BELLINGHAM, Wash. – With the 2023 season winding down, the Western Washington University men's soccer team is back in action this week with a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference contests.

 

WWU (4-6-3 overall, 1-4-2 GNAC) remains at Harrington Field Thursday closing out a three-game homestand hosting Western Oregon in a 4 pm game to kick off a Viking Soccer Doubleheader. Western then travels south to face rival Seattle Pacific on Saturday with a 7 pm game at Interbay Stadium.

 

The Vikings went 0-1-1 last week with a scoreless draw against Montana State Billings and a 1-0 loss to Northwest Nazarene. WWU is winless in its last four games going 0-3-1 while scoring just two goals in the four combined games.

 

Western's defense continues to headline the season performance ranking second in the GNAC with a 0.92 goals against average and tied for the lead with five shutouts. Senior goalkeeper Brandon Locke is among the conference leaders in goals against average and shutouts.

 

With three weeks remaining in the regular season, WWU has five remaining games with two at home and three on the road. The Vikings host border rival Simon Fraser next Saturday (Nov. 4) at 7 pm with five seniors honored prior to the game.

 

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 – 4-6-3 overall, 1-4-2 GNAC, 3-2-0 at Harrington Field, 1-4-2 on the road.
• Last Week – Went 0-1-1 last week with a 0-0 draw vs. MSUB and 1-0 loss to NNU in home games.
• Stingy Defense – Ranks 2nd in the GNAC with a team 0.92 goals against average.
• Harrington Field – 3-2-1 at home this season and 10-3-4 in last 17 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 31 games as a Viking…six career game-winning goals with three this season.
• Between the Pipes – Senior goalkeeper Brandon Locke has started all 13 games and played every minute this season…recorded five shutouts to tie for first in the GNAC and bring his career total to 16 to tie for 2nd-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 91-63-27 (.577).

 

Through six home games this season, the Vikings are averaging 373 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.

 

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

• Western Oregon: Defeated by WOU in first meeting this season 2-1 on October 12 in Monmouth…WWU won both games last season in inaugural season for the Wolves…Vikings defeated the Wolves 2-0 at Harrington Field in only time WOU has visited Bellingham.
• Seattle Pacific: WWU defeated SPU 2-0 in Bellingham on October 5…the Vikings and Falcons split the season series last year with each team winning at home…WWU registered a 3-1 home victory on October 1 and was defeated 2-1 in Seattle on October 29…SPU leads the overall series 39-15-10 dating back to the first meeting in 1978 (according to WWU records), but Western is 8-3-2 over the last 13 matchups since 2017…WWU head coach Greg Brisbon was a two-year varsity letterwinner for SPU during his collegiate playing days.

 

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: Seattle Pacific 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 42 career games in goal for the Vikings since debuting during the 2019 season. Locke has recorded 16 shutouts to rank tied for 2nd in program history (record is 18) and currently has the lowest Goals Against Average (0.78) of any Viking goalkeeper and highest save percentage (.799).

 

Sophomore forward Albin Jonsson leads the team and is tied for 9th in the GNAC with five goals through the first 13 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 31 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 45-23-13 for a .636 winning percentage (3-2-1 in 2023, 7-1-3 in 2022). WWU is 28-11-6 at Harrington Field over the last five seasons (since 2018). Combining with the WWU women's team, both programs have combined to go 128-28-19 (.786) playing at Harrington Field (7-2-2 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 66-41-20 (.598) with a 42-23-12 (.623) record in GNAC play. Brisbon owns an all-time head coaching record of 91-63-27 (.577). 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.