BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's soccer team had another dominating defensive performance and junior forward Sophie Bearden Croft delivered a late first-half game-winning goal as the Vikings defeated Central Washington University 1-0 Thursday in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action.

 

WWU improved to 4-3-3 overall and picked up three points in the GNAC standings moving to 2-1-2 in conference play to sit at third in the early conference table.

 

The Vikings broke through in the 36th minute to go up 1-0 on the Wildcats. A build-up through the midfield found Payton Neal who led a pass down the sideline to Halle Noel. Similar to the last game at Harrington, Noel crossed the ball to the middle of the box finding Bearden Croft who hip-checked the ball into the right side of the goal for her team-leading second goal of the season.

 

WWU's defense notched its GNAC-leading sixth shutout of the season limiting the Wildcats to just two shots on goal. Senior goalkeeper Claire Henninger made both saves while tallying her fourth shutout of the season and 16th of her career to move in for a tie for 9th in program history.

 

"Another dominant defensive performance by our team," said WWU head coach Travis Connell. "We received contributions throughout the roster tonight that spurred us to victory."

 

CWU dropped to 2-8-0 overall and 1-4-0 in GNAC play. Goalkeeper Danika Galbraith made seven saves for the Wildcats to keep the game close.

The game vs. CWU kicked off a WWU Soccer doubleheader to help celebrate Latine Heritage Month with the campus community. The WWU men defeated Seattle Pacific 2-0 in the nightcap.

W⚽️| Hear from Sophie Bearden Croft after the Vikings 1-0 victory over Central Washington on Harrington Field. Stick around after the interview to view the game-winning goal. GO VIKS!🤘#GoViks pic.twitter.com/ioELSRS2Qv

— WWU Athletics (@WWUAthletics) October 6, 2023

The Vikings (4-3-3, 2-1-2 GNAC) remain at home hosting Northwest Nazarene on Saturday at 7 pm for the unveiling of the 2016 and 2022 National Championship banner. The complete 2023 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/23_WSOC.

 

Western Washington 1, Central Washington 0

Date: October 5, 2023

Field: Harrington Field   Site: Bellingham, WA

Attendance: 168

 

Goals by period                 1  2    Tot

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

Central Washington............  0  0  -  0

Western Washington............  1  0  -  1

 

SCORING SUMMARY:

1.      35:38     WWU     Bearden Croft (Noel, Neal)

 

Shots: WWU 11, CWU 7

Shots on Goal: WWU 8, CWU 2

Saves: WWU 2 (Henninger – 2), CWU 7 (Galbraith – 7)

Corners: WWU 3, CWU 2

Fouls: CWU 13, WWU 11

Offsides: WWU 3, CWU 0

Kits: WWU (Black), CWU (Crimson)

Records: WWU (4-3-3, 2-1-2), CWU (2-8-0, 1-4-0)

 

WWU extended its unbeaten streak to 24 consecutive games going 21-0-3 dating back to 2011…Vikings are 49-10-9 all-time vs. CWU with a 23-5-4 mark in games played in Bellingham (8-0-1 at Harrington Field).
 

 

Since Harrington Field debuted on the south edge of the WWU campus in 2014, the Vikings are 82-5-6 (.914) playing in front of the home crowd (3-0-1 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 126-27-18 (.789) at Harrington Field.

 

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

 

Here is a look at the updated GNAC standings through the completion of Thursday's games:

 

 

WWU will celebrate its 2022 national championship prior to the October 7 game vs. Northwest Nazarene. A championship banner will be unveiled at Harrington Field to show both the 2016 and 2022 national titles and the first 350 fans will receive a special national championship crest sticker.

 

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 146-21-16 record (.842 winning pct.).