BURNABY, BC – The Western Washington University women's soccer team extended its winning streak to four consecutive matches with a 2-1 road victory over Simon Fraser University Saturday evening at Terry Fox Field.

 

The Vikings improved to 7-3-3 overall and remain in second place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings with a 5-1-2 mark (17 points). WWU has won its last four games to solidify its spot at the top of the GNAC table. 

 

Sophomore midfielder Morgan Manalili recorded her first career brace, now netting 13 goals in 38 career games. 

 

With the teams locked into a scoreless game through the first half, Manalili put the Vikings up 1-0 early in the 59th. Sophomore forward Claire Potter crossed the ball into the middle of the box from the sideline, with Manalili connecting on a glanced header into the right side of the goal.

 

Just over seven minutes later, Manalili extended the lead to 2-0 with her second goal of the game. The sophomore placed her free kick from 30 yards out perfectly into the right upper corner.

 

SFU got a goal back at the 74:00 mark after a corner kick chance bounced around the box and was put home by Kaiden Sherwood from close quarters.

 

WWU's defense held off three shots on goal over the last 15 minutes to record the victory. The Vikings have allowed one or fewer goals in eight consecutive games.

 

SFU dropped to 4-4-2 overall and 3-4-1 in GNAC play. The Red Leafs recorded a 5-3 advantage in shots on goal over the Vikings, with WWU holding a 9-7 edge in total shots.

 

The Vikings (7-3-3, 5-1-2 GNAC) remain on the road next week completing their string of four consecutive road games, traveling to play at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday (7 pm MT) and Central Washington on Saturday (12 pm). The complete 2023 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/23_WSOC.

 

Western Washington 2, Simon Fraser 1

Date: October 14, 2023

Field: Terry Fox Field   Site: Burnaby, BC

Attendance: 135

 

Goals by period                 1  2    Tot

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

Western Washington............  0  2  -  2

Simon Fraser..................  0  1  -  1

 

SCORING SUMMARY:

1.      58:01     WWU     Manalili (Potter)

2.      65:21     WWU     Manalili (Free Kick)

3.      74:00     SFU     Sherwood

 

Shots: WWU 9, SFU 7

Shots on Goal: SFU 5, WWU 3

Saves: WWU 4 (Henninger – 1, Trengove - 3), SFU 1 (Loewen – 1)

Corners: WWU 5, SFU 5

Fouls: SFU 10, WWU 6

Offsides: WWU 2, SFU 2

Kits: WWU (Black), SFU (White)

Records: WWU (7-3-3, 5-1-2), SFU (4-4-2, 3-4-1)

 

WWU swept the season series vs. SFU winning the GNAC opening game 2-0 on September 21 in Bellingham. The Vikings have now won 25 consecutive matches vs. the Red Leafs and are unbeaten in the last 29 games (27-0-2). Western leads the all-time series 37-17-3.

 

Here is a look at the updated GNAC standings through the fourth week of the conference season with the Vikings in 2nd place in the table with 17 points (5-1-2):

 

 

Here is a look at Western's record breakdown for the 2023 season:

 

 

Here is a look at the Vikings 2023 schedule and results:

 

 

The complete 2023 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/23_WSOC. Single-game tickets for the 2023 season are currently on sale via wwuvikings.com/Tickets. New for the 2023-24 season is FREE tickets for current WWU students to all regular-season home sporting events.

 

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 and a pair of national championships in 2016 and 2022. 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 won the 2022 title with a 2-1 win over No. 1 nationally-ranked West Chester, 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. 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 21st season leading the program in 2023 (28th overall at WWU) and has led the Vikings to 12 trips to the NCAA Championships (10 straight) and 19 consecutive winning seasons. Over the last nine seasons (since 2015), the Vikings have combined for a 149-21-16 record (.844 winning pct.).