BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's soccer team opens the NCAA Championships Final Four on Thursday facing Columbus State in the National Semifinal at 8 pm at Seattle's Interbay Stadium.

 

The Vikings are making their fifth appearance in the national championships four-team tournament, advancing after winning the program's fifth West Regional title with a 1-0 win over Concordia Irvine and a 3-1 win over Colorado School of Mines in the national quarterfinal at Harrington Field.

 

WWU enters the Final Four with a 17-2-4 overall record and a 5-0 mark in the postseason. The Vikings won the GNAC regular-season title for the ninth time and raised the conference tournament trophy for the sixth time. 

 

ABOUT THE VIKINGS…the Western Washington University women's soccer team is making its fifth appearance in the NCAA Division II Championship Finals…WWU is 17-2-4 overall and 5-0 during the postseason to advance to the Final Four for the fifth time in the last nine seasons…the national semifinals and final will be held at Interbay Stadium in Seattle as part of the D2 Sports Fall Festival…WWU played is just one full season removed from playing in the national title game in 2019 in Pittsburgh and won the 2016 NCAA Division II National Championship.

 

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE…the No. 10 nationally-ranked Vikings will play No. 3 Columbus State (20-2-1) in the 8 pm semifinal on Thursday, December 1, just 87 miles south of Bellingham at Interbay Stadium… over the last 10 seasons WWU has combined to go 8-2-1 at Interbay Stadium.

 

NO STRANGER TO NATIONALS…WWU is making its fifth trip to the national championship finals (Final Four), all over the last nine full seasons since 2013…the Vikings have traveled to the Final Four in 2013 (Evans, GA), 2015 (Pensacola, FL), 2016 (Kansas City, MO), 2019 (Pittsburgh, PA) and now Seattle in 2022…since 2013, the Vikings five trips to the Final Four are second-most behind seven by Grand Valley State (Columbus State is third with three trips).

 

HOW TO FOLLOW…all games during the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Final Four will stream live online on NCAA.com…bookmark wwuvikings.com/WS_Watch for a direct link to the game…fans can also follow the matches via live statistics at wwuvikings.com/WS_Stats.

 

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS…the Vikings are making their 10th consecutive appearance in the NCAA II Championships and the 12th in program history…WWU is 3-0 in the 2022 NCAA Tournament playing all three games at Harrington Field in Bellingham…WWU is 26-9-1 all-time in the NCAA Championships with at least one win in 10 of 12 years…Western has played in seven consecutive and nine of the last 10 NCAA II West Regional Championship games.

 

WEST REGIONAL CHAMPS…won fifth West Regional title in program history joining 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2019 seasons…Vikings have played in each of the last seven West Regional Championship games and nine of the last 10 dating back to the 2012 season.

 

GNAC CHAMPIONS…WWU won its ninth GNAC regular-season championship, the eighth in the last 10 seasons…won sixth GNAC Tournament title in the 10 years of the event.

 

LATELY…heads into the national semifinal with six-game winning streak, out-scoring opponents 12-1 during that stretch…posted a shutout in six of last eight games…hosted NCAA tournament games in the first-second round, West Regional Final and national quarterfinal at Harrington Field.

 

GETTING DEFENSIVE…WWU features one of the top defenses in the nation ranking third in NCAA Division II with a 0.478 goals against average (11 goals allowed) and tied for 2nd with 15 shutouts.

 

VIKING QUICK KICKS…

·         Final Four – Making fifth Final Four appearance and second in the last three seasons.

·         The Record – Vikings are 17-2-4 overall with current six-game winning streak.

·         Always Dancing – WWU is making 10th consecutive NCAA Championships appearance (12th overall).

·         Postseason Ledger – All-time record of 42-11-3 in the postseason (GNAC + NCAA).

·         Short Drive – Bellingham is only 87 miles North of Interbay Stadium in Seattle.

·         GNAC Champions – WWU won its 9th GNAC regular-season title and 6th conferment tournament trophy.

·         Ranked Foes – Have gone 4-1-1 against ranked teams this season.

·         National Champions – WWU won the 2016 NCAA II national championship AND 2019 national runner-up.

·         Freshman Scoring Leader – Morgan Manalili leads WWU with 10 goals, including 6 game-winning goals.

·         Coach Connell – Travis Connell owns a 297-80-37 (.762) career record in 20 seasons leading the Vikings.

 

 

THE ROAD TO SEATTLE…Vikings are 5-0 during the postseason, going 2-0 to win the program's sixth GNAC Championships title and 3-0 so far during the NCAA Championships…hosted NCAA first-second round games at Harrington Field as the No. 2 seed in the West Region…defeated Point Loma (1-0) in the second round and hosted the West Regional Championship game defeating Concordia Irvine (1-0)…improved to 5-0 all-time in national quarterfinal games with a 3-1 win over Colorado School of Mines to punch its ticket to Seattle for the NCAA II Final Four and D2 Sports Festival.

 

SERIES HISTORY VS. TEAMS IN SEATTLE…WWU has not faced any of the three teams that have advanced to the 2022 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championships Final Four.

 

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR…Morgan Manalili was not only a unanimous First Team All-GNAC selection, but earned conference Freshman of the Year honors…also a First Team All-West Region pick and the GNAC Championships MVP…leads the team with 10 goals and 24 total points…recorded six game-winning goals to tie the single-season program record during the NCAA era (since 1998), ranking fifth in NCAA II…scored four goals during the postseason (3 GWG).

 

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR…Morgan Manalili earned First Team All-GNAC honors and was selected as the Freshman of the Year…also a First Team All-West Region pick and the GNAC Championships MVP…leads the team with 10 goals and 24 total points…recorded six game-winning goals to tie the single-season program record during the NCAA era (since 1998), ranking fifth in NCAA II…scored four goals during the postseason, with three game-winning goals.

 

LEVINTE THE PLAYMAKER…Estera Levinte earned All-GNAC and West Region first-team honors…heads into the Final Four with 7 goals and 8 assists for 22 points to rank second on the team…during 2022 postseason (NCAA + GNAC) has four assists and a goal…eight assists are tied for 11th in single-season WWU history and 18 career assists are tied for 12th in program history.

 

POSTSEASON SUCCESS…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…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…crowned NATIONAL CHAMPION in 2016 with a 24-0-1 record, capped by a 3-2 victory over Grand Valley State in the title game at Kansas City, Missouri.

 

AWARDS SEASON…here is a look at awards won by the Vikings players in 2022:

 

·         Tera Ziemer: First Team All-GNAC, D2CCA First Team All-West Region, United Soccer Coaches First Team All-West Region.

·         Morgan Manalili: First Team All-GNAC, GNAC Freshman of the Year, GNAC Tournament MVP, D2CCA First Team All-West Region, United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-West Region.

·         Estera Levinte: First Team All-GNAC, D2CCA First Team All-West Region, United Soccer Coaches First Team All-West Region.

·         Karina Provo: First Team All-GNAC, D2CCA Second Team All-West Region, United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-West Region.

·         Katie Watt: Second Team All-GNAC

·         Claire Henninger: Second Team All-GNAC, United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-West Region.

·         Dayana Diaz: Honorable Mention All-GNAC

·         Asia Hardin: Honorable Mention All-GNAC

·         Travis Connell: GNAC Coach of the Year

 

SUSTAINED SUCCESS…program advanced to play in its fifth NCAA Division II Championships Final Four, all in the last nine seasons (since 2013)…appeared in the national semifinal round in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019 and now 2022 (no championships in 2020)…played in the West Regional championship game in seven consecutive seasons and nine of the last 10 seasons…here is a look at the most appearances in the NCAA D2 Final Four since the Vikings made their first appearance in 2013, with WWU trailing only GVSU:

 

·         Grand Valley State - 7

·         Western Washington - 5

·         Columbus State - 3

·         Bridgeport & Saint Rose - 2

 

THE NATIONAL COACHES POLL…listed No. 10 in the final regular-season edition of the United Soccer Coaches Division II Top 25 poll…mainstay in the national polls appearing in 107 of the last 110 polls (including receiving votes) dating back to the sixth week of the 2012 season…earned final national rankings of #13 (2012), #3 (2013), #17 (2014), #3 (2015), #1 (2016), #8 (2017), #11 (2018), #2 (2019) and #10 (2021).

 

SCORING EARLY…Vikings are 17-1-1 when scoring first this season (0-1-2 when opponent strikes first) and 13-1-2 when holding a halftime lead…in last two NCAA Tournament games vs. CUI and Colorado Mines, the Vikings scored the eventual game-winning goal in the 4th and 2nd minutes, both by freshman midfielder Morgan Manalili.

 

VIKTORIOUS…won 119 of its last 147 games dating back to the start of the 2016 national championship season, going 119-16-12 (.850) during this stretch…won eight of the last 10 GNAC regular-season titles (including 2022), five of the last seven GNAC Tournaments and advanced to the NCAA Championships in each of the last 10 seasons…during the 10-year stretch of consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, reached the West Regional Final nine times and advanced to the NCAA II national semifinals five times (2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2022)…extended current streak to 19 consecutive winning seasons.

 

SUCCESS IN THE QUARTERS…with the 3-1 win over Colorado School of Mines to advance to the Final Four, 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.

 

HARDIN MINUTES MACHINE…freshman defender Asia Hardin has played in all but 90 minutes of the team's 2070 minutes this season…missed the GNAC semifinal for the only dent in a season playing nearly every minute of all 23 games…earned honorable mention All-GNAC honors.

 

CAREER CAPS LEADER…the national semifinal will mark the 100th career collegiate game for senior forward Dayana Diaz…will set the program all-time record for games played, moving past Darby Doyle's 99 career games played (2017-21)…Diaz has recorded 41 total points as a Viking (18 goals, 5 assists), ranking tied for 25th in program history in goals scored and tied for 8th with nine career game-winning goals.

 

ROAD WARRIORS…posted a 8-1-3 record on the road this season, including a stretch of playing five consecutive road games Oct. 6-20 (4-0-1)…first time to play five consecutive road games since Sept. 2-15, 2004…over the last 11 seasons combined to go 97-19-13 (.802) away from Bellingham.

 

CONNELL/SPU CONNECTION…WWU head coach Travis Connell was a four-year letterman for the Seattle Pacific men's soccer team from 1991-95, helping lead the Falcons to 1993 national championship…during his time at SPU the Falcons played their home games off campus with Interbay Stadium debuting in 1997.

 

TOUGH SCHEDULE…played one of the toughest schedules in the nation, ranking No. 20 with a combined opponent record of 188-115-74 (.597)…has played six games against ranked opponents recording a 4-1-1 record.

 

CLEAN SHEETS…tied for 2nd in NCAA II with 15 shutouts, trailing only Wester Chester (16)…recorded at least 14 shutouts in nine of last 10 full seasons…posted a clean sheet in six of last eight games heading into national semifinal…season-high 526:00 scoreless minutes streak snapped in the 65th minute in the national quarterfinal vs. Colorado Mines…junior goalkeeper Claire Henninger ranks 6th nationally with a 0.497 goals against average and 5th with 11 shutouts.

 

STUDENT-ATHLETES…placed 12 student-athletes on the 2022 Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic Team…senior Karina Provo and juniors Claire Henninger and Katie Watt highlighted the 12 selections as three-time award winners…seniors Zola Carbone, Allison Lepp, Gracie Sturdevant, junior Jayden Nguyen and sophomores Chloe Unflat, Ashley Nguyen and Grace Wales were all repeat award winners…senior Tera Ziemer and sophomore Sophie Bearden Croft received the academic award in their first year eligible.

 

HARRINGTON ADVANTAGE…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)…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.

 

FIRST FALL FESTIVAL…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).

 

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING… WWU women's soccer is in its 43rd varsity season in 2022 and owns an all-time record of 524-218-69 for a .689 winning percentage…in 25 seasons playing at the NCAA Division II level, the program has recorded a 346-122-43 record and advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships 12 times…over the last 11 seasons (since 2012), has combined to go 195-25-18 (.857)…established a program and state of Washington collegiate record a 39-game winning streak from Sept. 4, 2016-Oct. 26, 2017, breaking the previous record of 38 consecutive wins set by the 1982-84 Vikings (10 games in 1982, 14 in 1983 and 14 games in 1984)…the streak remains 4th-longest in NCAA II history and the 40-game unbeaten streak is tied for 4th-longest.

 

DOMINATING DEFENSE…a calling card of the WWU program has been defense, with the Vikings ranked 3rd in the nation with a 0.478 goals against average…allowed just 11 goals in 23 games this season, and given up more than one goal in a game just three times this season…over the last 11 seasons (since 2012) combined to record 150 shutouts (in 238 games) with a 0.486 GAA.

 

HOMEGROWN ROSTER…the 2022 roster features 30 players, with 21 from Washington, five from Oregon, two from California, one from Arizona and one from North Dakota.

 

COACH CONNELL…head coach Travis Connell is in his 20th season at the helm of the women's program, and 27th overall at WWU…has a 297-80-37 (.762) record leading the Vikings.

 

TEAM CAPTAINS…senior forward Dayana Diaz and junior goalkeeper Claire Henninger (also a graduate student) are serving as team captains for the Vikings during the 2022 season.

 

FINAL GNAC TABLE…won ninth GNAC regular-season title with an 11-1-2 record in conference play…also won sixth GNAC Tournament title:

 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW…

 

·         The Record – 17-2-4 overall…9-1-1 in home games…8-1-3 away from Bellingham.

·         In the Evergreen State – Compiled a 12-1-2 record in games played in the state of Washington in 2022.

·         League Title – Won 9th GNAC regular-season title, which includes eight in last 10 seasons…also raised GNAC tournament trophy for the sixth time (in 10 championships).

·         Tie Games – Recorded four ties with new NCAA rules, one off the school single-season record of five.

·         Road Warriors – Played five consecutive road games Oct. 6-20 with a 4-0-1 record…first time to play five consecutive road games since Sept. 2-15, 2004.

·         Shaking off the Preseason – Went 1-2-0 during the 2022 preseason exhibition schedule, dropping games to Canadian powerhouses Trinity Western (2-1) and British Columbia (2-0).

·         All GNAC Awards – WWU led the GNAC with eight selections to the 2022 all-conference team, led by first-team selections Estera Levinte, Tera Ziemer, Morgan Manalili (Freshman of the Year) and Karina Provo…Travis Connell was selected as the GNAC Coach of the Year for the seventh time.

·         GNAC Tournament MVP – Freshman Morgan Manalili earned the GNAC Tournament MVP honor becoming the sixth Viking to earn the honor in the 10-year history of the event.

·         Diaz Goals – Senior Dayana Diaz is WWU's active career leader with 18 goals scored (in 99 games/57 starts)…tied for 25th-most goals in program history…tied for first in career games played in WWU history.

·         Levinte's Points – Junior Estera Levinte has tallied 48 career points, with 15 goals and 18 assists…ranks tied for 12th in WWU history with 18 assists and tied for 24th in total points.

·         Henninger's Clean Sheets – Claire Henninger is 5th in the nation with 11 shutouts and ranks 6th with a 0.497 goals against average…in WWU single-season record book GAA is No. 8 and 11 shutouts are T-4th.

·         Harrington Success – All-time 79-5-5 all-time playing at the on-campus facility that debuted in 2014 (.916).

·         Captains – Senior forward Dayana Diaz and junior goalkeeper Claire Henninger are team captains.

·         Always Dancing – Advanced to each of the last 10 NCAA Division II Championships and played in seven consecutive West Regional title matches (9 in last 10 seasons).

·         National Champions – 2016 NCAA II National Championship with a 24-0-1 record…also national runner-up finish in 2019 (23-3-0).

·         GNAC Players of the Week – Four players earned GNAC Player of the Week awards during the 2022 season: Claire Potter (Offense – Sept. 12-18), Estera Levinte (Offense – Oct. 10-16), Karina Provo (Offense – Oct. 17-23), Claire Henninger (Defense, Oct. 17-23).

·         GNAC Team of the Week – Earned a pair of GNAC Team of the Week honors: Sept. 12-18 & Nov. 14-20.

·         Roster Breakdown – The 2022 roster features 30 players, with 21 from Washington, five from Oregon, two from California, one from Arizona and one from North Dakota.

·         The Gaffer – Travis Connell is in his 20th season leading the WWU Women's program (27th at WWU)…owns an all-time 297-80-37 (.762) as the Western women's head coach…owns 422 career wins including time with WWU men's soccer…selected as 2022 GNAC Coach of the Year (his 7th award).

 

WHAT A RUN IT HAS BEEN…dating back to the start of the 2013 season (the last 10 seasons), WWU has compiled an impressive 176-21-18 record for a .860 winning percentage…during this 215-game span the Vikings have won the GNAC regular-season title eight times…among all NCAA Division II programs, the winning percentage since the start of the 2013 is the SECOND-BEST IN THE NATION, trailing only Grand Valley State (108-15-14/.907)…here is a look at the top 10 in D2 by winning percentage since 2013, with the 2021 and 2022 records also listed: