BELLINGHAM, Wash. – On a night where a new national championship banner was displayed at Harrington Field, the Western Washington University women's soccer team made sure Saturday night was a memorable one with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Northwest Nazarene University.
After conceding an early goal in the first four minutes of the game on an own goal, the Vikings recorded its first comeback victory of the season to improve to 5-3-3 overall and moved into second place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings at 3-1-2.
NNU put the early goal on the board at the 3:54 mark when an attempted clearance header off a corner wound up in the back of the net.
WWU answered midway through the first half to even things up on a header goal by senior defender Jayden Nguyen. Junior defender Halle Noel swung a corner towards the far post where Nguyen got a clean connection on a header back across the box for her first goal of the season.
The Vikings put pressure on the Nighthawks throughout the second half, including a pair of shots that hit the crossbar by sophomore midfielder Morgan Manalili, including a free kick that hit the woodwork in the 78th minute.
With the game in the final seconds, the Vikings scrambled to get a throw-in back into play with 35 seconds on the clock. Sophomore forward Claire Potter gained possession and fired a left-footed cross into the middle of the box. Freshman Mie Cairns got off a clean volley that squared up the crossbar, with the rebound headed into the back of the goal by an NNU defender with just 24 seconds remaining.
"This team showed something tonight...that they will not be denied and that they believe in themselves," said WWU head coach Travis Connell. "A great win after conceding an early goal. I am proud of the comeback mentality and for playing hard all 90 minutes. It was a great night at Harrington Field"
Western held a 14-8 advantage over NNU in total shots (9-4 in the second half), with the Nighthawks edging the Vikings 6-4 in shots on goal. WWU had an 8-3 lead in corner kicks.
NNU dropped its GNAC contest Thursday in similar fashion in a 1-0 loss at Simon Fraser, with a late goal with just over one minute remaining. The Nighthawks moved to 4-3-3 overall and 2-3-1 in GNAC play.
The Vikings (5-3-3, 3-1-2 GNAC) begin a four-game road trip next week with conference matches at Montana State Billings on Thursday (4 pm MT/3 pm PT) and cross the border Saturday to face Simon Fraser in Burnaby (6 pm). The complete 2023 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/23_WSOC.
Western Washington 2, Northwest Nazarene 1
Date: October 7, 2023
Field: Harrington Field Site: Bellingham, WA
Attendance: 325
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
--------------------------------------------
Northwest Nazarene............ 1 0 - 1
Western Washington............ 1 1 - 2
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 3:54 NNU Own Goal
2. 22:40 WWU J. Nguyen (Noel)
3. 89:36 WWU Own Goal
Shots: WWU 14, NNU 8
Shots on Goal: NNU 6, WWU 4
Saves: WWU 6 (Henninger – 6), NNU 3 (Blancett – 3)
Corners: WWU 8, NNU 3
Fouls: WWU 8, NNU 7
Offsides: WWU 2, NNU 0
Kits: WWU (Light Blue), NNU (Black)
Records: WWU (5-3-3, 3-1-2), NNU (4-3-3, 2-3-1)
WWU improved to 41-2-2 all-time vs. NNU dating back to the first meeting in 1997. The Vikings extended its unbeaten streak vs. the Nighthawks to five straight going 4-0-1 during this stretch, including a 1-0 victory over NNU in last November's GNAC Championships final.
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 128-27-18 (.792) at Harrington Field.
Here is a look at Western's record breakdown for the 2023 season:
|
2023 RECORD BREAKDOWN
|
|
Overall Record
|
5-3-3
|
|
Streak
|
W2
|
|
Home
|
4-0-1
|
|
Away
|
1-3-2
|
|
Neutral
|
0-0-0
|
|
GNAC Record
|
3-1-2
|
|
Non-Conference
|
2-2-1
|
|
Ranked Opponents
|
1-2-0
|
|
Scoring First
|
4-0-0
|
|
Opponent Scores First
|
1-3-1
|
|
Lead at the Half
|
3-0-0
|
|
Tied at the Half
|
2-1-3
|
|
Trail at the Half
|
0-2-0
|
|
Record by Kit
|
|
White
|
0-1-0
|
|
Navy Blue
|
0-1-2
|
|
Light Blue
|
3-1-0
|
|
Black
|
2-0-1
|
Here is a look at the updated GNAC standings through the completion of Saturday's games with the Vikings gaining sole possession of second place in the table with 11 points (3-1-2).
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WOMEN'S SOCCER
|
CONF
|
PTS
|
OVERALL
|
PCT
|
HOME
|
AWAY
|
NEUTRAL
|
STREAK
|
|
Seattle Pacific
|
4-0-2
|
14
|
7-2-2
|
.727
|
3-1-2
|
4-1-0
|
0-0-0
|
T1
|
|
Western Washington
|
3-1-2
|
11
|
5-3-3
|
.591
|
4-0-1
|
1-3-2
|
0-0-0
|
W2
|
|
Western Oregon
|
3-2-1
|
10
|
6-2-2
|
.700
|
4-1-0
|
2-1-2
|
0-0-0
|
T1
|
|
Simon Fraser
|
3-2-1
|
10
|
4-2-2
|
.625
|
2-0-0
|
2-2-2
|
0-0-0
|
W2
|
|
Northwest Nazarene
|
2-3-1
|
7
|
4-3-3
|
.550
|
0-1-1
|
4-2-1
|
0-0-1
|
L2
|
|
Saint Martin's
|
1-2-3
|
6
|
3-3-4
|
.500
|
1-2-2
|
0-1-1
|
2-0-1
|
T1
|
|
Montana State Billings
|
1-3-2
|
5
|
2-4-3
|
.389
|
1-2-2
|
1-2-1
|
0-0-0
|
T1
|
|
Central Washington
|
1-5-0
|
3
|
2-9-0
|
.182
|
1-3-0
|
1-3-1
|
0-2-0
|
L3
|
|
THIS WEEK'S GNAC SCHEDULE & RESULTS
|
|
Thursday, October 5:
at Western Washington 1, Central Washington 0
at Seattle Pacific 1, Saint Martin's 0
at Simon Fraser 1, Northwest Nazarene 0
at Montana State Billings 2, Western Oregon 1
Saturday, October 7:
at Montana State Billings 1, Saint Martin's 1
at Seattle Pacific 2, Western Oregon 2
at Simon Fraser 4, Central Washington 0
at Western Washington 2, Northwest Nazarene 1
|
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHP BANNER UNVEILED
WWU celebrated its 2022 national championship season by unveiling championship banner that will be showcased at Harrington Field to recognize the 2016 and 2022 national titles. Fans received a free sticker with the championship crest at the game.
2023 WWU WOMEN'S SOCCER RESULTS & SCHEDULE
Here is a look at the Vikings 2023 schedule and results:
|
DATE
|
OPPONENT
|
LOCATION / VENUE
|
KICKOFF
|
|
Aug. 31 (Thur.)
|
@Biola
|
La Mirada, CA (Al Barbour Field)
|
W, 2-0
|
|
Sept. 4 (Mon.)
|
@CUI (#17)
|
Irvine, CA (Golden Eagles Field)
|
L, 4-0
|
|
Sept. 9 (Sat.)
|
Cal State LA (#22)
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
W, 1-0
|
|
Sept. 14 (Thur.)
|
@Colorado Mines (#2)
|
Golden, CO (Stermole Soccer Stadium)
|
L, 2-0
|
|
Sept. 18 (Mon.)
|
Sonoma State
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
T, 0-0
|
|
Sept. 21 (Thur.)
|
Simon Fraser GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
W, 2-0
|
|
Sept. 23 (Sat.)
|
@Seattle Pacific GNAC
|
Seattle, WA (Interbay Stadium)
|
T, 1-1
|
|
Sept. 28 (Thur.)
|
@Saint Martin's GNAC
|
Lacey, WA (SMU Soccer Field)
|
T, 0-0
|
|
Sept. 30 (Sat.)
|
@Western Oregon (RV) GNAC
|
Monmouth, OR (WOU Soccer Field)
|
L, 1-0
|
|
Oct. 5 (Thur.)
|
Central Washington GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
W, 1-0
|
|
Oct. 7 (Sat.)
|
Northwest Nazarene GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
W, 2-1
|
|
Oct. 12 (Thur.)
|
@MSU Billings GNAC
|
Billings, MT (Yellowjacket Field)
|
4:00 pm MT
|
|
Oct. 14 (Sat.)
|
@Simon Fraser GNAC
|
Burnaby, BC (Terry Fox Field)
|
6:00 pm
|
|
Oct. 19 (Thur.)
|
@Northwest Nazarene GNAC
|
Nampa, ID (NNU Soccer Field)
|
7:00 pm MT
|
|
Oct. 21 (Sat.)
|
@Central Washington GNAC
|
Ellensburg, WA (CWU Soccer Field)
|
12:00 pm
|
|
Oct. 26 (Thur.)
|
Western Oregon GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
7:00 pm
|
|
Oct. 28 (Sat.)
|
Saint Martin's GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
1:00 pm
|
|
Nov. 2 (Thur.)
|
Seattle Pacific GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
7:00 pm
|
|
Nov. 4 (Sat.)
|
MSU Billings GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
1:00 pm
|
|
2023 POSTSEASON SCHEDULE
|
|
Nov. 9 (Thur.)
|
GNAC Championships
|
Ellensburg, WA (Tomlinson Stadium)
|
TBD
|
|
Nov. 11 (Sat.)
|
GNAC Championships
|
Ellensburg, WA (Tomlinson Stadium)
|
TBD
|
|
Nov. 16-18
|
NCAA First & Second Rounds
|
TBD
|
TBD
|
|
Nov. 30
|
NCAA Regional Final
|
TBD
|
TBD
|
|
Dec. 1
|
NCAA National Quarterfinal
|
TBD
|
TBD
|
|
Dec. 7-9
|
NCAA Championship Finals
|
Matthews, NC (Matthews Sportsplex)
|
TBD
|
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 147-21-16 record (.842 winning pct.).
