BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The No. 24 nationally-ranked Western Washington University men's were dealt just its second defeat of the season in a 2-0 loss to Northwest Nazarene University Saturday evening at Harrington Field.

 

The Vikings allowed a pair of first-half goals and were unable to get on the scoreboard to drop to 9-2-3 overall on the season and 5-2-0 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. NNU gained sole possession of first place in the GNAC with 16 points (9-2-2, 5-1-1 GNAC), one point ahead of WWU's 15 second-place points.

 

"Tonight was a disappointing result. We were not as sharp in the final third as we needed to be, but credit to NNU. They capitalized on their opportunities and were difficult to break down," said WWU head coach Greg Brisbon. "We'll get some much needed rest and get back to preparing for our next game."

 

NNU got on the board first in the 19th minute on a set-piece goal by Braeden Anderson. Jonathan Cardona took a free kick just outside the left side of the 18-yard box and delivered it sharply into the box where Anderson headed it home from close quarters for his first goal of the season.

 

With less than five minutes remaining I the half the Nighthawks scored a key insurance goal to go up 2-0. After a clearance attempt by the Vikings was corralled by NNU, Nestor Serrano took a chance at goal that was blocked by WWU defender Mitchell Hutter, but Jimmy Koufidakis was right there to hammer home the rebound for his third goal of the season.

 

NNU held a 12-10 advantage in shots and 6-4 in shots on goal. 

 

WWU goalkeeper Patrick Restum made three saves after setting a career high with eight saves in Thursday's 1-0 road win at Western Oregon. NNU goalkeeper Sawyer Price made four saves while recording his seventh shutout of the season.

 

The Vikings were playing short-handed without several key starters due to injury, including GNAC leading goal scorer Albin Jonsson, starting defender Theo Steinmetz and starting midfielder Kyota Hiate. 

 

The Vikings (9-2-3, 5-2-0 GNAC) remain at home with one match next week hosting Simon Fraser University on Thursday at Harrington Field (4 pm kickoff). The complete 2022 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/22_MSOC.

 

Northwest Nazarene 2, #24 Western Washington 0

Date: October 15, 2022

Field: Harrington Field   Site: Bellingham, WA

Attendance: 398

 

Goals by period               1  2    Tot

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

Northwest Nazarene..........  2  0  -  2

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

 

SCORING SUMMARY:

1.       18:37     NNU     Anderson (Cardona)

2.       40:20     NNU     Koufidakis (Serrano)

 

Shots: NNU 12, WWU 10

Shots on Goal: NNU 6, WWU 4

Saves: WWU 4 (Restum – 3, Team - 1), NNU 4 (Price - 4)

Corners: NNU 3, WWU 1

Fouls: NNU 13, WWU 8

Offsides: NNU 1, WWU 0

Kits: WWU (Light Blue), NNU (Black)

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

 

WWU is now 20-8-3 all-time vs. Northwest Nazarene with a 10-3-2 record in games played in Bellingham (5-2-1 at Harrington Field). The Vikings are 5-2-0 over the last seven meetings vs. the Nighthawks dating back to the 2018 season.

 

WWU hosts Simon Fraser University on Thursday (Oct. 20) at Harrington Field with kickoff set for 4 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 9-2-3 on the season and 5-2-0 in GNAC following Saturday's 2-0 loss to Northwest Nazarene:

 

 

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:

 

 

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.