LACEY, Wash. – The No. 14 nationally-ranked Western Washington University women's soccer team opened a four-game road trip with a 2-1 victory over Saint Martin's University Thursday at SMU Soccer Field.

 

The Vikings extended their unbeaten streak to eight consecutive games (6-0-2) and tallied a third straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory with first-half goals by junior Estera Levite and freshman Morgan Manalili.

 

WWU improved to 7-1-3 overall and remains in first place in the GNAC with 19 points and a 6-0-1 conference record.

 

"It is always a challenge going on the road in the GNAC and today we got off to a good start and were able to hold on," said WWU head coach Travis Connell. "Saint Martin's made some good adjustments and got a goal on a counter attack…and made things interesting. We did enough to hold them off and get a victory."

 

Levinte got the scoring started in the 7th minute connecting on a pass from Manalili at the 6:19 mark. Junior defender Kascia Muscutt instigated the build-up to the goal with a throw-in and a few juke moves, finding Manalili who serviced the ball towards the far post where Levinte bounced a header past the goalkeeper for her second goal of the season. 

 

Manalili added what ended up being a key insurance goal just over 11 minutes later at the 16:55 mark, connecting on a low left-footed shot that bounced through the box eluding the SMU goalkeeper for her team-leading fourth goal of the season.

 

"Morgan is getting better and better every time she steps on the field and I expect her to continue this upwards trend," added Connell. "We have talent throughout our roster and our freshman have grown with each game."

The Saints (3-6-1, 1-5-1) closed the gap to one goal when in the 68th minute when Maria Pagnotta used the outside of her foot to arch a shot over WWU goalkeeper Claire Henninger for her fourth goal of the season to tie Manalili for second-most in the GNAC.

 

The Vikings held a lopsided 23-8 advantage in shots with a 11-3 edge in shot on goal. Henninger made a pair of saves while logging all 90 minutes in goal and SMU goalkeeper Soph Mendoza recorded nine saves.

 

WWU (7-1-3, 6-0-1 GNAC) returns to action Saturday with the second of four consecutive road games facing Simon Fraser University on Saturday in Burnaby (2 pm). 

 

"We have to be present in what we are doing through this stretch of road games," said Connell. "We are already starting to prepare for Simon Fraser on Saturday. There are no easy wins on the road in the GNAC. It will take another good performance and preparation on Saturday."

 

The game vs. the Red Leafs will stream live online with a direct link available to watch at wwuvikings.com/Live.

 

#14 Western Washington 2, Saint Martin's 1

Date: October 6, 2022

Field: SMU Soccer Field   Site: Lacey, WA

Attendance: 78

 

Goals by period              1  2    Tot

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

#14 Western Washington.....  2  0  -  2

Saint Martin's.............  0  1  -  1

 

SCORING SUMMARY:

1.       6:19     WWU     Levinte (Manalili)

2.      16:55     WWU     Manalili (Muscutt)

3.      67:10     SMU     Pagnotta (Kimura)

 

Shots: WWU 23, SMU 8

Shots on Goal: WWU 11, SMU 3

Saves: WWU 2 (Henninger – 2), SMU 9 (Mendoza – 9)

Corners: WWU 8, SMU 2

Fouls: SMU 9, WWU 8

Offsides: WWU 7, SMU 0

Kits: WWU (Navy), SMU (Red)

Records: WWU (7-1-3, 6-0-1), SMU (3-6-1, 1-5-1)

 

The Vikings extended their winning streak to 20 consecutive games over the Saints and 25-2-1 all-time against Saint Martin's…the last four meetings vs. SMU have all been by a one-goal margin of victory (previous three 1-0)…improved to 12-2-0 all-time in games played in Lacey…two teams meet again October 29 in the regular-season finale at Harrington Field.

 

The Vikings continue a string of four consecutive road games Saturday crossing the border to face Simon Fraser with kickoff scheduled for 2 pm at Terry Fox Field at SFU Stadium. WWU remains on the road next week facing Seattle Pacific and Montana State Billings before ending the regular season with four consecutive home games at Harrington Field. Links on how to follow the Vikings in all games are available via wwuvikings.com/22_WSOC.

 

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 7-1-3 on the season and 6-0-1 in GNAC play following the 2-1 win over Saint Martin's:

 

 

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 1981, and most recently four in 2009, 2010 and 2014 (WWU has three this season).

 

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). 

 

The Western Washington University women's soccer program has risen to the top of the Division II ranks, with a string of nine consecutive appearances in the NCAA Championships. WWU has advanced to the NCAA II Final Four in four of the last eight seasons and played for the West Region championship in eight of the last nine seasons (six consecutive). The Vikings played for the 2019 national title and won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2016 with an undefeated 24-0-1 record, beating three-time defending national champion Grand Valley State 3-2 in the title game in Kansas City, Missouri. Including the national championship run, the Vikings put together a 39-game winning streak (4th-longest in NCAA II history) and a 40-game unbeaten streak. The program has claimed seven of the last nine Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season titles and won four of the last five GNAC Tournament titles (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019). Head coach Travis Connell is in his 20th season leading the program in 2022 (27th overall at WWU) and has led the Vikings to 11 trips to the NCAA Championships (9 straight) and 28 consecutive winning seasons. He picked up his 400th career victory October 16, 2021 vs. Simon Fraser. WWU finished the 2019 season with a 23-3-0 record, winning the West Regional title and played in the national championship game falling 1-0 to Grand Valley State. Over the last eight seasons (since 2015), the Vikings have combined for a 130-17-11 (.855) record. WWU's 179 wins during the 2010s decade were the 6^th-most out of 1,043 NCAA women's soccer programs.