LACEY, Wash.  – The No. 20 nationally-ranked Western Washington University men's soccer team remained unbeaten opening Great Northwest Athletic Conference play with a 5-2 road victory over Saint Martin's University.

 

Freshman forward Albin Jonsson recorded his first career brace with a pair of second-half goals and senior midfielder Dakota Stamnes tallied the game-winner with his first career goal in his 63rd match as a Viking. Jonsson also had an assist for the five-point performance.

 

WWU improved to 5-0-3 overall (1-0-0 GNAC) continuing the best unbeaten start to a season in the 43-year history of the program.

 

The five-goal barrage was the most scored by the Vikings since a 5-1 home win over Seattle Pacific on October 27, 2018 and the most goals scored in a road contest since a 5-0 shutout victory over Northwest Nazarene on October 5, 2018.

 

"This was a very good result for our team today," said WWU head coach Greg Brisbon. "I am proud of our teams approach and execution today to pick up three big points on the road. It was great to score five goals and I think we are starting to click in the attacking portion of the field. We are looking forward to getting back on the field Saturday in front of the home crowd against Western Oregon."

 

WWU held a 19-11 advantage in shots and maximized their shots on goal scoring five of the eight shots on target. 

 

The Vikings got off to a quick start putting the opening goal on the board in the 14th minute when Kaydin Wall connected in front of the net on passes from Lucas Hakamada and Albin Jonsson. 

 

Saint Martin's (0-6-1, 0-1-1 GNAC) found the equalizer eight minutes later when Arjun Gill curled a shot inside the top right framework for his second goal of the season.

 

WWU went right back ahead in the 26th minute on a goal by senior Dakota Stamnes at the 25:58 mark. Stamnes took a feed from Andrew Rotter near the top of the D off the top of the box and driving a low liner into the bottom left corner for his first career goal in his 63rd match as a Viking.

 

The Vikings made it a three-goal first half when Elliott Rains pressed the SMU goalkeeper inside the box after a back pass and blocked the pass with a deflection into the goal with just under three minutes remaining in the half.

 

The Saints cut into their two-goal deficit early in the second half on a header goal by Ethan Jud in the 59th minute, but the Vikings responded five minutes later at the 63:26 mark on Jonsson's GNAC-leading fourth goal of the season. Jonsson took a threaded pass from Kyota Hiate into the box where he beat the goalkeeper with inside the far (left) post.

 

Jonsson recorded the brace with his second goal of the game in the 79th minute, getting behind the SMU defense on a long pass from Theo Steinmetz, beating the keeper one-on-one for his fifth goal of the season.

 

Senior goalkeeper Patrick Restum entered the game as the national NCAA Division II leader with five shutouts and made three saves to help keep the Vikings unbeaten eight games into the season.

 

The Vikings (5-0-3, 1-0-0 GNAC) return home Saturday hosting Western Oregon University under the lights at Harrington Field (7 pm). The complete 2022 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/22_MSOC.

 

#20 Western Washington 5, Saint Martin's 2

Date: September 22, 2022

Field: SMU Soccer Field   Site: Lacey, WA

Attendance: 61

 

Goals by period               1  2    Tot

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

#20 Western Washington......  3  2  -  5

Saint Martin's..............  1  1  -  2

 

SCORING SUMMARY:

1.      13:41     WWU     Wall (Jonsson, Hakamada)

2.      21:31     SMU     Gill (Mendoza)

3.      25:58     WWU     Stamnes (A. Rotter)

4.      42:07     WWU     Rains

5.      58:11     SMU     Jud (Andrade)

6.      63:26     WWU     Jonsson (Hiate)

7.      78:24     WWU     Jonsson (Steinmetz)

 

Shots: WWU 19, SMU 11

Shots on Goal: WWU 8, SMU 5

Saves: WWU 3 (Restum - 3), SMU 3 (Mueller – 3)

Corners: WWU 9, SMU 2

Fouls: WWU 7, SMU 5

Offsides: WWU 5, SMU 2

Kits: WWU (Navy Blue), SMU (White)

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

 

WWU improved to 22-7-2 all-time vs. Saint Martin's extending its winning streak to six consecutive games over the saints (8-game unbeaten streak). Vikings are now 9-6-1 all-time in away games vs. Saint Martin's with a four-game winning streak in Lacey. WWU hosts Saint Martin's at Harrington Field on October 8, where the program owns a 13-1-1 all-time record vs. the Saints in home games.

 

WWU improved to 9-8-4 all-time in GNAC openers with Thursday's 5-2 win over Saint Martin's. WWU opened conference play on the road for the fourth consecutive season (2018, 2019, 2021) and the fifth time in the last six seasons.

 

WWU is undefeated at 5-0-3 through the first eight games of the 2022 season, marking the best undefeated start to a season in the 43-year history of the program. Here is a look at the best undefeated starts to a season by the WWU men's soccer program:

 

• 2022 (5-0-3) – 8 games
• 1997 (4-0-1) – 5 games
• 1983 (4-0-1) – 5 games
• 2018 (3-0-0) – 3 games
• 1991 (3-0-0) – 3 games
• 1984 (3-0-0) – 3 games
• 2015 (2-0-1) – 3 games
• 2000 (3-0-0) – 3 games

 

WWU plays its first GNAC home game of the season Saturday hosting Western Oregon at Harrington Field with kickoff scheduled for 7 pm. Admission for current WWU students will be free. 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:

 

 

 

 

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 five years.