BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's soccer team scored all of its goals in the first half, two in the first 12 minutes, rolling to a 3-1 victory in quarterfinal action of the NCAA Division II Soccer Championships on Saturday afternoon at Harrington Field on the WWU campus.
The win advances Western to the Final Four at Seattle on Dec. 1-3 at Interbay Stadium as part of the Fall Championships Festival. It is the fifth trip to the national semifinals for the Vikings, who improved to 17-2-4 with their sixth consecutive victory. Ranked No. 10 nationally, they had advanced by capturing the program's fifth West Region championship title two days earlier with a 1-0 win over Concordia Irvine.
Western scored at 1:50 and 11:50 of the opening half, junior forward Estera Levinte earning assists on both goals, her seventh and eighth of the season.
Freshman midfielder Morgan Manalili opened the scoring in the second minute, finishing a cross from Levinte into the lower right side of the net. It was Manalili's team-leading 10th goal of the season, with four coming in the postseason and five in the last six games.
Ten minutes later Jayden Nguyen notched her first goal of the year, finding the net from 25 yards out after taking a short cross from Levinte. Nguyen looked to cross the ball into the box, but neatly-placed ball found the right side netting for her first goal of the season.
The Vikings made it 3-0 at 34:18 with senior All-American Tera Ziemer punching it in on a corner kick by freshman Emily Rice.
Western posted a 17-13 edge in shots, with an 11-5 advantage in the first half. The Vikings had two point-blank shots on goal in the last 1:30 of the first half and four more excellent opportunities midway through the second half.
Western goalkeeper Claire Henninger was credited with four saves.
Colorado Mines, the South Central Region champion, finished its campaign at 18-2-3. The Orediggers' lone goal came with 25:30 remaining as Afton Rasco scored on assists by Reese McDermott and Ellise Putnam.
Two identical twin sisters faced each other in the contest, Morgan Manalili for Western and midfielder Kaitlyn for Colorado Mines.
Western also won national quarterfinal games in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2019. In 2016, the Vikings defeated Colorado Mines 5-1 in the quarters in Golden, Colorado en route to winning the national championship.
With the victory, Western remained perfect in national quarterfinal action across all sports since joining the NCAA for the 1998-99 school year. The Vikings are now 16-0, with women's soccer going 5-0 (2012, 2013, 2015, 2019, 2022), volleyball 4-0 (2007, 2015, 2018, 2021), men's basketball 3-0 (2001, 2012, 2013), women's basketball 3-0 (2000, 2013, 2022) and men's golf (2013) all winning at the quarterfinal stage of the NCAA Championships. Additionally, women's rowing has advanced to the grand finals in all 18 trips to the DII Championships.
WWU has won 10 NCAA national titles (Women's Rowing-8, Men's Basketball-2012, Women's Soccer-2016) and 11 total team national titles (Softball-1998 NAIA).
FINAL FOUR NEXT UP FOR THE VIKINGS
The Vikings improved to 5-0 all-time in national quarterfinal games and will be making their fifth trip to the NCAA II Championships Tournament (Final Four). WWU has made previous Final Four trips to Evans, Georgia (2013), Pensacola, Florida (2015), Kansas City, Missouri (2016) and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (2019)…and now Seattle. The Vikings won the 2016 national title and played in the championship game in 2019.
While WWU is making its fifth national championships tournament appearance (Final Four), this is the first Fall Championships Festival for the Vikings. A rotating event held every four years, WWU will be part of an event hosted by Seattle Pacific University and the Seattle Sports Commission with NCAA Division II national championships held for men's and women's cross country (Chambers Bay Regional Park – University Place), women's field hockey (Renton Memorial Stadium), men's and women's soccer (Interbay Stadium) and volleyball (Royal Brougham Pavilion).
2022 NCAA Championships National Quarterfinal
Western Washington 3, Colorado School of Mines 1
Date: November 19, 2022
Field: Harrington Field Site: Bellingham, WA
Attendance: 460 Weather: 48-degrees, Sunny and Clar
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
--------------------------------------------
Colorado School of Mines..... 0 1 - 1
Western Washington........... 3 0 - 3
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 1:50 WWU Manalili (Levinte)
2. 11:50 WWU J. Nguyen (Levinte)
3. 34:18 WWU Ziemer (Rice)
4. 64:30 CSM Rasco (McDermott, Putnam)
Shots: WWU 17, CSM 13
Shots on Goal: WWU 10, CSM 5
Saves: WWU 4 (Henninger – 4), CSM 7 (Wolf - 7)
Corners: CSM 3, WWU 2
Fouls: WWU 8, CSM 4
Offsides: WWU 2, CSM 2
Kits: WWU (Black), CSM (White)
Records: WWU (17-2-4), CSM (17-2-4)
National Ranking: WWU (#10), CSM (#9)
Here is a look at Western's record breakdown for the 2022 season:
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2022 RECORD BREAKDOWN
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Overall Record
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17-2-4
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Streak
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W6
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Home
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9-1-1
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Away
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7-1-3
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Neutral
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1-0-0
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GNAC Record
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11-1-2
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Non-Conference
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6-1-2
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Postseason
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6-0-0
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Ranked Opponents
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4-1-1
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Scoring First
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17-1-1
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Opponent Scores First
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0-1-2
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Lead at the Half
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13-1-2
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Tied at the Half
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3-1-2
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Trail at the Half
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1-0-0
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Record by Kit
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White
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3-0-1
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Navy
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3-1-1
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Light Blue
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7-1-1
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Black
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4-0-1
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Since Harrington Field debuted on the south edge of the WWU campus in 2014, the Vikings are 79-5-5 (.916) playing in front of the home crowd (9-1-1 in 2022). WWU had a 32-game unbeaten streak (29-0-3) at Harrington Field snapped vs. Seattle Pacific early in the 2021 season (previous home loss - Oct. 28, 2017 vs. Concordia). The Vikings are 13-2-0 at Harrington Field in postseason play, hosting NCAA games in 2014 (0-1-0), 2015 (3-0-0), 2016 (1-0-0), 2017 (1-0-0), 2019 (2-0-0), 2021 (1-0-0) and 2022 (3-0-0), and GNAC Championships games in 2016 (1-0-0) and 2021 (1-1-0). Including the men's program, WWU Soccer has a combined record of 120-26-17 (.788) at Harrington Field.
The Vikings are playing in their 10th consecutive NCAA Division II Championships and appearing in its 12th overall NCAA postseason in program history. WWU played for the national title in 2019, are 5-0 all-time in national quarterfinal games and 2-2 in national semifinal contests. The program owns an all-time 26-9-1 record in NCAA Championships play (5-1 in 2019, 1-1 in 2021, 3-0 in 2022), winning at least one game in 10 of 12 trips to the NCAA postseason. WWU was crowned national champion in 2016 with a 24-0-1 record, capped by a 3-2 victory over Grand Valley State in Kansas City, Missouri.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS GAME-BY-GAME
WWU is 26-9-1 all-time its 12 trips to the NCAA Championships, recording at least one win in 10 of 12 appearances. Here is a game-by-game rundown of the Vikings in the NCAA Championships:
2006 (0-1):
Lost to UC San Diego, 4-0
2008 (1-1):
Defeated Cal State Dom. Hills, 1-0
Lost to Seattle Pacific, 1-0 (OT) - West Region Final
2012 (2-1):
Defeated Cal Poly Pomona, 2-1 (OT)
Defeated Sonoma State, 2-1 (OT)
Lost to UC San Diego, 2-1 (OT) – West Region Final
2013 (3-1):
Defeated Seattle Pacific, 2-0
Defeated Cal State San Bernardino, 1-0 – West Region Final
Defeated St. Edward's 2-0 - National Quarterfinal
Lost to West Florida, 2-1 (OT) – National Semifinal
2014 (0-1):
Lost to Stanislaus State, 1-0
2015 (3-1):
Defeated Seattle Pacific, 1-0
Defeated Azusa Pacific, 1-0 – West Region Final
Defeated Dallas Baptist, 3-1 - National Quarterfinal
Lost to Grand Valley State, 3-2 – National Semifinal
2016 (5-0):
Defeated Central Washington, 2-0
Defeated UC San Diego, 2-1 (OT) – West Region Final
Defeated Colorado Mines, 5-1 - National Quarterfinal
Defeated Kutztown, 3-0 - National Semifinal
Defeated Grand Valley State, 3-2 – National Championship Game
2017 (1-1):
Defeated Sonoma State, 2-0
Lost to UC San Diego, 2-0 – West Region Final
2018 (2-0-1):
Defeated Sonoma State, 1-0
Defeated Concordia, 3-2 (OT)
Tied UC San Diego, 0-0 (2OT) – lost 4-1 on PK – West Region Final
2019 (5-1):
Defeated Stanislaus State, 1-0
Defeated Cal State LA, 1-0 (2OT)
Defeated Point Loma, 1-0 – West Region Final
Defeated Dixie State, 3-0 – National Quarterfinal
Defeated Flagler, 2-0 – National Semifinals
Lost to Grand Valley State, 1-0 (2OT) - National Championship Game
2021 (1-1):
Defeated Point Loma, 1-0
Lost to Seattle Pacific, 2-1 – West Region Final
2022 (3-0):
Defeated Point Loma, 1-0
Defeated Concordia Irvine, 1-0 – West Region Final
Defeated Colorado School of Mines, 3-1 – National Quarterfinal
2022 WWU WOMEN'S SOCCER SCHEDULE
Here is a look at the Vikings 2022 season schedule and results following Saturday's NCAA National Quarterfinal victory over Colorado School of Mines:
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Overall: 17-2-4 GNAC: 11-1-2 Home: 9-1-1 Away: 7-1-3 Neutral: 1-0-0
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DATE
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OPPONENT
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LOCATION / VENUE
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KICKOFF
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Aug. 25 (Thur.)
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Puget Sound
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Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
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W, 2-0
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Aug. 30 (Tue.)
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Concordia Irvine
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Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
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T, 1-1
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Sept. 3 (Sat.)
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at #20 Sonoma State
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Rohnert Park, CA (Seawolf Soccer Field)
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L, 2-1
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Sept. 6 (Tue.)
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at #13 Point Loma
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San Diego, CA (PLNU Soccer Field)
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T, 1-1
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Sept. 11 (Sun.)
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Colorado School of Mines
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Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
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Canceled
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Sept. 15 (Thur.)
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Simon Fraser GNAC
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Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
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W, 3-0
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Sept. 17 (Sat.)
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at #19 Western Oregon GNAC
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Monmouth, OR (WOU Soccer Field)
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W, 3-2
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Sept. 22 (Thur.)
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at Central Washington GNAC
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Ellensburg, WA (Tomlinson Stadium)
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W, 3-0
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Sept. 24 (Sat.)
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at Northwest Nazarene GNAC
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Nampa, ID (NNU Soccer Field)
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T, 0-0
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Sept. 29 (Thur.)
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Montana State Billings GNAC
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Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
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W, 2-0
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Oct. 1 (Sat.)
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Seattle Pacific GNAC
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Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
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W, 1-0
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Oct. 6 (Thur.)
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at Saint Martin's GNAC
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Lacey, WA (Saints Field)
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W, 2-1
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Oct. 8 (Sat.)
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at Simon Fraser GNAC
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Burnaby, BC (Terry Fox Field at SFU Stadium)
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W 2-0
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Oct. 13 (Thur.)
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at Seattle Pacific GNAC
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Seattle, WA (Interbay Stadium)
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W, 3-0
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Oct. 15 (Sat.)
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at Montana State Billings GNAC
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Billings, MT (Yellowjacket Soccer Field)
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W, 3-0
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Oct. 20 (Thur.)
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at Central Washington GNAC
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Ellensburg, WA (CWU Soccer Field)
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T, 1-1
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Oct. 22 (Sat.)
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#25 Northwest Nazarene GNAC
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Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
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W, 1-0
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Oct. 27 (Thur.)
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Western Oregon GNAC
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Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
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L, 2-1
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Oct. 29 (Sat.)
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Saint Martin's GNAC
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Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
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W, 3-0
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2022 POSTSEASON SCHEDULE
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Nov. 3 (Thur.)
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Simon Fraser GNAC Semifinal
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Nampa, ID (NNU Soccer Field)
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W, 3-0
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Nov. 5 (Sat.)
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Northwest Nazarene GNAC Final
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Nampa, ID (NNU Soccer Field)
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W, 1-0
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Nov. 12 (Sat.)
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#18 Point Loma NCAA 2nd Round
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Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
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W, 1-0
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Nov. 17 (Thur.)
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Concordia Irvine NCAA 3rd Round
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Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
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W, 1-0
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Nov. 19 (Sat.)
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#9 Colorado Mines NCAA Quarterfinal
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Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
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W, 3-1
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Dec. 1-3
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NCAA Championship Finals
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Seattle, WA (Interbay Stadium)
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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 10 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Championships. WWU has advanced to the NCAA II Final Four in five of the last nine seasons and played for the West Region championship in nine of the last 10 seasons (seven 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 eight of the last 10 Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season titles (2022 Champions) and won five of the last seven GNAC Tournament titles (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022). Head coach Travis Connell is in his 20th season leading the program in 2022 (27th overall at WWU) and has led the Vikings to 12 trips to the NCAA Championships (10 straight) and 19 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 140-18-13 (.857) record.
