-0 victory over Western Oregon. pic.twitter.com/NyHHDE3XhV
— WWU Athletics (@WWUAthletics) October 13, 2022

 

#24 Western Washington 1, Western Oregon 0

Date: October 13, 2022

Field: WOU Soccer Field   Site: Monmouth, OR

Attendance: 93

 

Goals by period               1  2    Tot

-----------------------------------------

#24 Western Washington......  0  1  -  1

Western Oregon..............  0  0  -  0

 

SCORING SUMMARY:

1.       84:20     WWU     Tomasi (Hutter, Sundberg)

 

Shots: WOU 15, WWU 12

Shots on Goal: WWU 11, WOU 8

Saves: WWU 8 (Restum – 8), WOU 10 (Suarez - 10)

Corners: WWU 9, WOU 4

Fouls: WWU 13, WOU 13

Offsides: WOU 1, WWU 0

Kits: WWU (Navy), WOU (White)

Records: WWU (9-1-3, 5-1-0), WOU (1-8-2, 0-5-1)

 

WWU improved to 2-0-0 all-time vs. Western Oregon following Thursday's 1-0 victory in its first trip to Monmouth…the Vikings blanked WOU 2-0 on September 24 on goals by Albin Jonsson and Alessandro Tomasi.

 

WWU hosts Northwest Nazarene on Saturday at Harrington Field (7 pm). The complete 2022 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/22_MSOC.
 

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

 

 

Here is a look at the Vikings 2022 season schedule and results. WWU is 9-1-3 on the season and 5-1-0 in GNAC following Thursday's road win over Western Oregon:

 

 

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 (currently have three ties).

 

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 60 GNAC All-Academic selections over the last six years.