BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's soccer team returns to Harrington Field to play three consecutive conference games at home, beginning with match-ups this week hosting Montana State Billings and Northwest Nazarene.

 

WWU takes its sterling 3-1-0 record at Harrington Field into the stretch of home games, looking to move up in the GNAC standings. The Vikings are 4-5-2 overall and are tied for 5th place in the GNAC table with four points at 1-3-1 in league play. Counting this week's home action vs. MSUB and NNU, Western has seven remaining regular-season games.

 

The Vikings were idle last weekend after last taking the pitch on October 12, a 2-1 loss at conference co-leader Western Oregon. After going 3-1-1 during a four-game stretch from September 14-October 5, the Vikings have dropped their last two games.

 

Thursday's match vs. MSUB will be under the lights at Harrington Field with a 7 pm kickoff, followed by a 4 pm match Saturday vs. Northwest Nazarene. Prior to the match vs. NNU, The Foundation for WWU & Alumni will host a pair of pregame parties with a student tailgate in the C Lots and a Bunker Party near the entrance to Harrington Field.

 

Statistically the Vikings lead the conference averaging 15.45 shots per game, but are 6th with 1.18 goals per game. WWU's defense has been stingy all season ranking 2nd with a 1.00 goals against average and four shutouts. Sophomore striker Albin Jonsson is tied for 9th in the GNAC with 11 points and tied for 7th with five goals. Senior goalkeeper Brandon Locke is listed 2nd in the conference with a 1.00 goals against average and with four shutouts.

 

The complete 2023 season schedule – complete with links to follow all the matches, statistics and player bios – can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/23_MSOC.

 

 

News and notes on the 2023 WWU Men's Soccer team:

 

• The Record – 4-5-2 overall, 1-3-1 GNAC, 3-1-0 at Harrington Field, 1-4-2 on the road.
• Last Week – In last game on October 12 was defeated 2-1 on the road at Western Oregon
• Stingy Defense – Ranks 2nd in the GNAC with a team 1.00 goals against average.
• Harrington Field – 3-1-0 at home this season and 10-2-3 in last 15 games at Harrington Field.
• In the Net Albin – Sophomore forward Albin Jonsson leads the team with five goals this season and has tallied 14 goals in 29 games as a Viking…six career game-winning goals with three this season.
• Between the Pipes – Senior goalkeeper Brandon Locke has started all 11 games and played every minute this season…recorded four shutouts to rank 2nd in the GNAC and bring his career total to 15 to tie for 3rd-most in program history…22 career GK victories are 4th-most in program history.
• Captains – WWU has a trio of captains this year, seniors Brandon Locke, Theo Steinmetz and Mitchell Hutter.
• GNAC Preseason Poll – Selected to tie for 1st place in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll with Simon Fraser.
• Rotter Brothers – Andrew (junior) and Ryan (sophomore) Rotter are brothers…both have started all six games this season with Andrew scoring a pair of goals (1 assist) and Ryan tallying a pair of assists.
• Free Student Tickets – All home games will offer free admission for current WWU students thanks to a partnership with WECU and The Foundation for WWU & Alumni.
• The Gaffer – Greg Brisbon is in his 11th season as head coach of the WWU men's program and 23rd associated with Western soccer…owns all-time head coaching record of 91-62-26 (.581).

 

WWU closes out the three-game homestand next Thursday hosting Western Oregon at 4 pm in the opening game of a Viking Soccer Doubleheader, with the women's team also hosting WOU at 7 pm at Harrington Field. The Vikings then make the short trek down to Seattle Saturday night to face rival Seattle Pacific in a 7 pm game at Interbay Stadium.

 

Through four home games this season, the Vikings are averaging 381 fans per game at Harrington Field, a mark that ranks 5th among NCAA Division II men's soccer programs across the country and tops among West Region teams.

 

Join friends, family, alumni and program supporters at a pregame Bunker Party on Saturday, October 21 for some fun, food and celebration prior to the WWU vs. NNU game that kicks off at 4 pm. The event begins at 2:30 pm and your registration and ticket purchase gains entrance to the Bunker Party, two drink tickets, heavy appetizers and your ticket to the game. The Bunker party will stay open during the game until 5:30. Visit wwuvikings.com/MS_BunkerParty for registration information.

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A post shared by Western Washington University (@westernwashingtonuniversity)
 

The Foundation for WWU & Alumni will host a student tailgate on Saturday, October 21 from 2-4 pm just north of Harrington Field in the C Lots. This free student event will feature free hot dogs, games and Viking swag. Invite your friends, get your WWU gear ready and stay for the game vs. Northwest Nazarene to cheer on the Vikings. Students are encouraged to register at foundation.wwu.edu.

 

The Vikings are 3-1-0 in four home games at Harrington Field this season, while going 1-4-2 away from Bellingham. With seven regular-season games remaining, Western is scheduled to play four at home and three on the road.

 

Here is a look at the GNAC schedule and standings heading into the fourth week of conference play:

 

 

Here is a look at the series history between the Vikings and opponent this week:

 

• MSU Billings: WWU leads the all-time series 23-11-3 dating back to the first meeting in 1998…Vikings have a current seven-game unbeaten streak vs. MSUB going 5-0-2 since the 2018 season…Western swept the season series in 2022 recording a 2-0 road shutout and 3-0 blanking at Harrington Field.
• Northwest Nazarene: WWU leads the all-time series 20-9-4 with a 10-3-2 home record vs. the Nighthawks…NNU has had the upper hand in the series of late going 3-1-1 in last five meetings since 2021…two teams played to scoreless draw September 30 in Nampa earlier this season.

 

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

 

 

All home matches will stream live on YouTube via Vikings TV. Additionally, every away GNAC match will feature a webcast on YouTube produced by the visiting team. To watch WWU home matches on your Smart TV, navigate to the YouTube application and search for WWU Athletics, or for away games search for the opposing school's YouTube channel (example: WOU Athletics). All WWU links to follow the Vikings online can be found online, but be sure to bookmark the following links for easy access:

 

• Vikings TV (WWU home matches)
• GNAC Live Streams
• Direct Link to watch WWU matches (wwuvikings.com/MS_Watch)
• Direct Link to follow WWU matches via live stats (wwuvikings.com/MS_Stats)

 

Senior goalkeeper Brandon Locke has appeared in 40 career games in goal for the Vikings since debuting during the 2019 season. Locke has recorded 15 shutouts to rank tied for 3rd in program history (record is 18) and currently has the lowest Goals Against Average (0.79) of any Viking goalkeeper and highest save percentage (.803).

 

Sophomore forward Albin Jonsson leads the team and is tied for 7th in the GNAC with five goals through the first 11 games of the season. Jonsson recorded three goals over a four-game stretch, including a brace against Regis, and is credited with the game-winning goal in three of WWU's four victories this season. In 29 games as a Viking over the last two seasons, Jonsson has scored 14 goals (6 GW goals) and credited with six assists. The 14 goals are already tied for 17th-most in WWU men's soccer history and 34 points are tied for 20th. 

 

The complete 2023 WWU Men's Soccer schedule can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/23_MSOC and single-game tickets can also be purchased online via wwuvikings.com/Tickets. New for the 2023-24 season for all intercollegiate sports will be FREE STUDENT TICKETS at all regular-season home events!

 

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

 

 

The 2023 roster features a pair of brothers in junior forward Andrew Rotter and sophomore midfielder Ryan Rotter. The Rotter brothers join their older brother, Christian, who starred for the Vikings from 2016-19 appearing in 72 games while totaling 42 points with 13 goals and 16 assists.

 

The Vikings are led by three co-captains in 2023 with seniors Brandon Locke, Theo Steinmetz and Mitchell Hutter all taking reigns of team leadership.

 

Since moving home games to Harrington Field on the south edge of campus in 2014, the Vikings have combined to go 45-22-12 for a .646 winning percentage (3-1-0 in 2023, 7-1-3 in 2022). WWU is 28-10-5 at Harrington Field over the last five seasons (since 2018). Combining with the WWU women's team, both programs have combined to go 128-27-18 (.792) playing at Harrington Field (7-1-1 this season).

 

In his 11th season as head coach and 23rd associated with WWU soccer, head coach Greg Brisbon returns 15 letterwinners, including seven starters, from the 2022 squad that went 12-4-3 overall and were in contention for the GNAC title until the final game of the season with an 8-4-0 mark in conference play. The Vikings are just two full seasons removed from playing in the 2019 NCAA Championships and are in the midst of a strong eight-season stretch (since 2016) combining to go 66-40-19 (.604) with a 42-22-11 (.633) record in GNAC play. Brisbon owns an all-time head coaching record of 91-62-26 (.581). He is assisted in 2023 by Chuck Pitts, Matt Zigulis and Kyle Langowski.

 

Fans can follow WWU men's soccer online at WWUVikings.com/MSOC, and via social media on Twitter (@SoccerWWU), Instagram (@wwu_msoccer) and Facebook (@WWUsoccermens).

 

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 nine of the last 10 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 63 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 71 GNAC All-Academic selections over the last six years.