BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's soccer team has already clinched a spot in the postseason and has an exciting finish to the regular season tap this week at Harrington Field.

 

The Vikings carry an eight-game unbeaten streak and three-game winning streak into Thursday's derby vs. Seattle Pacific (7 pm) and hosts Montana State Billings Saturday for Senior Day (1 pm) where the seven-player senior class will be recognized.

 

WWU enters the week at 10-3-4 overall and is in 2nd place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference table with 27 points at 8-1-3. The Vikings trail GNAC leader No. 20 nationally-ranked SPU by one point in the standings, with the conference regular-season champion determined by the end of the weekend. WWU and SPU have already clinched the top two seeds for the four-team GNAC Championships that will be held November 9-11 at Tomlinson Stadium in Ellensburg.

 

The Vikings finished the month of October with an undefeated 7-0-1 record and have four consecutive shutouts (376 minutes without a goal) and head into the final week of the regular season leading the GNAC with a 0.657 goals against average. WWU is coming off a week with home victories over Western Oregon (1-0) and Saint Martin's (2-0).

 

In addition to climbing to near the top of the GNAC table, the Vikings have risen to claiming a top West Regional ranking listed No. 4 in the first ordered edition of the West Region rankings.

 

The Vikings have been powered by the strong recent play of sophomore midfielder Morgan Manalili, who has scored five of her team-leading six goals over the last five games. Manalili has recorded the game-winning goal in each of the Vikings last four victories. Junior midfielder Gracen Crosby has had a strong first season after transferring from Georgia State building into a minutes machine while being selected the most recent GNAC Defensive Player of the Week. Senior goalkeeper Claire Henninger is tied for the conference lead with eight shutouts and paces the GNAC with a 0.425 goals against average.

 

The GNAC Championships are next on the schedule for the Vikings with the top four teams in the standings meeting November 9-11 in Ellensburg to determine the conference postseason champion. WWU and SPU have both clinched a spot in the four-team field and locked in the top two seeds.

 

 

The Vikings (10-3-4, 8-1-3 GNAC) concludes the regular season this week with a pair of home games at Harrington Field, hosting rival Seattle Pacific Thursday night (7 pm) and Montana State Billings Saturday afternoon (1 pm) for Senior Day. 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 are aiming for a repeat GNAC regular-season title, which would be the 10th in program history. The formula is pretty straightforward from the conference perspective. A pair of WWU victories at Harrington Field this week vs. SPU and MSUB and the Vikings will win the title to earn the No. 1 seed in the conference championship tournament. An SPU victory Thursday would seal the title for the Falcons. A few different scenarios exist involving ties, but two victories and the Vikings will hang another GNAC banner.

 

The Vikings navigated a tough October stretch undefeated, going 7-0-1 in conference play. WWU combined to go 4-0- in home games at Harrington Field during the month and 3-0-1 on the road. Western entered the month with a 3-3-3 overall mark and 1-1-2 GNAC record, but have climbed the standings and regional rankings with the undefeated eight-game stretch.

 

Prior to the start of Saturday's regular-season finale vs. Montana State Billings (1 pm kickoff), the Vikings will recognize the seven-player senior class with an on-field ceremony. Katie Watt, Claire Henninger, Payton Neal, Jayden Nguyen, Abigail Trengove, Chloe Unflat and Ellie Busik will play their final regular-season game at Harrington Field. The group has combined for one of the best stretches in program history dating back to 2019, with the Vikings going 71-14-13 (.791) while playing in a pair of national championship games and winning the 2022 title.

WWU has only one defeat over its last 13 games going 8-1-4 during this stretch dating back to September 18. The Vikings carry a season-high eight-game unbeaten winning into the final week of the regular season, going 7-0-1 during this stretch. The Vikings are in second place in the GNAC standings with a 8-1-1 record (21 points).

 

The Vikings carry a string of 376 consecutive scoreless minutes into Thursday's derby match vs. Seattle Pacific, riding a streak of four consecutive shutouts. WWU last allowed a goal late in the 74th minute in the 2-1 road victory over Simon Fraser on October 14. Western leads the GNAC with 10 shutouts and a 0.65 goals against average.

 

WWU has punched its ticket to the postseason securing one of the four spots in the GNAC Championships to be held November 9-11 in Ellensburg at Tomlinson Stadium. The Vikings have now advanced to play in all 11 GNAC Tournaments and are six-time champions of the postseason championships (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022). Tickets for the GNAC Women's Soccer Championships are currently on sale via GNACTickets.com.

 

One of the great rivalries in college soccer, WWU (2016, 2022) and Seattle Pacific (2008) each have claimed an NCAA Division II national championship. WWU has advanced to the NCAA Championships in each of the last 10 seasons, while SPU has appeared in 16 of the last 19 seasons. WWU (9) and SPU (9) have combined to capture 18 of the 21 GNAC regular-season titles.

 

WWU head coach Travis Connell was a four-year letterman for the SPU men's soccer team from 1991-95, helping lead the Falcons to 1993 national championship.

 

The Vikings secured the 10th win of the season last Saturday at home vs. Saint Martin's, marking the 17th consecutive full season to record double-digits in victories. WWU has an active streak of 19 consecutive seasons with a winning record, one of the longest streaks in NCAA Division II.

 

The first edition of the listed West Regional Women's Soccer Rankings were released Wednesday, with the Vikings listed No. 4. A total of eight teams are ranked regionally during the regular season, with the top six teams advancing to play in the West Regional Championships. Here is a look at the current West Regional Rankings with the program's overall record through games played on October 29:

 

 

Here is a look at the updated GNAC standings heading into the final week of conference play. WWU is in second place in the GNAC table with 27 points (8-1-3) trailing Seattle Pacific by one game in the standings. The regular-season champion receives the No. 1 seed in the GNAC Championships, with the postseason tournament champion receiving the automatic bid to the NCAA Championships:

 

 

Sophomore midfielder Morgan Manalili has been gaining momentum as the regular season winds down, scoring five of her team-leading six goals over the last five games. Manalili has also accounted for the game-winning goal in each of the last four games during the current winning streak. The 2022 GNAC Freshman of the Year and an All-West Region selection has combined for 16 goals and eight assists (40 points) in 43 career games as a Viking. Manalili also has 10 game-winning goals to rank among the top five in program history during the NCAA II era (since 1998).

 

Senior Claire Henninger is tied for the GNAC lead and is tied for 21st nationally with eight shutouts this season. Henninger also leads the conference with a 0.425 goals against average, a mark that ranks 14th in NCAA II. The five-year letterwinner has appeared in 51 games (41 starts) while recording 20 career shutouts to tie for 6th-most in program history. Her career 0.52 goals against average is listed 5th-lowest in WWU history and she owns an all-time 29-5-7 record between the pipes.

 

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

 

• Seattle Pacific: WWU and SPU tied 1-1 in the previous derby earlier this season at Interbay Stadium (9/23)…WWU swept the series last year against SPU, winning 1-0 at home and 3-0 on the road…the all-time series stands at 23-23-8 with Western holding a 19-5-5 record in the last 29 meetings dating back to October 2013…the Vikings had a 21-game unbeaten streak vs. the Falcons from 2013-21…WWU is 8-2-1 all-time vs. the Falcons at Harrington Field (since 2014).
• MSU Billings: Vikings defeated the Yellowjackets on the road 3-1 on October 12…WWU has current 21-game unbeaten streak and 20-game winning streak vs. MSUB…Western leads the all-time series 28-3-2 and are 13-1-2 in home games (7-0-0 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 – 10-3-4 overall record, 8-1-3 in GNAC play (2nd place).
• Team of the Week – WWU was selected as the GNAC Team of the Week after going 2-0 last week.
• What Remains – Two regular-season games remain, both at Harrington Field.
• Ticket Punched – Vikings have secured one of the top two seeds for the GNAC Championships that will be held Nov. 9-11 at Tomlinson Stadium in Ellensburg.
• Senior Day – Vikings will honor seven seniors prior to final home regular-season game Saturday vs. MSU Billings (1 pm kickoff)…seven seniors include Claire Henninger, Abigail Trengove, Jayden Nguyen, Payton Neal, Katie Watt, Chloe Unflat and Ellie Busik. 
• Regional Rankings – Listed No. 4 in the first ordered West Regional rankings that were announced November 1…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.
• Home Cooking – Undefeated at Harrington Field this season with a 6-0-1 record (4-3-3 on the road).
• GNAC Table – 2nd GNAC standings with 27 points (8-1-3), one point behind Seattle Pacific.
• Four Straight at Harrington – WWU ends the regular season with four consecutive home games…after going on a four-game, three-state, one-province road trip (3-0-1 record).
• GNAC Championships – Top four teams in the GNAC standings at the end of the regular season qualify for the 2023 GNAC Championships held Nov. 9-11 at Tomlinson Stadium in Ellensburg (WWU and SPU have already qualified)…Vikings have qualified for all 11 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 nine different players – Morgan Manalili (6), Mie Cairns (3), Sophie Bearden Croft (2), Gracen Crosby (2), Minji Rauch (2), Payton Neal, Claire Potter, Jayden Nguyen and Myka Carr…also two own goals.
• Leading Goal Scorer – Morgan Manalili leads the Vikings with six goals this season, all coming in GNAC play to lead the conference in goals scored in league contests…also led WWU with 10 goals and 25 points during GNAC Freshman of the Year season in 2022…scored 16 goals in 42 career games (35 starts) with 10 game-winning goals.
• Full Time Asia – Sophomore defender Asia Hardin has played 1515 out of a possible 1530 minutes this season (16 games of FT action)…appeared in 41 career games (out of 42 possible), playing the full 90 in 40 of 41 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 1st in the GNAC this season with eight shutouts and has logged 20 career shutouts to tie for 6th-most 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 85-5-6 all-time playing at the on-campus facility that debuted in 2014 (.917).
• 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 309-83-41 (.761) as the Western women's head coach…owns 434 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).

 

Since Harrington Field debuted on the south edge of the WWU campus in 2014, the Vikings are 85-5-6 (.917) playing in front of the home crowd (6-0-1 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 130-28-20 (.787) at Harrington Field.

 

Junior midfielder Gracen Crosby was selected as the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week for games played October 23-29. Crosby has been a stalwart member of the Vikings defensive unit that has recorded a conference-leading 10 shutouts and 0.65 goals against average. In two games last week, Crosby played 168 out of 180 possible minutes with the Vikings recording shutout victories over Western Oregon (1-0) and Saint Martin's (2-0). The Georgia State transfer has started 15 of 17 matches while playing a majority of the minutes. Crosby turned in her fourth 90-minute effort of the season in WWU's 1-0 blanking of Western Oregon last Thursday, and helped the team extend its shutout streak to four matches with Saturday's 2-0 triumph over Saint Martin's. Crosby chipped in a pair of assists on the offensive end in the win over the Saints.

Sophomore midfielder Morgan Manalili was selected as the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week for games played October 9-15. 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 131 of its last 166 games dating back to the start of the 2016 national championship season, going 131-19-16 (.837) 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 309-83-41 since taking over the program in 2003, and also has another 125 wins for 434 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 309-83-41 (.761) 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 434 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 152-21-17 record (.845 winning pct.).