BELLINGHAM, Wash. – After successfully navigating a grueling four-game road trip with an undefeated record traveling through three states and one province, the Western Washington University women's soccer team will get the chance to close out the regular season at the friendly confines of Harrington Field.

 

The Vikings carry a six-game undefeated streak (5-0-1) into the penultimate week of conference play, with Western currently in second place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings with a 6-1-3 (21 points) record. WWU hosts third-place Western Oregon on Thursday (7 pm) and Saint Martin's on Saturday (1 pm) in conference games this week.

 

WWU recently went 3-0-1 during a four-game road trip playing at Montana State Billings (3-1 win), Simon Fraser (2-1 win), Northwest Nazarene (0-0 tie) and Central Washington (4-0 win) to improve to 8-3-4 overall this season. The Vikings have only one defeat over the last 11 games, combining to go 6-1-4 during this stretch. WWU's last loss was a 1-0 setback on the road to Western Oregon on September 30.

 

Western is coming off a 1-0-1 week with a scoreless draw at Northwest Nazarene and a convincing 4-0 victory at Central Washington, completing the three-state, one province, four-game road trip. WWU's win at CWU included goals from 4-0 different players.

 

WWU heads into the final two weeks of the regular season second in the GNAC table one game back of Seattle Pacific (7-0-3, 24 points) in the standings. WWU and SPU square off next Thursday (Nov. 2, 7 pm) at Harrington Field. 

 

The Vikings are led by the top defense in the conference with a 0.73 goals against average, with a league-best eight shutouts. WWU's defense has held opponents scoreless in each of its last two games and has a current string of 196 scoreless minutes heading into this week. Western's offense has also scored 11 goals over the last five games.

 

The complete 2023 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/23_WSOC with direct links on how to follow the team on the road and to purchase home game tickets online.

 

 

The Vikings (8-3-4, 6-1-3 GNAC) open a four-game homestand to complete the regular season hosting Western Oregon (Thursday, 7 pm) and Saint Martin's (Saturday, 1 pm) this week at Harrington Field. The complete 2023 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/23_WSOC.

 

Here is a look at promotions for this week's two home games at Harrington Field:

 

·         Thursday – Faculty & Staff Appreciation Day: Free admission for WWU faculty & staff.

·         Saturday – Whatcom Youth Soccer Day: Free admission for all Whatcom Youth Soccer players wearing their team jersey.

 

WWU has only one defeat over its last 11 games going 6-1-4 during this stretch dating back to September 18. The Vikings carry a season-high six-game unbeaten winning into this week, going 5-0-1 during this stretch. The Vikings are in second place in the GNAC standings with a 6-1-1 record (21 points).

 

WWU completes the regular season with four consecutive home games at Harrington Field, beginning with games this week hosting Western Oregon on Thursday (7 pm) and Saint Martin's on Saturday (1 pm). The Vikings feature an undefeated 4-0-1 record at home this season and are 23-3-3 over the last three seasons at Harrington Field. The home slate concludes with Senior Day on Saturday, November 4 with seven seniors being honored prior to the 1 pm game vs. Montana State Billings.

 

WWU has four regular season games remaining on the schedule, all in GNAC play. The top four teams in the conference standings at the end of the regular season will qualify for the GNAC Championships held November 9-11 in Ellensburg, Washington. The Vikings are the defending conference tournament champions and have advanced to play in the GNAC Championship game in all 10 years of the event.

 

Sophomore midfielder Morgan Manalili has been gaining momentum as the regular season winds down, scoring three of her team-leading four goals over the last three games. Manalili has combined for eight of her 11 points (also has three assists) over the last four games. Manalili was the 2023 GNAC Freshman of the Year and an All-West Region selection with 10 goals and 5 assists (25 points) during her freshman season in 2022.

 

Senior Claire Henninger is tied for 2nd in the GNAC with six shutouts this season and leads the conference with a .860 goals against average. Henninger has logged 18 career shutouts in in 49 games (39 starts) during her career to rank 7th in program history. The graduate student is also 4th in program history with a 0.55 goals against average and owns a 27-5-7 all-time record between the pipes.

 

Here is a look at the series history between the Vikings and this week's opponents:

 

·         Western Oregon: Lost to WOU 1-0 on the road in Monmouth on Sept. 30 via a first-half goal…WWU is 40-8-2 all-time vs. the Wolves with a 21-2-0 mark at Harrington Field…WOU defeated WWU 2-1 in last trip to Bellingham on Oct. 27, 2022, the Vikings last loss en route to the national title.

·         Saint Martin's: Two teams played to a scoreless draw Sept. 28 in Lacey…Vikings lead the all-time series 26-2-2 with an undefeated 14-0-1 mark in home games vs. the Saints…current 22-game undefeated streak vs. SMU, with 21-game winning streak snapped in last match-up…Western is 8-0-0 all-time vs. SMU in games played at Harrington Field.

 

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

 

 

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

 

·         The Record – 8-3-4 overall record, 6-1-3 in GNAC play.

·         What Remains – Four regular-season games remain with all four at Harrington Field.

·         Regional Rankings – The first edition of the NCAA II Regional Rankings will be announced Wednesday, with the top 10 teams in the West Region listed in alphabetical order. Six teams from the West will advance to the 2023 NCAA II Women's Soccer Championships with first & second round action scheduled for November 16-18.

·         Senior Day – Vikings will honor seven seniors prior to final home regular-season game on Nov. 4 vs. MSU Billings (1 pm kickoff)…seven seniors include Claire Henninger, Abigail Trengove, Jayden Nguyen, Payton Neal, Katie Watt, Chloe Unflat and Ellie Busik. 

·         Home Cooking – Undefeated at Harrington Field this season with a 4-0-1 record (4-3-3 on the road).

·         GNAC Table – 2nd GNAC standings with 21 points (6-1-3).

·         Four Straight at Harrington – WWU ends the regular season with four consecutive home games.

·         GNAC Championships – Top four teams in the GNAC standings at the end of the regular season will qualify for the 2023 GNAC Championships held Nov. 9-11 at Tomlinson Stadium in Ellensburg…Vikings have qualified for all 10 versions of the GNAC Championships while claiming six titles (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022).

·         Spreading the Wealth – Viking goals this season have come from eight different players – Morgan Manalili (4), Mie Cairns (3), Sophie Bearden Croft (2), Gracen Crosby (2), Minji Rauch (2), Payton Neal, Claire Potter and Jayden Nguyen…also two own goals.

·         Leading Goal Scorer – Sophomore Morgan Manalili led the Vikings with 10 goals and 25 total points last season while being selected as the GNAC Freshman of the Year and All-American…has four goals this season to also lead the team in 2023.

·         Full Time Asia – Sophomore defender Asia Hardin has played 1335 out of a possible 1350 minutes this season (14 games of FT action)…appeared in 39 career games (out of 40 possible), playing the full 90 in 38 of 39 games.

·         PK Gracen – Junior transfer Gracen Crosby is 2-for-2 on penalty kicks this season.

·         Tie Games – Have recorded four draws this season, tied for 2nd-most in a single season in program history.

·         National Champions – 2016 and 2022 NCAA II National Champions and national runner-up in 2019.

·         Henninger's Clean Sheets – Senior goalkeeper Claire Henninger recorded 11 shutouts last season to rank 5th in NCAA Division II…entered WWU single-season record books tying for 4th-most shutouts…tied for 2nd in the GNAC this season with six shutouts…logged 18 career shutouts to rank 7th in program history.

·         GNAC Title – Won 9th GNAC regular-season title in 2022, which includes eight in last 10 seasons…also won sixth GNAC Tournament title.

·         Cairns Trio of Goals – Freshman Mie Cairns is second on the team with three goals, including her first career brace accounting for two of the three goals in 3-1 win at MSUB.

·         Estera Suffers Season-Ending Injury – Senior Estera Levinte has tallied 48 career points, with 15 goals and 18 assists (tie for 24th in WWU history)…ranks tied for 12th in WWU history with 18 assists…senior suffered early-season knee injury and is out for an undetermined amount of time.

·         Harrington Success – Owns all-time 83-5-6 all-time playing at the on-campus facility that debuted in 2014 (.915).

·         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)…all-time record of 44-11-3 in the postseason (GNAC + NCAA).

·         Roster Breakdown – The 2023 roster features 28 players, with 19 from Washington, six from Oregon, two from California and one from Arizona…eligibility wise, the roster has five freshmen, eight sophomores, seven juniors and eight seniors.

·         The Gaffer – Travis Connell is in his 21st season leading the WWU Women's program (28th at WWU)…owns an all-time 307-83-41 (.760) as the Western women's head coach…owns 432 career wins including time with WWU men's soccer…selected as 2022 GNAC Coach of the Year (his 7th award).

 

In addition to winning the national title in 2016 and 2022, the Vikings have played in seven consecutive West Regional Championship matches and nine of the last 10. WWU has won the West Regional title five times (2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2022).

 

Here is a look at the updated GNAC standings heading into the penultimate week of conference play. WWU is in second place in the GNAC table with 21 points (6-1-3) trailing Seattle Pacific by one game in the standings:

 

 

Since Harrington Field debuted on the south edge of the WWU campus in 2014, the Vikings are 83-5-6 (.915) playing in front of the home crowd (4-0-1 in 2023, 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 128-28-19 (.786) at Harrington Field.

 

Sophomore midfielder Morgan Manalili was selected as the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week for games played October 9-15. Manalili recorded a five-point week while leading the Vikings to a pair of conference road victories extending the team's winning streak to four consecutive games. The sophomore was credited with an assist on the Vikings first goal in a 3-1 win at Montana State Billings on Thursday and recorded her first career brace to account for both goals in the 2-1 win on Saturday at Simon Fraser.

 

Led by a trio of student-athletes with a perfect 4.00 GPA, the Western Washington University women's soccer team had 17 players earn a spot on the 2023 Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic Team. Junior Kascia Muscutt and sophomores Morgan Manalili and Claire Potter were three of the nine GNAC student-athletes with a perfect 4.00 GPA that were part of the All-Academic team. WWU's 17 selections were part of a group of 112 total honorees, with more than half as repeat selections. The Vikings were third amongst GNAC member programs in All-Academic awards trailing 20 by Western Oregon and 18 by Central Washington. Senior graduate student Claire Henninger became a four-time All-GNAC Academic selection, and seniors Chloe Unflat and Jayden Nguyen, and juniors Ashley Nguyen and Grace Wales each earned their third academic award from the conference.

 

The complete 2023 WWU Women's Soccer schedule can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/23_WSOC 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 schedule and results:

 

 

The Vikings have made 10 consecutive trips to the NCAA Division II Championships and 12 overall appearances in the NCAA postseason in program history. WWU is the two-time NCAA II National Champion, winning titles in 2016 and 2022, while also playing in the national championship game in 2019. Western is 5-0 all-time in national quarterfinal games and 3-2 in national semifinal contests. The program owns an all-time 28-9-1 record in NCAA Championships play, 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, and earned a second star with a 2-1 win over West Chester to cap the 2022 season in Seattle.

 

Advanced to play in its fifth NCAA Division II Championships Final Four in 2022 with all coming in the last nine seasons (since 2013). WWU appeared in the national semifinal round in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2022 (no championships in 2020). Additionally, the Vikings have 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 Grand Valley State:

 

·         Grand Valley State - 7

·         Western Washington - 5

·         Columbus State - 3

·         Bridgeport & Saint Rose - 2

 

WWU has won 129 of its last 164 games dating back to the start of the 2016 national championship season, going 129-19-16 (.835) during this stretch. The program has won eight of the last 10 GNAC regular-season titles (last in 2022), five of the last seven GNAC Tournaments (last in 2022) and advanced to the NCAA Championships in each of the last 10 seasons. During the 10-year stretch of consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, WWU has reached the West Regional Championship match nine times and advanced to the NCAA II national semifinals five times (2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2022). Western has a current streak of 19 consecutive winning seasons for one of the top-10 longest active streaks in NCAA II.

 

WWU head coach Travis Connell recorded his milestone 300th victory while leading the women's program with the 2-0 season-opening victory over Biola, a span that includes 21 seasons. Connell has combined to go 307-83-41 since taking over the program in 2003, and also has another 125 wins for 432 total WWU head coaching wins including his time spent as the head men's soccer coach at Western.

 

Travis Connell is in his 21st season leading the women's program as head coach and 28th overall as a coach at WWU. Owns a 307-83-41 (.760) record leading the women's program to rank as the 7th-winningest active coach amongst NCAA Division II head coaches. Overall, he is 10th among all-time winningest NCAA Division II coaches, with a minimum of 10 years as a head coach at a DII school. Connell recorded his 300th win leading the women's program on August 31, 2023 in a 2-0 victory over Biola, and including 125 wins as the head coach of the men's soccer program at WWU, Connell has amassed 432 career NCAA head coaching victories. He is assisted by former Viking standout goalkeeper Jamie Arthurs, Johann Lahud-Zahner and Alex McBeath.

 

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 150-21-17 record (.843 winning pct.).